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for instance, physics, chemistry, philology, archjeology, 

 mechanics, political economy, mathematics — any one of these 

 is sufficient to call forth the most vigorous mental powers ; and 

 yet these sciences possess an alluring attraction and offer a 

 rich feast to the jaded business man, who may be only able to 

 devote to them what he is pleased to call his " play time." 



In these remarks sole reference has been made to scientific 

 studies as distinguished from those which are purely literary ; 

 not that the former is one whit of more importance than the 

 latter, or that the one should be studied to the exclusion of the 

 other. Charles Darwin made a confession of regret of how his 

 mind had become blunted to nearly every literary pursuit by 

 reason of his long continued effort in the direction of 

 scientific investigation. The love of letters forms one of the 

 joys of existence. History, Poetry, Philosophy, Belles- 

 Lettres, who shall tell sufficiently of the solace and joy to be 

 found in them ; of the love of books, as well as of the love of 

 nature ! One pities the man to whom both these avenues of 

 delight offer no attraction ; to whom the mere love of accumula- 

 tion and the exercise of commercial power is the first and last 

 consideration of the daily routine. 



No excuse is offered for laying emphasis upon what is still 

 the need of more attention being paid by the business men of 

 Liverpool to the higher educational life of their city. If our 

 country is to keep in the van of the nations it will have to do 

 so by means other than mere material prosperity ; it will have 

 to remember that brains count for much ; and that it is not 

 the mental development of the few — the so-called learned 

 classes — but the development of the many, and not least the 

 commercial classes, that will place our beloved land in the 

 position we would have her occupy, a position not attained 

 by the spoils of war but by the victories of peace. Ame ica 

 to-day is presenting a spectacle of how the sordid love of gain 

 is hurrying the nation to a crisis. I am well aware of the 

 huge endowments for educational purposes that come from the 

 hands of her millionaire magnates, but the broad fact remains 

 that the higher and better qualities of her business men are 



