SCIENCE AND CULTURE. 13 



their trumpets against its walls as against an educational 

 Jericho. 



How often have we not been told that the study of 

 physical science is incompetent to confer culture; that 

 it touches none of the higher problems of life ; and, what 

 is worse, that the continual devotion to scientific studies 

 tends to generate a narrow and bigoted belief in the 

 applicability of scientific methods to the search ,after 

 truth of all kinds. How frequently one has reason to 

 observe that no reply to a troublesome argument tells 

 so well as calling its author a u mere scientific special- 

 ist." And, as I am afraid it is not permissible to speak 

 of this form of opposition to scientific education in the 

 past tense ; may we not expect to be told that this, not 

 only omission, but prohibition, of " mere literary instruc- 

 tion and education " is a patent example of scientific nar- 

 row-mindedness \ 



I am not acquainted with Sir Josiah Mason's reasons 

 for the action which he has taken; but if, as I appre- 

 hend is the case, he refers to the ordinary classical course 

 of our schools and universities by the name of " mere 

 literary instruction and education," I venture to offer 

 sundry reasons of my own in support of that ftfction. 



For I hold very strongly by two convictions The 

 first is, that neither the disciplmfc nor the subject-matter 

 of classical education is of such direct value to the stu- 

 dent of physical science as to justify the expenditure 

 of valuable time upon eit]ier ; and the second is, 'Jha^ 

 for the purpose of attaining real culture, an exclusively 



