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GENERAL PAPERS 85 
education are allowed to continue, science will function among 
the masses of people, in the future, to a less extent than at 
present. Now, who is to check these tendencies, if not the men 
and women engaged in science work? And how can we deal 
with such problems except thru some organization? We who, 
are devoting our lives to science, should know better than any 
other class in society, the great need of the further prosecution 
of scientific research, and of the wider dissemination of scien- 
tific knowledge among the people, and so because of this knowl- 
edge, we are charged with the responsibility of doing whatever 
lies within our power to further the interests of these things. 
If we do not do every thing that we can to create public sup- 
port and demand for scientific research, such support is likely 
to be lacking. If we do not assume some guarding care over 
science education, it is likely to be neglected. Science, like 
everything else, is always in competition with other interests, 
and most of these competing interests are backed by active 
organizations. Hence, it follows that if science is to hold its 
place and perform its true mission in society, those who under- 
stand and appreciate it best must be organized and in a posi- 
tion to assert its rights and to advocate its cause at every turn, 
and in the most effective manner. 
In conclusion, I would say, then, that this is no time for any 
member of the Academy to give even a single thought to with- 
drawing his support from the organization or to shirk his share 
of the responsibility in helping it out of its present difficulties. 
In this day of patriotic appeals, when young men on every side 
of us are making sacrifices which are out of all proportions to 
anything that most of us shall be asked to make, the present 
difficulties of the Academy should shrink to exceedingly small 
dimensions, and we should do with a generous hand, what is 
to my mind, plainly our patriotic duty, both to society at 
large, and to the State of Illinois. It would be a sad commen- 
tary on the men of science in Illinois if this Academy should 
be allowed to perish or even to languish in this time when it is 
needed as never before. 
