32 PROGRESS OF SCIENCE IN THE CENTURY. 



estimably precious — the leisure to work thoroughly 

 undisturbed ; there are the ill-finished offerings of the 

 impetuous, and enthusiastic, and hard-driven; there 

 are humble offerings which have involved years of 

 self-denial; there are brilliant offerings which have 

 meant but a few flashes of clear insight; there are 

 tarnished offerings which have been gained illegiti- 

 mately ; there are heroic offerings which are received 

 in absentia from those who have died to know ; there 

 are epoch-making offerings, like those of Newton or 

 of Darwin, which set the whole altar aflame. 



One cannot see this vision of the altar of science 

 without being impressed. There is a majesty in the 

 advancement of knowledge, and a sublime patience 

 in research. But it is difficult to tell how much of 

 the work would be regarded as effective expenditure 

 of energy by a sufficiently wise judge, wise for science 

 and wise for humanity. The only sufficiently wise 

 judge is Time, whose decisions are often very slow. 

 That contemporary appreciation of an offering has 

 often been far from just is one of the most obvious 

 facts in the history of science. 



But as one lingers near this " altar of science," 

 one must be much absorbed if one does not hear a 

 murmur of dissentient voices. The practical man 

 growls over the time spent in the classification of 

 seaweeds when " what we want is more wheat," over 

 embryological research instead of fish-hatching, over 

 the theoretical puzzles of geology instead of the 

 search for more coal and iron. When the practical 

 man supports the scientific worker, he has doubt- 

 less some right to control the direction of his 

 activities, though it is not very clear that much 

 good has ever come of this. Man does not live by 

 bread alone, and some of the most important practical 



