September 21, 1893] 



NATURE 



497 



research into the chemical properties of pigment, have not 

 rendered worthless the study and observalion of life and habits. 

 As you cannot diagnose the Red Indian and the Anglo-Saxon 

 by a comparison of their respective skeletons or researches into 

 their muscular structure, but require to know the habits, the 

 language, the modes of thought of each ; so the mammal, the 

 bird, and even the invertebrate, has his character, his voice, 

 his impulses, aye, I will add, his ideas, to be taken into account 

 in order to discriminate him. There is something beyond 

 matter in life, even in its lowest foims. 1 may quote on this 

 the caution uttered by a predecessor of mine in this chair (Prof. 

 Milnes Marshall): "One thing above all is apparent, that 

 embryologists must not work single-handed ; must not be 

 satisfied with an acquainiance, however exact, with animals 

 from the side of development only ; for embryos have this in 

 common with maps, that too cloe and too exclusive a study of 

 them is apt to disturb a man's reasoning power." 



The ancient Greek philosopher gives us a threefold division 

 of the intellectual faculties — 4>p6vriiTis, ^inarliix-n, (Tvpecris — and I 

 think we may apply it to the subdivision ol labour in natural 

 science : (ppovTjiris, rj Ta Ka6' eKatna yvwpi^ovffay , is the power 

 that divides, discerns, distinguishes — i.e. the naturalist ; ffvpe is, 

 the operation of the closest zoologisi, who investigates and ex- 

 periments; and (nia-ritfirj, the (acuity of the philosopher, who 

 draws his conclusions from facts and observations. 



The older naturalists lust much from lack of the records of 

 previous observations ; their dilBcullies were not ours, but they 

 went to nature for their teachings ralher ihan to books. Now 

 we find it hard to avoid being smothered with the literature on 

 the subject, and being choked with the dust of libraries. The 

 danger against which Prof. Marshall warns the embryologist is 

 not confined to him alone ; the observer of facts is equally ex- 

 posed to it, and he must beware of the danger, else he may 

 become a mere materialist. The poetic, the imaginative, ihe 

 emotional, the spiritual, all go lo make up the man ; and if 

 one of these is missing, he is incomplete. 



I cannot but feel that the danger of this concentration upon 



one side only of nature is painfully illustrated in the life of our 



great master, Darwin. In his early days he was a lover of 



literature, he delighted in Shakespeare and other poets ; but 



ader years of scientific activity and interest, he found on taking 



ihem up again that he had not only grown indifferent to them, 



,:t that they were even distasteful to him. He had suffered a 



.1 t of atrophy on that side of his nature, as the disused pinions 



.1 the Kakapo have become powerless — the spiritual, the 



imaginative, the emolional, we may call it. 



The case of Darwin illustrates a law— a principle we may 

 ill it — namely, that the spiritual faculty lives or dies by ex- 

 cise or the want of it even as does the bodily. Yet the 

 rophy was unconscious. Far was it from Darwin lo ignore or 

 cpreciale studies not his own. He has shown us this when 

 \ic prefixed to the liile-page of his great work the following 

 cxiract from Lord Chancellor Bacon: "To conclude, there- 

 re, let no n an, out of a weak conceit of sobriety, or an ill- 

 ipiied moderation, think or maintain that a man can starch 

 ■<> far, or be too well studied in the book of God's word, or in 

 I e book of God's works, divinity or philosophy, but rather let 

 jn endeavour an endless progressor proficience in both." In 

 iie harmony tbi> with the spirit of the father of natural 

 .story, concluding with the words, "O Lord, how manifold 

 : i; Thy woiks, in wisdom hast Thou made them all, the earth 

 full of Thy riches." 



SECTION G. 



MECHANICAL SCIENCE. 



lENiNG Address by Jeremiah Head, M.Inst.C.E., 

 Past Pres.Inst.Mecii.E., F.C.S., President of the 

 Section. 

 This Section of the lUitish Association for the Advancement 

 i Science was founded wilh the object of making more widely 

 nown, and more generally appreciated, all well-ascertained 

 ;cts and well-established principles having special reference to 

 I'.chanical science. 

 As President of the Section for the year, it becomes my duly 

 ■ inaugurate Ihe proceedings by addressing you upon some 

 ortion of the scientific domain to which I have referred, and in 

 hich your presence here indicates that you are all more or less 

 leresled. 



Mechanical Scinue. 

 The founders of the British Association no doubt regarded' 

 the fit Id of operations which they awarded to Section G as a not 

 less purely scientific one than those which they allotted to the 

 other Sections. And indeed, mechanical science studied, say, 

 by Watt was as free from suspicion of commercial bias as 

 chemical science studied, say, by Faraday. 



But whatever may have been the original idea, the practice of 

 the Section has recently been to expend most of its available 

 time in ihe consideration of more cr less beneficial applications 

 of mechanical science, rather llian of the first principles thereof. 

 Our Section has become mote and more one of applied rather 

 than of pure science. None of the other Sections is free from 

 this fault, if fault it be (which I do not contend or admit), but 

 Section G seems to me to be beyond all question, and beyond 

 all olhers, the Section of applied science. 



The charter of the Institution of Civil Engineers commences 

 by reciting that the object of that society is "the general ad- 

 vancement of mechanical science, and more particularly for 

 promoting the acquisition of that species of knowledge which 

 constitu'es the profession of a civil engineer, being the art of 

 directing the great sources of power in nature for the use and 

 convenience of man." 



It seems that in 1828, when the Institution was incorporated, 

 the term "mechanical science" had a wider meaning than it 

 is now usually understood to have. For, according to the 

 charter, the art of directing the great sources of power in nature 

 is only a particular species of knowledge which "mechanical 

 science " includes. 



In 1836, or eight years later, the founders of our Section 

 adopted the term without again defining it. Pmbably they 

 accepted the careful definition of the Great George Street In- 

 stitution. Time has shown the wisdom of that decision. For 

 we civil engineers and other frequenters of Section G in active 

 practice need far more knowledge than mechanical science can 

 leach us in the ordinary or narrow sense of ihe term. Our art 

 in its multifarious branches requires, if success is to he attained, 

 the acquisition and application of almost all the other sciences 

 which belong to the fields of research relegated to Ihe other 

 Sections. For how could the gigantic engineering structures of 

 modern limes be designed without recourse lo maihematics, or 

 steam and other motors without a knowledge ol physics, or 

 modern metallurgical operations be conducted without chemistry, 

 or mining without geology, or communications by rail, ship, and 

 wire be established and carried on with all pans of the world 

 without attention to geography, or extensive manufacturing 

 enterprises be developed if the laws of economics were 

 neglected? 



As to biological studies, they seem at first sight to have but 

 little to do wilh mechanical science. It might even be thought 

 that the civil engineer could afford altogether lo neglect this 

 part of the woik of the Association. But I trust I shall be able 

 to show you before 1 finish that any such view is absolutely 

 untenable. 



Mechanisms in Nattire. 



Indeed, I hope, in the course of this address, lo satisfy you 

 that mechanical science is largely indebted to mechanisms as 

 they exist in nature, if not for its origin, at all events for much 

 of its progress hitherto, and ihat nature must still be our guide. 



Mechanical science has been built up entirely upon observa- 

 lion and experiment, and the natural laws which have been 

 induced therefrom by man. The lower animals in their wild 

 condition work with tools or appliances external lo their bodies 

 to but a very slight extent, and man in a primitive or savage 

 state does the same. But many, if not most, animals can be 

 taught to use mechanisms if carefully trained from infancy. 

 Thus, the well-known donkey at Carisbrooke Castle draws water 

 from a deep well by a treadmill arrangement just as well as a 

 man could do il. He watches the rope on the barrel till the full 

 pail rises above the parapet of the well, then slacks back a little 

 10 allow it lobe tested thereon, and only then leaves the drum 

 and retieals lo his stable. But, accor ing lo his attendant, 

 four jeais were needed for his education, and unless it had been 

 commenced early it would have been useless. 



I have seen a canary gradually lift from a little well, situated 

 a foot below its perch, a thimble full ol water by pulling up with 

 ils beak, bit by bit, a little chain attached to it, and securing 

 each lerglh lilted wilh ils fool till it could take another pull. 

 When the tliimhle leached its perch level the biid look a drink^ 



NO. 1247, VOL. 48] 



