NATURE 



11 



THURSDAY NOVEMBER 28, 1895. 



THE ''TIMES'' ON THE SCIENTIFIC 

 SITU A TION 



T 1 TE rejoice that at last the daily press is beginning 

 to see the necessity of the State action which we 

 have been preaching for some years to prevent as far as 

 possible the ruining of many of our industries threatened 

 by the development of scientific research and processes in 

 other countries. 



Yesterday the Times spoke out with no uncertain 

 sound in connection with the often repeated cases n 

 which, in various foreign markets, English are being 

 replaced by German goods. ' The paragraph to which we 

 refer runs as follows : — 



" Our Berlin correspondent called attention two days 

 ago to the immense strides made by German industry 

 during the last quarter of a century, and to the failure of 

 our Government to pay any adequate attention to a de- 

 velopment so closely concerning British interests. In 

 this commercial age this industrial nation has one com- 

 mercial Attache in Paris who is supposed to keep an eye 

 upon all Europe, and one at St. Petersburg who has all 

 Asia for his province. A commercial Attache at Berlin 

 for Gennany alone would find ample occupation and 

 would furnish knowledge of things that deeply concern 

 us, which it may be feared neither the Government nor 

 the mercantile classes of this country possess at present. 

 We also require urgently a commercial Attach^ with 

 especial qualifications for the Far East. Yesterday our 

 Paris correspondent informed us that on his first appear- 

 ance as Minister for Foreign Affairs M. Berthelot asked 

 money for the establishment of six new consulates in China. 

 The contrast is sufficiently striking between the policy of 

 the two countries, and the difference runs through the 

 entire treatment of the material interests of the two 

 peoples. Both in Germany and in France it is held an 

 essential part of the duty of the State to second, and not 

 only to second, but to stimulate and direct the efforts of 

 private enterprise. In this country, though State inter- 

 ference with commerce is being carried to a dangerous 

 length, State assistance, even in the way of collecting 

 information, is regarded with stupid distrust and dis- 

 favour. Our home industries themselves in many cases 

 languish for want of intelligent direction. Our agricul- 

 tural distress might be alleviated were the State not far 

 above the education of the population in the minor 

 agricultural arts, and the organisation of agricultural 

 ndustries after the manner in vogue on the Continent. 

 In the same way, although nothing can excuse the short- 

 sighted folly of our manufacturing classes in not pro- 

 viding for scientific research in the various branches of 



NO. I 36 1, VOL. 53] 



industry, yet it is the duty of a wise Government to take 

 measures to counteract the folly of classes when it 

 threatens the general interest. In one word, Great 

 Britain stands at this moment in imminent danger of 

 being beaten out of the most lucrative fields of commerce, 

 simply because it does not recognise, while other nations 

 do, the value of scientific organisation in the field, in the 

 workshop, in the laboratory, and in the conduct of 

 national policy." 



The development of this question at the present 

 moment, on the very day when the public meeting to 

 promote a memorial to Huxley was held, reminds us how 

 much we have lost — how much weaker we are for his 

 absence. Never was Huxley more emphatic than when 

 he pleaded, years ago, for the organisation of our scien- 

 tific forces, so as to secure the victories of peace. It is 

 now certain that we have lost many of these peaceful 

 battles, and that we shall lose more because our legis- 

 lators have either not read the signs of the times, or have 

 been led by those who, if they were consistent, would 

 bring back our Navy to its state in Queen Elizabeth's 

 time, when it was the outcome of individual and local 

 effort. 



It is encouraging to think that when the attention of 

 the commercial classes has been drawn to what is 

 happening, as it must be before long, and when the public 

 will possess full knowledge of the utter chaos of our 

 public departments in all things appealing to the national 

 life, so far as it depends upon commercial enterprise 

 under the existing conditions, some action must be 

 taken. We have Committees of the Privy Council for 

 this and that and the other departments, but where are 

 the Scientific Privy Councillors ? Where are the meetings 

 held at which they give the State the benefit of their 

 knowledge ? In what record do we find the minutes of 

 such " My Lords " as these ? 



It is not fair even to the administrators of the several 

 departments that the present state of things should be 

 allowed to exist. Too few of these have been chosen on 

 account of their scientific knowledge, and as each question 

 arises they have to pick up their information as best 

 they can. There are several ways of doing this, one 

 of them exhibited by the Board of Trade inquiry last week 

 into the revised regulations referring to the Electric 

 Lighting Acts. The Conference showed conclusively 

 how much the Department gained by the free imparting 

 of knowledge by outsiders. 



But this is only one direction in which reforms are 

 needed. The Chambers of Commerce throughout the 

 country must sooner or later take the matter up ; and 

 when this is done, many other ways of abolishing the 

 existing chaos will suggest themselves. Some of them 

 we may refer to on a subsequent occasion. 



