president's address — SECTION I. 173. 



science needs the helping hand of literature. The art of 

 expression, that valuable thouo'h not altogether incommu- 

 nicable gift wliich we call style, may I commend the pursuit 

 of it to my brethren of the other sections in this Association ? 

 A world in which science reigns supreme, where she exercises 

 complete control over education, complete mastery over 

 platform, chair, and pulpit, would run the risk of being a dull 

 world. Folk would perhaps live longer ; but would they be 

 iiappier ? A slight sketch of that coming time has been 

 given by a master hand in the Preface to the First Series 

 o\' Essays in Criticism. What is readable will be read, and 

 many books on scientific subjects are simply not readable. 

 The few can study them, and thereout suck they no small 

 advantage ; but such books are not read for pleasure. They 

 are without form, if not void. On the other hand, some 

 books of science may be said, in Shakspeare's words, to 

 " give delight and hurt not." It goes without saying that the 

 man of science wants an appreciative audience — wants his 

 influence to be felt. To gain these ends what he learns from 

 Hterature will help him, and in that sense hterature will 

 take care of science too. In this connection it is advisable 

 to point out the importance to the man of science of the 

 faculty of the imagination. Everything in science must be 

 proved. Granted ; but the steps of the discoverer were not 

 always made in a logical fashion. The imagination of the 

 man of genius skips steps, jumps difficulties, and then, 

 having reached a trutli to which reason did not lead him, he 

 goes back and finds the needed ])roof. Imagination is also 

 needed to prevent the man of science from being one-sided, 

 to develop other parts of his nature. That is a sad passage 

 towards the end of Darwin's life where he tells us that when 

 he was younger he appreciated music and poetry, Shakspeare 

 and Beethoven ; but that as he devoted himself more and 

 more to scientific investigation, he felt himself become a mere 

 machine for the grinding out of scientific facts. We refuse 

 to believe it of Darwin, even on his own statement, but the 

 statement indicates decidedly this danger of one-sidedness. 



" Literature will take care of itself." We are told that 

 whilst the Australasian Science Association as a whole prospers, 

 this Section flags and falters, and its failure has even been 

 made a reproach against the literary men of these Colonies. 

 It is no just reproach. Litei'ature is taking care of itself. 

 In the present condition of the public mind and of national 

 education literature is read by the many, and science papers 



