io 



X. I 77 A7: 



[November 2, 1905 



selfish sense, business men, nor are they as a general 

 rule overburdened with this world's goods. It 

 them henceforth to take more care as to their 

 future in case of illness or physical infirmity, and not 

 to trust to the gratitude or generous impulse of the 

 [Yeas ury 1 )epartment. 



In old days ii was the custom when a man dis- 

 tinguished in science was brought into a high position 

 in the Civil Service that he was credited with a certain 

 number of years' service ranking for pension. This 

 practice has been done away with and a bargain 

 system substituted. A short while ago the growing 

 agonies of heart disease caused Dr. Copeland to feel 

 that he was less able to carry on the duties of his 

 post, and he determined to resign; but he learnt that 

 under the scale, and in the absence of any special 

 bargain, tin- pension he would receive would not 

 suffice for the necessities of life. The only increase 

 his friends were able to get from the Treasury was 

 an offer to allow him about half-a-crown a week 

 extra by way of a house. 



Indignant and ashamed of my Government I per- 

 suaded Dr. Copeland to withdraw his resignation and 

 to retain the official position which he has honoured 

 till his death. 



1 trust, Sir, that this memorandum of mine may 

 cause eminent men of science who are asked to enter 

 the service of the State when already of middle age 

 to take heed for their future welfare". 



I am, Sir, your obedient servant, 



Crawford. 



2 Cavendish Square, October 28. 



The number nf years given by Act 0/ Parliament was twenty, because 



the ordinary civil servant joined at twenty to learn his work, and men of 

 science joined at ahnut forty because they had to learn it before they were 

 of any use to a Government department.— [Ed.] 



THE BRITISH SCIENCE GUILD. 



"THE inaugural meeting of the British Science Guild, 

 -•- the organisation and objects of which were stated 

 in Nature of October 12 (vol. Ixxit. p. 585), was held 

 at the Mansion House on Monday, October 30. The 

 Lord Mayor presided. Among "those who had ac- 

 cepted the Lord Mayor's invitation to attend were the 

 following : — 



The Bishop of Ripon, Lord Strathcona, Mr. Haldane, 

 K.C., M.P., Sir Norman Lockyer, Lady Lockver, Sir 

 Michael Foster, Sir William Ramsay, Lady Ramsay, Sir 

 I 1 Maurice, Sir J. Wolfe-Barry, Sir W. Bousfield, Sir 

 G. T. C. Bartley, Sir E. W. Brab'rook, Sir C. Bridge, Sir 

 Lauder Brunton, Sir A. Geikie, Sir W. Mather, Sir H. T. 

 Wood, Dr. G. T. Beilby, Dr. Caird, Captain Creak, Dr. 

 Ferrier, Dr. W. Garrett (represented bv his son), Mr. 

 Gilford, Dr. Glazebrook, Prof. Gowland, "Mr. R. A. Had- 

 field, Prof. J. Larmor, Prof. Lealey, Dr. Lockver, Mr. 

 C. W. Macara, Prof. Meldola, Prof. Perry, Mr. J. H. 

 Reynolds, Dr. Shaw, Mr. A. Siemens, Mr. Swinburne, 

 Rev. T. R. Stebbing, Mr. Carmichael Thomas, Prof. S. P. 

 Thompson. 



The following are extracts from letters expressing 

 regret al inability to attend the meeting. 

 Mr. Chamberlain : — 



I am very sorry to find that I cannot possibly be in 



London on Monday the 30th inst. ... I very much regret 



that I cannot taki an active pari in the meeting on this 



ome more convenient opportunity 



for showing my interest may occur at a later time." 



Lord Roberts : — 



" I am very sorry to refuse the request contained in 



year letter of the 12th instant, but f have so much en hand 



a < present thai I could not manage to attend. ... I 



the value of the Guild and wish I could help it." 



NO 1879, VOL - 73] 



Lord Rayleigh : — 



" 1 fear I shall not be able to come to the meeting . . . 

 but I shall be very pleased to join in the movement and 

 become a vice-president if desired." 



The following report of the meeting is reproduced, 

 in great part, from Tuesday's Times : — 



The Lord Mayor in a few words welcomed those who 

 had accepted invitations to be present, and called upon 

 Sir Norman Lockyer to read the report of the organising 

 committee. 



Sir Norman Lockyer, having read the report, said that 

 1 he organising committee was grateful for the consent the 

 Lord Mayer so readily accorded to them to hold their 

 In 1 meeting at the Mansion House. He had every hope 

 that under such auspices the guild might do for British 

 national endeavour in the future what so many ancient 

 guilds, each in its special line of action, were founded to 

 do in the long past. When his own views as to the 

 importance, nay the burning necessity, of such a movement 

 as that throughout the land, among all classes, and in 

 touch with all employments, were expressed some time 

 ago, he suggested that it might be brought about by ex- 

 tending the functions of some existing organisation, such, 

 for instance, as the British Association ; but he was soon 

 made to see that that was to take a too narrow view of 

 the matter. It was not a question merely of science and 

 scientific men; it was a question of conducting all our 

 national activ'ties, State- service, private service, and what 

 not, under the best possible conditions with the greatest 

 amount of brain-power. To show that it was not a question 

 only for scientific men, he would just refer for a moment 

 to the matter of education. He yielded to none in respect 

 for those studies which embraced ancient civilisations and 

 their literatures, but they alone were as incapable of form- 

 ing the complete man as would be instruction in the mere 

 facts of science apart from the actual use of the methods 

 of observation and discovery. A complete education must 

 be based upon things and thinking, as well as upon words 

 and memory. We wanted one kind of education for every- 

 body — the best. We wanted that education carried as far 

 as possible in the case of each individual, whether the 

 time for education was long or short. No one should be 

 stopped, save by his own incapacity, from proceeding 

 further down the fair stream of education which should 

 make the complete man, both educationally and physically. 

 We want that stream freed from the impediments with 

 which it was at present dammed — they might spell the 

 weed as they liked. These impediments were many of 

 them needlessly hurtful, and most of them unnecessary 

 from a large point of view. 



Indeed, they wanted to revert to the ideal of the ancient 

 university, from the curriculum of which natura rerum 

 was never absent, and in which the poor student was 

 always cared for. The western world was wondering at 

 the efficiency of both the navy and the army of Japan. 

 There was really nothing to wonder at. Most of the 

 reasons suggested for what had happened were, he held, 

 entirely wrong. If the Japanese religion or the old 

 Japanese civilisation had been in question, then China 

 would have followed suit. What really had happened in 

 Japan was that for the last thirty years everybody, from 

 the Mikado to the smallest boy and girl, had been taught 

 to think. They had been dealing with things as well as 

 words in their schools, and they represented at the present 

 moment the maximum of efficiency and brain-power as the 

 result of that treatment. Mr. Chamberlain, Lord Rose- 

 bery, and others had referred to the great relative advance 

 oi Me- commerce and industry of Germany and the United 

 States, lie would again point out that these were 

 examples of lands with complete and numerous Stal aided 

 universities. Surely it was more than a coincidence when 

 we found in those lands the State service and all the 

 national activities carried on in the full light of modern 

 science by men who had received a complete training. If 

 the guild helped us in any way to improve our national 

 position in this respect it would not have been founded in 

 vain, but there was certainly much for it to do along 

 many lines. 



The Bishop of Ripon moved the first resolution : — 



