en. xxvi.] CHARACTER OF THE EXPERIMENTALIST. 575 



living beings; the inexplicable germ is wanting in both 

 cases. But as, when the germ is present, the plant will grow 

 more or less vigorously according to the circumstances in 

 which it is placed, so it may be allowed that pecuniary assist- 

 ance may lav our development of intellect. Public opinion 

 however is not discriminating, and is likely to interpret 

 the agitation for the endowment of science as meaning 

 that science can be had for money. 



All such notions are erroneous. In no branch of human 

 affairs, neither in politics, war, literature, industry, nor 

 science, is the influence of genius less considerable than it 

 was. It is possible that the extension and organisation of 

 scientific study, assisted by the printing-press and the 

 accelerated means of communication, has increased the 

 rapidity with which new discoveries are made known, and 

 their details worked out by many heads and hands. A 

 Darwin now no sooner propounds original ideas concerning 

 the evolution of living creatures, than those ideas are dis- 

 cussed and illustrated, and applied by naturalists in every 

 part of the world. In former days his discoveries \vould 

 liave been hidden for decades of years in scarce manu- 

 scripts, and generations would have passed away before his 

 theory had enjoyed the same amount of criticism and cor- 

 roboration as it has already received. The result is that 

 the genius of Darwin is more valuable, not less valuable, 

 than it would formerly have been. The advance of mili- 

 tary science and the organisation of enormous armies has 

 not decreased the value of a skilful general ; on the con- 

 trary, the rank and file are still more in need than they 

 used to be of the guiding power of a far-seeing intellect. 

 The swift destruction of the French military power was 

 not due alone to the perfection of the German army, nor to 

 the genius of Moltke ; it was due to the combination of a 

 well-disciplined multitude with a leader of the highest 

 powers. So in every branch of human affairs the in- 

 fluence of the individual is not withering, but is growing 

 with the extent of the material resources which are at 

 his command. 



Turning to our own subject, it is a work of undiminished 

 interest to reflect upon those qualities of mind which lead 

 to great advances in natural knowledge. Nothing, indeed, 

 is less amenable than genius to scientific analysis and 



