14 



thing is in the doing of it. And it is this sense of the absence of 

 practical experience that makes one shun to assume a 

 knowledge which is only backed by reading. Speaking for 

 myself I hesitate when necessity compels me to consult a 

 member of the medical profession even to make use of 

 technical terms, although they may by long study have 

 become familiar to me. It is assuming a knowledge 1 do not 

 possess ; for is not the position plainly this — he knows the 

 goods, I know the labels ? And, besides, it is nothing short 

 of nonsense to rattle about big words, when it is only too 

 evident you have nothing solid behind them. 



But on the other hand it is a mistake to suppose that a 

 professional man knows cvcrytliiiig. Were they living to-day, 

 a cobbler like Thomas Edward and a stonemason like Hugh 

 Miller could put many a professional scientist through his 

 facings. A business man can have his native heath even in the 

 scientific world. In pond, in hedgerow, in field, in quarry, by 

 the sea shore and in the quietness of his own home, he — the 

 non-professional man — can claim the mastery of his position. 

 He knows, not simply because he reads but because he loorks. 

 How great, for instance, are the mysteries contained in the 

 study of " the cell " ; and yet how frequently do our discussions 

 reveal a knowledge of the subject — the outcome of long patient 

 investigation — on the part of members whose days are spent in 

 the bustle of commercial life. These men are workers ; and 

 their words are listened to with respect by one and all 

 who are not fettered by the traditions of professional 

 exclusiveness. 



A good deal, of course, depends upon what view we take 

 of life, and more especially what estimate we place upon life's 

 enjoyments. That life is meant to be enjoyed, and is capable 

 of being enjoyed by every sane man I have no hesitation in 

 affirming. But it must not be an enjoyment of mere self- 

 gratification, of accumulation, of ruthless ambition. Enjoy- 

 ment of this type brings with it surfeit and stagnation. On 

 the other hand we have had given to us the whole realm of 

 nature to enjoy : and who shall exhaust its treasures or fully 



