;88 



NATURE 



[January 27, 19 16 



departments obliged to climb down, only in con- 

 sequence of the expression of an irresistible public 

 opinion, and doing " too late " what should have 

 been done at the beginning of the war. We have 

 been guilty of incredible folly in allowing a man 

 to retain a position of enormous influence NYho, by 

 his sayings before the outbreak of war, showed 

 himself totally unfit to deal with the situation as it 

 manifested itself in August, 191 4. Towards the 

 end of his speech he said, "A man would indeed 

 have to be blind if he could not see the fact that 

 commercially Germany is a beaten nation." Well, 

 no German thinks so, and it is the supremest of 

 blunders to assume it. It may conceivably be 

 true; but if it is, it is no business of ours to act 

 as if we thought so. Indeed, the debate has had 

 the virtue of inducing Mr. Runciman to reveal his 

 entire incompetency for the position which he 

 holds. 



Mr, Bigland brought forward specific instances 

 of German methods of capturing trade, and urged 

 the adoption of a definite protective policy on the 

 part of the Empire and the Allies ; and Sir John 

 Rees advocated the inclusion of India and Ceylon. 

 Sir John Spear, representing an agricultural com- 

 munity, and Mr. Montague Barlow, speaking for 

 an industrial community, supported Mr. Hewins's 

 motion. The latter described how the Germans 

 captured the wolframite supply of Cornwall, owing 

 to State subsidies, cutting down the price from 

 55. 6^, to 25. 6d., and killing an English company 

 with a capital of 20,oooL Having secured a mono- 

 poly, they raised the price to 75. 6d. ! It would 

 be well if instances like this were collected and 

 published, so that the public might know the 

 extent of previous German aggression. Mr. 

 Barlow also described the effects which German 

 banking credits have on their industry. Mr. Fell 

 doubted whether a boycott of German goods could 

 possibly be permanent, and in this the writer 

 agrees. Goods of German origin would certainly 

 enter England from neutral countries, and it would 

 be impossible to exclude them. 



Mr. Lynch gave a sketch of W^ilhelm von Hum- 

 boldt's work in organising German education in 

 1809, and described German methods of trade 

 aggression. He imputed the capture of many 

 British industries to the educational policy of the 

 Germans, especially on technical lines, and related 

 his experience at the hands of the Government 

 "pundits " when he applied for the modest sum of 

 io,oooZ. for the encouragement of research. This 

 speech concluded the debate. 



It is indeed time for drastic reform in most of 

 our Government departments. It has been fre- 

 NO. 2413, VOL. 96] 



quently pointed out that the prominence given to 

 classics, and the under-estimation of science in 

 Civil Service examinations, has resulted in the 

 staffing of our Government offices with men, not 

 only absolutely ignorant of science, but incapable 

 of appreciating scientific advice when it is ten- 

 dered. It would be a breach of confidence were the 

 writer to tell of the appalling " howlers " enun- 

 ciated in his presence by those in high places. 

 Whereas very few men of science are entirely 

 ignorant of the spirit inculcated by a study of the 

 classics, while they can at least appreciate the atti- 

 tude of mind of the cultured classicist, those who 

 have been educated solely on classical lines in our 

 public schools and universities are quite incapable 

 of taking the point of view of men who have been 

 trained scientifically or commercially. Precedent, 

 and precedent alone, rules the minds of the 

 classicist; the scientific man demands proof, and 

 has small respect for precedent. Nor are our 

 classically trained heads of departments able to 

 form a useful opinion on recommendations pressed 

 on them by scientific advisers. They have not the 

 training required ; nor can they acquire the mental 

 attitude. The writer has in mind a law-suit in 

 which an eminent judge spent three weeks in 

 learning his lesson ; barristers versed in science 

 stated the case to him, and he himself cross- 

 examined competent scientific experts. In my 

 view, his decision was a just one. In the Court of 

 Appeal the judges were unqualified to re-judge the 

 case, for they had not had the benefit of three 

 weeks' instruction; they reversed the first judg- 

 ment. And the House of Lords, on further appeal, 

 had not the glimmering of an idea of the scientific 

 principles which had influenced the judge of first 

 instance in making up his mind, and injustice was 

 done when they upheld the verdict of the Court of 

 Appeal. But the just decision of the first judge 

 showed that with willing intelligence, time, and 

 sufficient instruction a man can educate himself to 

 form a correct opinion on an abstruse scientific 

 point. 



Now the head of a Government department has 

 not the training, nor can he afford the time to 

 understand scientific arguments which may be 

 brought before him; he therefore "makes a shot," 

 influenced by expediency and by an inclination to 

 take a course which will least commit him, need- 

 less to say, usually with disastrous results. 



Reform of the Civil Service examinations would 

 doubtless remedy this dangerous state of affairs, 

 but it will take a generation to do it. And imme- 

 diate action is called for. Take the Board of 

 Trade as an example. There is a Board of Trade ; 



