1896.] MICROSCOPICAL JOURNAL. 355 



EDITORIAL. 



For Histology's Sake, — We notice that our g-ood friend, 

 Dr. V. A. Moore said at the meeting- of the American Mic- 

 roscopical Society: "I believe in histolog-y for histologfy's 

 Sake and in bacteriolog-y for bacteriolog-y's sake. Teach 

 truth for truth's sake." 



The atmosphere of Washington is full of this kind of 

 talk and the idea animates much of our g-overnment work. 

 We reg"ard it as g-rossly pernicious. It leads to misappro- 

 priation of g-overnment funds and makes narrow minded 

 specialists. 



We have here a Fish Commission which during- the past 

 twenty-five years has expended some money in a practical 

 manner but also much for "pure science" — they have 

 studied fishes "for ichthyolog-y's sake." The practical 

 results attained could have been accomplished with a quar- 

 ter of the money, and the Ichthyolog-ists care little for the 

 fishermen of the country. 



We have here botanists who love botany simply for 

 what truth they can find by its study and they never turn 

 out practical results. We have astromoners who wish 

 with g-overnment money to search comets and do such 

 thing-s as gratify insatiable curiosity but are of no con- 

 sequence to the people at larg-e. We have vivisectionists 

 who cut up, after murdering^, innocent animals in their 

 pursuit of theories which they are pleased to call "pure 

 science." They have no end in view except "anatomy's 

 sake" or "bacteriolog-y 's sake." 



The knowledg-e of many kinds of truth is today useless 

 simply because there is no call for its practical application. 

 Astromonicaltruths are of no account to Dr. Moore because 

 he is not in a profession to apply them to the happiness or 

 mental prog-r ess of mankind. If the pursuit for astron- 

 omy's sake is wise, it should make no difference to Dr. 

 Moore whether he spends his time in it or in histolog-y. 

 In one case as in the other he g-ratifies his doctrine; truth 

 for truth's sake. 



