100 BIOLOGY AND THE STATE 11 



experiment has been made on a large scale in Ger- 

 many, and satisfactory results have been obtained. 

 The reasonable course to pursue is to benefit by the 

 experience, as to details and methods of administra- 

 tion, obtained in the course of the last sixty years in 

 Germany, and to apply that experience to our own 

 case. 



It is c^uite clear that " the voluntary principle " can 

 do little towards the adequate endowment of scientific 

 research. Ancient endowments belonging to the 

 country must be applied thereto, or else local or im- 

 perial taxes must be the source of the necessary sup- 

 port. Seeing that the results of research are distinctly 

 of imperial, and not of local value — it would seem 

 appropriate that a portion of the imperial revenue 

 should be devoted to their achievement. In fact, as 

 I have before mentioned, the principle of such an 

 application of public money has long been admitted, 

 and is in operation. (See Appendix C.) 



Whilst voluntary donations on the part of private 

 persons can do little to constitute a fund which shall 

 provide the requisite endowment for the scheme of 

 biological institutes which I have sketched (not to 

 mention those required for other branches of science), 

 yet those who are interested in the progress of scien- 

 tific investigation may by individual effort do some- 

 thing, however little, towards placing research in a 

 more advantageous position in this country. Suppos- 

 ing it were possible, as I am sanguine enough to 

 believe that it is, to collect in the course of a year or 

 two from private sources a sum of £20,000 for the 



