10 PRESIDENT S ADDRESS. 



aided discontinuous one. It would be a matter for deep regret 

 if the historian of our country should ever find it necessary to 

 record an incident even distantly resembling that connected 

 with the name of the great French chemist Lavoisier. In the 

 Reign of Terror Lavoisier was one of those marked down for 

 death, and his enemies at length laid hands on him. In vain 

 some of those who knew the value of his life to science pleaded 

 for his release. They next entreated that his execution might 

 be stayed until he had completed a piece of research on which 

 he was then engaged. But his captors were relentless. 

 " Away with him! " they cried, " the Republic has no need of 

 savants ! " 



Attention has next to be called to the State's duty in a third 

 capacity, namely, as general Health-Guardian. Fortunately this, 

 though involving consideration of a number of sciences (En- 

 tomology, Bacteriology, Mycology, etc.), need not be enlarged 

 upon, it being self-evident that the bodily and mental fitness of 

 the people is all-important in the life-struggle of nations, and 

 that it is almost equally momentous that animals and plants 

 useful to man should be protected from the ravages of disease. 

 Further, there is the satisfactory reason that in dealing with 

 such matters South African Governments have been on the 

 whole sympathetic and in some directions markedly liberal. 

 Here again, however, and perhaps in a special degree, it is 

 necessary to give warning that the State should not burden 

 itself with work proper to individuals and private corporations, 

 but should confine itself to needful scientific work which other 

 agencies cannot accomplish. It should never be forgotten 

 that the vState which discourages self-help is undermining its 

 •own strength. 



Thus far we have been considering sciences with direct prac- 

 tical applications; indeed, the reason for considering" them at 

 all has been in the main because of the existence of these appli- 

 cations, — because the sciences bear more or less immediately 

 on the welfare and prosperity of the State. What then 

 are we to sav of the so-called Pure Sciences — sciences 

 from which the State or its people cannot hope to 

 obtain any immediate benefit ? Our answer is — and it ought 

 to be given with entire frankness — such sciences must be con- 

 tent to take a second place. The State, we feel, has a perfect 

 right to expect something tangible in return for its outlay : 

 and, its supply of funds being limited, it is bound to pass in 

 review before it any proposed series of scientific schemes, 

 separating them out into practical and unpractical, and there- 

 after sifting the practical into those that are urgent and those 

 that are not. No one, for example, can reasonably complain 

 because the Government of Cape Colony has for years pre- 

 ferred to subsidize the study of Geology rather than the study 

 of Bushman paintings, the study of Bacteriology rather than 

 the study of Pure Mathematics : or because the Union Govern- 

 ment was not so liberal to the Term Nova Expedition as geo- 

 graphical enthusiasts would have wished it to be. What could 



