5o8 



NA TURE 



[September 19, 1901 



Is this state of affairs to continue throughout the twentieth 

 •century ? Are intellectual ambitions to be for ever subordinated 

 'to the extension of territory, to the acquisition of that metal 

 which has had its atomic weight so accurately determined by 

 Thorpe and Laurie, and to those other problems which fill the 

 political horizon ? Even the most recent awakening of interest 

 in higher scientific education is not altogether of the breed to 

 satisfy us as men of science ; for the interest is assuredly not in 

 the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake, but is aroused by the 

 desire to secure those material advantages which it is beginning 

 to be realised must inevitably result from the steadfast prosecu- 

 tion of scientific research. This is indeed a very different spirit 

 from that which has led to the proud position occupied by science 

 and learning of all kinds in Germany. 



Schiller has truly said — 

 " Knowledge is to one a goddess, to another only an excellent cow." 



I fear there can be no doubt that here it is the cow, and not the 

 -goddess, that is in request. Thus, whilst in Germany the love 

 and reverence for knowledge preceded the esteem of knowledge 

 for the material benefits which it confers, we must hope that in 

 our country the eagerness to secure the material advantages will 

 perhaps lead to a love and reverence for that which confers 

 them, so that in the course of time, perhaps, the useful cow will 

 ■be allotted a stall on Olympus, or be at least pastured on the 

 grass of Parnassus. 



From whatever motive, whether utilitarian or otherwise, we 

 wish to see the position of science in this country raised, and the 

 ■qualitative and quantitative output of scientific work increased, 

 I imagine that the methods to be immediately pursued for 

 attaining this end must be very similar. 



If the higher teaching of science is to be really encouraged the 

 first necessity is that this higher teaching shall offer a sufficiently 

 attractive career to the man of ambition as well as to the 

 enthusiast. We all know that the supply of enthusiasts of 

 intellectual power combined with capacity to perform is ex- 

 tremely limited and wholly inadequate for carrying out the 

 important work of the world, and that the greater part of such 

 work is actually done by men of ambition. 



In order that the academic world may attract the ablest men 

 of ambition as well as that rara avis, the able enthusiast, it is 

 necessary that the highest prizes for academic distinction should 

 carry similar social prestige, similar remuneration, and similar 

 opportunities of exerting public influence as are enjoyed by the 

 leaders of other professional callings : they should be at least 

 equal to those of the Archbishop of Canterbury or of the Lord 

 ■Chancellor. It is not by any means necessary that such prizes 

 should be numerous, as is abundantly demonstrated by the 

 volume of able ambition which is drawn into the Church and to 

 the Bar by the comparatively few opportunities for great success 

 in those professions. The enthusiasts already find their way 

 into the academic world, and, although they maintain the quality 

 of British scientific work, they are unable, by virtue of their 

 scarcity, to maintain the quantity which is essential for the 

 luxuriant growth of science in our midst, whilst the absence of 

 such tangible rewards as are bestowed in other spheres of intel- 

 lectual activity prevent the importance of science being recog- 

 nised by a public which has no appreciation of the inward and 

 spiritual grace unless guided by the outward and visible sign. 



Precisely the opposite policy, so far as remuneration is con- 

 cerned, has, however, been pursued in the academic world 

 during recent years, the few very moderate prizes which formerly 

 existed having been deliberately commandeered to more nearly 

 equalise the value of the chairs in all departments. 



The principle of equalising the remuneration of different 

 chairs is as inequitable as it is utterly unsound from a business 

 , point of view. The principle is unsound because equal salaries 

 will not secure men of similar standing in different subjects : it 

 is inequitable because the amount of work attaching to the chairs 

 of different subjects is necessarily very unequal, as is the order 

 of intellect required for the successful discharge of their duties. 



Again, the system which is gaining ground in this country of 

 allocating a certain stipend to a chair is unbusinesslike and mis- 

 chievous. It is as irrational to fix the remuneration of a par- 

 ticular chair as it would be to fix the price to be paid for one's 

 portrait, irrespectively of whether it were taken by a photo- 

 grapher or painted by a Royal Academician. If we really want 

 the best man tor any particular professional service, whether it 

 be to treat us for a disease, to plead our cause in a court of law, 

 or to perform on some musical instrument for our delectation, 



NO. 1664, VOL. 64] 



we know that we must make up our minds to pay the price which 

 the best man commands in his particular profession, and it is 

 absurd to suppose that the same principle does not hold good in 

 the matter of securing the best man for an academic appoint- 

 ment. This, again, is intimately connected with the desirability 

 of providing a sufficient number of steps in the academic ladder, 

 so that it shall not be possible for the "young man of promise" 

 to be rushed into a first-class appointment from which he has no 

 ambition to move for the remainder of his days. 



Another matter, again, requires consideration : if we are 

 really in earnest in the attempt to bring our universities abreast 

 of those in other countries, our chairs must be systematically 

 thrown open to the whole world, and the best men obtainable 

 secured, irrespectively of their nationality. Not only have small 

 nations adopted this plan, but even the nation which is pre- 

 eminent for its academic strength is by no means blind to the 

 importance of drawing into its service from the outside men of 

 commanding brilliance and power. I need not remind you that 

 England has also exhibited a wise and liberal spirit in this 

 matter in the past, and that, so far as our science is concerned, 

 this policy has been most fully justified. For, consider only 

 what the English Chemistry of the latter half of the nineteenth 

 century owes to the genius and magnetic influence of the im- 

 ported Hofmann. I can imagine the electors to British chairs 

 suggesting that there might be linguistic difficulties in the way 

 of carrying out such a policy, in answer to which I would appeal 

 to the pupils of Hofmann to say whether his stimulating dis- 

 course lost anything of its vigour and inspiration through the 

 strong Hessian accent with which every word of it was saturated. 

 It is to be hoped that no narrow and short-sighted policy, dis- 

 guised under that too often misused word "patriotism," will 

 seek to close the doors of our universities to the genius and 

 ability of other nationalities. 



I believe, however, that one of the most urgent and pressing 

 of University reforms is that greater facilities should be afforded 

 for the migration of students from one university to another, 

 without prejudice to their acquisition of a degree. It is the 

 present system, which practically chains an undergraduate with 

 links of steel to the university at which he matriculates, that is 

 at the root of many of the evils under which our higher educa- 

 tion is labouring. 



The university at which a youth matriculates is often deter- 

 mined by the fatuous, although pathetic, wish of the father that 

 his son should spend his time, I will not say work, amidst the 

 surroundings which awaken such pleasant memories in himself ; 

 and the youth once within the magic portals has little or no 

 opportunity of rectifying the possible mistake of his fond parent, 

 who has probably for a quarter of a century been quite out of 

 touch with university matters, or even divorced from the intel- 

 lectual world altogether. 



This foolish sentiment of loyalty to a university or even college 

 is sometimes kept up for generations, and I have met persons who 

 have told me that their family had always been Balliol or Trinity 

 men, with the same sort of pride that they would doubtless have 

 informed me, had they been able, that their ancestors came 

 over with the Conqueror or had charged with the Cavaliers at 

 Naseby. 



The prevalence of such a sentiment shows that our univer- 

 sities are principally valued for their social attractions, as well 

 as for their past history and ancient traditions, in which con- 

 nection it is always well to remember that a living dog is better 

 than a dead lion. 



The possibility of students dissociating themselves from the 

 university of their matriculation and freely migrating from one 

 school to another would, in my opinion, not only be of immense 

 advantage to the students themselves, enabling them to obtain 

 the best instruction in each particular subject and greatly ex- 

 tending their horizon and knowledge of the world, but it would 

 operate most favourably on the universities themselves, minim- 

 ising the tendency to stagnation, and compelling those who hold 

 the purse-strings to provide for the strengthening of weak depart- 

 ments. Nor should the possibilities of migration be limited to 

 the Universities of the United Kingdom or even of the British 

 Empire, but the prospect should be kept in view of ultimately 

 effecting an arrangement whereby students could enjoy the advan- 

 tage of visiting the universities of other countries. 



Such migration is, of course, closely connected with the 

 duration of the period of university study, and in this matter 

 reform is most urgently needed. The traditional three years 

 devoted to the acquisition of a degree is hopelessly inadequate 



