3° 6 



NATURE 



[December 19, 1918 



diffused sentimenl of respecl for science and for 

 scientific work depend largely on the future educa- 

 tion of the people generally. Since it will probably 

 always be true thai public opinion is dependent 

 more or less on authority, the action of the 

 Government in setting up the Department of 

 Scientific and Industrial Research is a step ol the 

 utmost importance. The work done by this body 

 so far, however, relates to direct applications of 

 science to practical purposes as revealed by the 



report for 1917 i.N noticed in NATURE for 

 October 17 last. 



The protection of the interests of pure science, 

 regardless Of immediate Utilitarian application, is, 

 however, a matter of serious importance, and a 

 movement lias been set on foot at Cambridge 

 with this object in view. The "Scientific Research 

 Association " lias been formed, and has put for- 

 ward a scheme for its organisation and functions 

 which at first sight appears not only very com- 

 prehensive, but also somewhat complicated. It is 

 believed that science requires larger endowments 

 and more co-ordinated and informed allocation of 

 those endowments than is provided by any exist- 

 ing machinery. It is intended, therefore, to in- 

 stitute a comprehensive system of intelligence as 

 to the research that is actually being done in the 

 various branches of science, and of new research 

 as it is projected. By those who are familiar with 

 the position of workers in science in the past, 

 how largely the work done has been accomplished 

 at the cost in time, labour, and money of private 

 individuals or in the scanty leisure of professional 

 men, it will be agreed that if the national life is 

 to be increasingly vitalised and the scientific habit 

 of mind cultivated, it is essential that an assured 

 career should be open to the competent worker. 

 ft is, therefore, proposed to formulate an exten- 

 sive scheme of endowment of research by the 

 State which would afford inducements to the most 

 promising students to continue their pursuit of 

 scientific investigation. This means an addition 

 not only to the grants now made to universities, 

 but also to the various schemes now afloat for 

 providing maintenance scholarships and fellow- 

 ships on a more extended scale. It is not pro- 

 posed to advocate the separation of teaching and 

 research, which have been hitherto associated in 

 so many institutions with advantage to both. 



Finally, the association contemplates taking a 

 leading part in impressing on the public the im- 

 portance of scientific research in all its aspects, and 

 the fundamental value of scientific method in every 

 department of national life. A very strong list of 

 supporters lias already been got together, but an 

 examination of the list reveals the fact that, so 

 far, for reasons which are not obvious, the pro- 

 moters have not succeeded in getting the co- 

 operation of some of the most eminent men of 

 science in their several departments. For ex- 

 ample, the president and other officers of the 

 Royal Society are conspicuous by their absence, 

 and as the president is one of the most famous 

 physicists in the world, and Master of Trinity 

 besides, he could not have been overlooked in con- 

 NO. 2564, VOL. 102] 



neotion with any scheme originating in Cam- 

 bridge. 



Thi' fact is probably that while the time is cer- 

 tainly ripe for movement in the direction indicated 

 by the proposed association, the scheme as at 

 present formulated requires time and further 

 consideration to secure the complete approval 

 and adherence of all the leading men of science 

 of the country. Moreover, complete concurrence 

 in any one scheme is scarcely to be expected as 

 yet while sympathy is so much divided by the 

 various proposals which are in the air. The 

 endowment of research will have to be further 

 considered by the Government, though it is pos- 

 sible that in view of the money placed at the 

 disposal of the Committee of the Pr'lV) Council 

 for Scientific and Industrial Research, and the 

 assignment of 100,000/. for research in connection 

 with dyes, some people may feel that it will be 

 well to watch the effects of this, and of other 

 sources <>l endowment like that of the S alters' 

 Compam mentioned in NATURE for October 24, 

 before proceeding further. It is true that there is 

 in this country no institution corresponding with 

 the Kaiser YVilhelm Institut near Berlin, or with 

 the Wolcott Gibbs Institute at Harvard, but the 

 establishment of a new college does not appa- 

 rently enter into the programme drawn up by the 

 promoters of the association. The Royal Institu- 

 tion with its connected Davy-Faraday Laboratory 

 is unique in both constitution and output of 

 results. It must not be forgotten, moreover, that 

 nearly all the British universities have adopted a 

 scheme for the institution of degrees open to 

 candidates from overseas to be awarded on the 

 results of research work performed by the candi- 

 date, and probably this will lead to further 

 demands for assistance to these universities. 



In the meantime the idea of bringing together 

 the whole body of British men of science has 

 resulted in the formation of another association 

 under the name of "The National Union of Scien- 

 tific Workers," concerning which a letter 

 appeared in NATURE of October 24. The draft 

 rules declare that the object of the union shall 

 be, in the first place, "to advance the interests 

 of science, pure and applied, as an essential 

 element in the national life." The second object 

 is "to regulate the conditions of employment of 

 persons with adequate scientific training and 

 knowledge, and iheir relations to their employers 

 and to other employees," and among other things 

 to set up a register of trained scientific workers 

 and to establish an employment bureau. The pro- 

 motion of scientific research is also mentioned, 

 but it appears that the union assumes more the 

 character of a professional body acting somewhat 

 in the trade-union spirit than an association of 

 persons interested in the promotion of scientific 

 education and research. It will be evident, there- 

 fore, that the National L'nion would be unlikely 

 to obtain much financial support from the public 

 for the promotion of research, whereas an organ- 

 isation like the Scientific Research Association 

 may do so. 



