CHEMICAL RESEARCH 23 



themselves especially adapted to purely scientific 

 work must be subsidised in order that they may be 

 able to devote themselves entirely to the task of 

 scientific discovery. The provision of larger num- 

 bers of science students must lead to the selection 

 of more men peculiarly fitted for that experimental 

 investigation towards abstract ends which has 

 furnished such gigantic contributions to the world's 

 wealth during the past century. It is impossible 

 to calculate the capitalised value of the alkali 

 industry founded by Leblanc, who committed 

 suicide owing to poverty, or of the chemical indus- 

 tries based on the work of Michael Faraday, who 

 ended his days in comparative comfort on a Civil 

 List pension. 



In the future money will have to be provided 

 from public funds for the stimulation and prosecu- 

 tion of chemical research, whether of purely aca- 

 demic or practical technological interest, and in 

 amounts which will bear no comparison with the 

 few thousands of pounds per annum which have 

 been available in the past. It is probably unneces- 

 sary to insist further on this matter. The public 

 neglect of science during the last half-century has 

 necessitated immense expenditure on scientific 

 work in the past two years ; if recent events have 

 not demonstrated that the national well-being 

 requires the devotion of vast annual sums to the 

 prosecution of scientific research no printed words 

 will make the truth more evident. 



