38o 



NATURE 



\Scpt. 5, 1872 



THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION 



SECTION A— Mathematical and Physical Science 



On the Duty of the British Association with respect to the Dis- 

 tribution of its Funds, by Lieut.-Col, A. Strange, F. R.S. 



It is proliably well known to most men of science in England 

 that the Britisli Association succeeded, in 1870, in inducing Her 

 Majesty's Government to appoint a Royal Commission to inquire 

 inlotlie whole question of scientific instruction and the advance- 

 ment of science. The Commission is composed of the Uuke of 

 Devonshire (chairman), the Marquis of Lansdowne, Profs. Stokes, 

 Sharpcy, llu.\ley, H.Smith (of 0.\ford), Sirjolm Lubbock, SirJ. 

 Kay Shuttleworth, Mr. Samuelson (meniber.s), and Mr. J. Nor- 

 man Lockyer (secretary). Tliis powerful body has, since its 

 constitution, been sedulously engaged in taking evidence. Thit 

 which relates to " Scientific Instruction " has been already puli- 

 lished, and it is now engaged in the second branch of its inquiry, 

 namely, the "Advancement of Science." It is to this latter 

 branch that the present communication refers. 



Since the movement was begun at the Norwich Meeting of the 

 Association in 1S68, great progress lias Ijeen made towards the 

 formation of definite views as to the duty of the State with re- 

 spect to Science. As having been myself examined by the Com- 

 mission, and as having been in communication with many of the 

 witnesses who have appeared before it, I am able, w ithout'intend- 

 ing to anticipate the publication of the proceedings, to say that 

 the following specific points have been forcibly and extensively 

 brought under their consideration :—(i) That the objects of 

 scientific teaching and of scientific investigation are distinct, and 

 require for their respective attainment distinct machinery; (2) 

 That the State is bound, in the interests of the community, to 

 maintain institutions — such as laboratories and observatories — 

 for scientific research, apart from teaching ; (3) That all State 

 scientific institutions and action of every kind should be subject 

 to the direction of a single Minister of State ; and (4) That such 

 Minister of State should have the assistance of a permanent, 

 paid, Consultative Council composed of eminent men of science. 



Of these measures, unquestionably the most important are the 

 two last — a Minister and a Council. I believe I am justified in 

 saying that the Commission are giving their most earnest atten- 

 tion to those fundamental steps on which the whole fabric of a 

 consistent administrative system for science must be based. 



The question having reached this point, it appears to me that 

 the British A.ssociation may well now consider how tliey may 

 still further advance it ; and I beg to tender a suggestion to that 

 end. 



Of all difficulties in the way of science reform which, in the 

 course of my study of the question, has appeared to me the most 

 obstructive, I should pick out the confusion of thought which 

 prevails as to what scientific objects should properly be under- 

 taken, as a duty, by the State, and what objects may be safely 

 left to be worked out by private enterprise. The confusion of 

 thought exists even amongst scientific men ; and it is characteris- 

 tic in a much more marked degree of the occasional references to 

 science made by the Government and by politicians generally. 

 It appears to me that the British Association has it in its power 

 to clear up this most prejudicial obscurity, and to contribute 

 powerfully to the much-needed scientific education of the 

 Government. 



I will here briefly allude to a fevv recent examples of the 

 confusion of thought to which I allude. 



Mr. Gladstone, on two late occasions — namely, at the anniver- 

 sary dinners respectively of the Civil Engineers' Institute and of 

 the Royal Society — expressed the opinion that the more science 

 was left to itself the better for it. He termed the intervention 

 of the State as " interference" with .science, calculated to dis- 

 courage individual exertion, and so obstruct discovery and pro- 

 gress. If this opinion be sound, let us see .vhat its consistent 

 application must lead to. It must logically mean that the Royal 

 Observatory, the British Museum, the Ordnance and (Geological 

 Survey, and our various botanical gardens and other scientific 

 institutions, should forthwith be abolished as " interferences. " 

 No one has yet ventured to recommend this. 



Such a recommendation would no doubt at once be met, even 

 by Mr. Gladstone, by a clear exposition of the great importance 

 to the nation of sucli institutions, and of the reasons why they 

 cannot be maintained in efficiency but by the State. At once 

 his g-'neral and sweeping proposition would thus be shown to be 

 liable to so many and such extensive exceptions as u'tcrly to de- 

 stroy it as the basis of the argument. He would have, there- 



fore, to deal with each example of proposed .State intervention 

 on its merits, and, before resisting it, to show that either it was 

 not needed by the community, or that, being within the fair 

 scope of private action, Government aid could be dispensed 

 with. x\.nd this, in fact, is the only way in which we can pos- 

 sibly test the claims of .science on the State. It seems to me 

 that to substitute the term "interfering with science" for the 

 more correct one of " aiding science " is as fair and rational as 

 it would lie to term our Post Office an interference with freedom 

 of correspondence, our Railways an interference with freedom of 

 communication, or our Police an interference with the good 

 order of community. Yet many persons, who will not give 

 themselves the trouble to think, will accept a word falling from 

 an eminent man like Mr. Gla.istone, even when so grievously 

 misapplied as this, and will found upon it the most mischievous 

 conclusions. I do not doubt for a moment that Mr. Gladstone 

 used the word in all good faith, but I am also forced to believe 

 that he cannot have applied his powerful and logical mind to 

 this subject with the same energy and earnestness which have 

 given him the mastery of so many others of equal or greater 

 difficulty. When he has given it his full consideration, as he 

 will shortly no doubt have to do, I am confident he will with- 

 draw from the indefensible position he lately assumed. 



Another recent example of confusion of thought as to the 

 duties of the .State is afforded by the refusal of the Government 

 to aid in tidal researches. A committee of the British Associa- 

 tion — of which its late president, .Sir William Thomson, is 

 chairman — has been for several years engaged on this subject. 

 The funds provided by the Association being exhausted, appli- 

 cation was made to Government for 150/. in aid. Her Majesty's 

 Lords of the Treasury replied in these words ; — "That they are 

 fully sensible of the interesting nature of such investigations, but 

 that they feel that if they acceded to this request it would be 

 impossible to refuse to contribute towards the numerous other 

 objects which men of eminence may desire to treat scientifically. 

 Their Lordships must, therefore, though with regret, decline to 

 make a promise of assistance towards the present object out ot 

 public funds." 



If we contrast this refusal of aid to tidal researches with the 

 aid afforded to the two last expeditions to observe solar eclipses, 

 we shall be forced to conclude that mere parsimony and indif- 

 ference to science cannot have dictated it, but that our statesmen 

 have as yet arrived at no princijjle whatever on which such ques- 

 tions should be dealt with. The importance of eclipse observa- 

 tions is very great, but such researches partake, in the present 

 state of our knowledge, more or less of a speculative character, 

 whilst tidal researches, though bearing on various high cosmical 

 problems, contribute in the most direct and practical manner — 

 obvious to the least scientific person — to the welfare of our com- 

 merce and navy, and to many other branches of national activity. 

 Yet several thousands of pounds, with the use of ships, were 

 freely accorded by Government in the one case, and 150/. refused 

 in the other. .Such extraordinary inconsistency can only arise 

 from the absence of due knowledge on the part of Government 

 as to what are duties of the State in science and what are objects 

 fairly devolving on private exertion. 



The question I would now ask is — How can the Association 

 help to impart this indispensable knowledge to Government ? 



In my opinion this can be done by the adoption on the part 

 of the Association of some more settled rule for aiding science 

 than those which at ]iresent prevail. So far as I know, the 

 Association is guided, in making grants, by two main considera- 

 tions only — first, the total sum at their disposal ; second, the 

 number and relative importance of the objects proposed. Act- 

 ing principally on these considerations the Association has, in 

 my opinion, whilst prompted by the most sincere desire to ad- 

 vance science to the utmost, contributed somewhat to the con- 

 fusion of thought to which I wish to draw attention. By aiding 

 numerous objects which, under a systematic administration of 

 science, would unquestionably devolve on the State, they have, I 

 fear, helped to justify that undue reliance on the all-suflficiency of 

 private enterprise which Mr. Gladstone expressed, and on which 

 the Government, in the case of the tides and in many others, 

 have acted. 



The remedy for this evil — which is every day becoming greater 

 — that I would now propose is that the Association, in making 

 their grants, shall discriminate more than they have hitherto 

 done between objects which are national and those which are not 

 national ; and that they should give the preference to the latter. 

 I would further recommend that a list of national scientific re- 

 searches requiring immediate attention should be forwarded yearly 



