32 DARWINISM AND HUMAN LIFE 



of the scientific mood, and Darwin's illustration 

 of them. 



In his stimulating presidential address at the 

 meeting of the British Association at Dover in 

 1899, Sir Michael Foster discussed the distinctive 

 features of the scientific spirit of which he was 

 himself a fine embodiment. His answer was that 

 the features of the fruitful scientific mood are 

 in the main three truthfulness, alertness, and 

 courage. (1) "The seeker after truth must him- 

 self be truthful truthful with the truthfulness of 

 nature/' (2) " He must be alert of mind, ever 

 on the watch, ready at once to lay hold of Nature's 

 hint, however small ; to listen to her whisper, 

 however low." (3) " Scientific inquiry has need of 

 the moral quality of courage not so much the 

 courage which helps a man to face a sudden 

 difficulty, as the courage of steadfast endurance." 

 To the objection that truthfulness, alertness, and 

 courage are virtues belonging to almost every one 

 who has commanded or deserved success, Sir 

 Michael answered : " That is exactly what I 

 would desire to insist, that men of science have 

 no peculiar virtues, no special powers. They are 

 ordinary men, their characters are common, even 

 commonplace. Science, as Huxley said, is organ- 

 ised common sense, and men of science are common 

 men, drilled in the ways of common sense." 



CHARACTERISTICS OF SCIENTIFIC MOOD : PASSION 

 AND REVERENCE FOR FACTS. But let us consider 

 the scientific mood more analytically. The first 

 characteristic of the scientific mood is a passion 

 and reverence for facts. Long ago Bacon said : 

 "We should accustom ourselves to things them- 

 selves " ; and to distinguish between appearance 



