UNIVERSITIES: ACTUAL AND IDEAL. 63 



wrong. And, be it observed, that the question is not, 

 whether such a man shall be able to make as much out 

 of his abilities as his brother, of like ability, who goes 

 into Law, or Engineering, or Commerce; it is not a 

 question of " maintaining a due number of saddle horses," 

 as George Eliot somewhere puts it it is a question of 

 living or starving. 



If a student of my own subject shows power and 

 originality, I dare not advise him to adopt a scientific 

 career; for, supposing he is able to maintain himself 

 until he has attained distinction, I cannot give him the 

 assurance that any amount of proficiency in the Bio- 

 logical Sciences will be convertible into, even the most 

 modest, bread and cheese. And I believe that the case 

 is as bad, or perhaps worse, with other branches of 

 Science. In this respect Britain, whose immense wealth 

 and prosperity hang upon the thread of Applied Science, 

 is far behind France, and infinitely behind Germany. 



And the worst of it is, that it is very difficult to 

 see one's way to any immediate remedy for this state 

 of affairs which shall be free from a tendency to become 

 worse than the disease. 



Great schemes for the Endowment of Research have 

 been proposed. It has been suggested, that Laboratories 

 for all branches of Physical Science, provided with 

 every apparatus needed by the investigator, shall be es- 

 tablished by the State : and shall be accessible, under 

 due conditions and regulations, to all properly qualified 

 persons. I see no objection to the principle of such 



