398 



NATURE 



[Mar. 26, 1874 



whatever to each other, each pursuing the even tenor of 

 its way without any regard to its neighbours ; the collec- 

 tions in these museums often overlap each other, thus 

 wasting means that might be expended to better purpose 

 in developing some well-organised common system of 

 aid to scientific research and instruction, and consequently 

 some departments of Science are represented and en- 

 dowed almost to excess, while others of at least equal 

 importance are not represented at all ; and although all 

 of them have ostensibly the same objects in view, viz. to 

 afford facilities for scientific research and for the scien- 

 tific instruction of the public, some are directly under the 

 control of a Minister of State, others are not. 



If the recommendation of the Commission, that the 

 government of the British and Patent Museums be trans- 

 ferred to a department of State with a responsible Minister 

 at its head, is adopted by the Government, no doubt some 

 of these anomalies will be abolished ; the institutions will 

 be made to fit into each other, and their government will 

 be reorganised on some common and intelligent system, 

 such as that recommended by the Commission. 



One of the most glaring of these anomalies is the almost 

 exclusive representation and endowment in our public 

 museums of the Natural Sciences ; Botany, c:",, being 

 twice endowed, in the British Museum and at Kew — 

 while the Physical Sciences, as if they were the illegitimate 

 offspring of man and nature, are left to pick up a living 

 as best they may, so that had it not been for their inherent 

 vitality they would long ago have been starved out of 

 existence. 



In our Museums and Gardens, and elsewhere, aid to 

 research in connection with the Biological Sciences is 

 well provided for, while students of Botany, of Zoo- 

 logy, and of Geology in its various departments, have 

 abundant facilities afforded them for the practical study of 

 these sciences. The result is that there is nothing to check 

 the career of these sciences ; they have been rapidly extend- 

 ing their domain, and may go on extending it still further 

 without much anxiety as to where the sinews of war are to 

 come from ; all this with the very best results to our country. 

 Our readers need no reminding of the immense strides 

 recently made by Physical Science in its various depart- 

 ments, departments increasing in number and complica- 

 tion, and of the vistas of possible discovery of the most stu- 

 pendouscharacterwhich have been opened up, but forwhich 

 private enterprise is utterly inadequate, and which must re- 

 main shrouded in mystery unless assistance similar to that 

 which has been so amply accorded to the favourite Natural 

 History Sciences be also given to the hitherto neglected 

 Physical Sciences. Physical Science, though she sees 

 many a glorious world that she longs to conquer, and whose 

 conquest would be fruitful of the best results, can only in 

 sadness let her hands dangle idly by her side, because un- 

 aided she cannot reach these fields of battle. No one 

 competent to pronounce an opinion would venture to say 

 that Physical Science has done less for the material 

 prosperity of this country than Natural Science ; indeed 

 within the last few years our rapid advance has been 

 almost entirely owing to the practical application of 

 . physical discoveries. Yet what encouragement is held 

 out to those who are able and willing to devote them- 

 selves to research which brings no profit to the researcher, 

 but which is fraught with ultimate benefit to the race ? 



The public, as we have shown, is made familiar in 

 our museums with the results which have been reached 

 in the Natural History Sciences, as well as with their 

 mah'ricl, but looks in vain for any exhibition of the instru- 

 ments, the methods, and equally valuable results which 

 belong to Physical Science ; hence, no doubt, partly the 

 reason why the latter has been hitherto almost entirely left 

 out in the cold ; it is not known, and has but little opportu- 

 nity of letting the public know its history and achieve- 

 ments, though it has something to show of at least equal 

 value with the umbrella or the boomerang of a conquered 

 savage. In chemistry, heat, light, sound, electricity, as- 

 tronomy in its various branches — if a student wishes 

 to have something more than a mere book knowledge 

 of the methods of work and of the results obtained (and 

 there are many such students), where can he obtain it 

 in the saine way as students of Zoology, Botany, Geo- 

 logy, Comparative Anatomy, and Physiology can carry on 

 the practical study of these sciences .'' And yet no one, we 

 dare say, would venture to give any better reason for this 

 state of things than that Chance, which has hitherto 

 governed the growth of our museums, has ordered it so. 



There can be now, however, no possible excuse for the 

 continuance of this anomalous system, seeing that the 

 Report of the Commission has thoroughly exposed it, and 

 suggested methods whereby to soine extent its glaring 

 defects and anomalies may be remedied. If Government 

 wish to find a model for their guidance in reorganising 

 and supplying the deficiencies of our public museums and 

 institutions intended for the researches of students and for 

 popular instruction, let them turn to Appendix III. of the 

 Report of the Commission, containing the Report of the 

 Secretary on the Aid given by the State to Science in 

 France. In a previous article (vol. ix. p. 217) we referred 

 to the disgraceful condition of our Patent Museum, and 

 contrasted it with the magnificent Conservatoire des Arts 

 et Metiers of Paris, extracts from the long and complete 

 catalogue of which, as well as syllabus of its well-orga- 

 nised courses of lectures, will be found in the Appendix 

 referred to. 



" Evil is wrought by want of thought, 

 As well as by want of heart." 



Government can no longer plead the excuse implied in 

 Hood's lines for neglecting to remedy the evils so forcibly 

 brought under their notice by the Report of the Commis- 

 sion. If means are not forthwith taken to organise our 

 public museums and institutions for scientific research 

 and instruction on some intelligent system, to supplement 

 their lamentable deficiencies, and make them as widely 

 beneficial to the advancement of Science in all its depart- 

 ments and conducive to the highest instruction of the 

 public as they are calculated to be, it can no longer be 

 set down to ignorance, but to an utter disregard to the 

 highest welfare of the country. In this direction 

 the new Government have a chance of distinguishing 

 themselves and winning for themselves an enduring 

 and worthy popularity ; let them lose no time in 

 showing their wisdom by appointing a responsible 

 Minister of Education whose duty it will be to keep all 

 our public scientific and educational institutions up to 

 the highest pitch of efficiency, to te-organise them upon 

 some common basis, and to see that the progress of research 

 in all branches of Science is not hampered by the want 



