THE VALUE OF THE WORK OF THE SCIENTIST 

 TO HUMANITY. 



By James A. Yates, M. S., Normal Training School, Pittsburg, Kan. 



Presidential address, delivered at Emporia, November 29, 1907, before the fortieth 

 annual meeting of the Kansas Academy of Science. 



T INFER that the high ideals of the Academy demand that 

 J- in this address some of- the broader questions that agi- 

 tate general scientific thought shall be discussed, rather than 

 some phase of a particular field of investigation. Therefore, 

 I have chosen to speak on the general theme, "The value of 

 the work of the scientist to humanity." 



The true test of the value of anything is its utility; that 

 which conserves, strengthens and continues life and growth 

 in its highest and best relations, while its disuse weeds out 

 and destroys. It is not of the monetary value of science that 

 I wish to speak. That it has this side, I will call attention 

 to the statement of our commissioner of education, whose in- 

 vestigations show that in 1800 the total productive capacity 

 of each man, woman and child in the United States amounted 

 to ten cents a day. During the period from 1830 to 1850 the 

 productive capacity rose to thirty cents a day for each in- 

 habitant, while in 1900 it had risen to fifty-five cents a day 

 for each inhabitant. With this data, a very easy arithmetical 

 calculation will show that in a single year the increased pro- 

 duction brought about by scientific investigations has returned 

 in dollars and cents many times the amount expended for 

 scientific work during the whole of the nineteenth century. 

 The examples are numerous that show that money invested 

 in scientific inquiry yields almost fabulous returns. 



The question of what use will any new truth or fact be, is 

 one that quickly flashes through the mind of the masses. Let 

 us all fully understand that every scientific fact is useful now, 

 or will be in the near or remote future, at least, in helping 

 us to understand and utilize the manifold stores of nature, 

 and therefore has a bearing, either near or remote, on the 

 welfare of man. As each brick or stone is of service in a 

 building, so a place will be found for every truth wrested from 

 nature. The proper measure of value is that of service, and 

 that thing is of greatest value which will help man most in 



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