SCIENCE AND THE PRESS '59 



journalists. The view that the Press merely reflects public 

 opinion will not bear examination. The journalist knows, of 

 course, that he must give, his readers what they want ; but he 

 goes far beyond this. He teaches and preaches, and leads and 

 governs well or ill as the case may be. The newspapers are 

 the literary daily bread, and, indeed, the exclusive literary diet 

 of the great majority of mankind ; they furnish directly or 

 indirectly the ideas and aspirations of the community. 



I cannot get out of the habit of taking journalism very 

 seriously. I was brought up in the belief that English news- 

 papers were not mainly governed by commercial enterprise 

 and mercenary aims, but that there were high purposes and 

 noble aspirations behind them. They had individuality, 

 character, and reputation. They took themselves seriously, 

 and the public took them seriously. I remember how we 

 despised the typical American paper with its screeching rest- 

 less sensationalism, its prying vulgar personalities ; how we 

 rejoiced when an attempt to carry on a London issue of the 

 New York Herald failed. 



I am afraid that the Press to-day has not uniformly the 

 character which I have just described, but still there remains a 

 great measure of authority enthroned in the Editorial chairs, 

 and I for one am extremely desirous of enlisting that authority 

 in aid of science. 



You will not think, I hope, that if I plead for more attention 

 to science it is for a small or selfish end. It is because I am 

 persuaded of the enormously important part which science has 

 to play in the future of civilization. If we begin with the most 

 obvious material things, it is hardly necessary to point out how 

 much our convenience and comfort depend upon the applica- 

 tions of science. I have at home a spinning-wheel which was 

 used by my grandmother, and a tinder-box which was used by 

 the grandfather of a Jriend. When I was a student the electric 

 light was occasionally shown as a mere .scientific experiment, 



