310 Notes and Comments. 
THE SCIENTIFIC MIND. . 
The main subject of the presidential address was a little 
academic. Dr. Schuster set himself to define the ‘ scientific 
mind,’ quoting extensively and aptly from the brilliant mathe- 
matician and philosopher who is brother to the present Presi- 
dent of the French Republic. He came to the conclusion that 
there was no essential difference between the successful scientific 
mind and the successful mind in any other sphere of business 
in which theory is combined with practice. The great pre- 
occupation of the war could not be kept out altogether, and 
incidentally the President had a word for those perfervid 
patriots who in the intervals of assailing Mr. Asquith and Lord 
Kitchener cry aloud for ‘ government by business men’ and 
“government on scientific lines.’ Either these desiderata are 
the same thing, said the President, in effect, or they are different. 
If they are different, then we may cancel one set of the agitated 
and vociferous against the other set. If they both mean the 
same thing, then government by business men upon scientific 
lines is just what this nation has got. 
THE WORK OF THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION. 
Of lesser general importance, but of no little domestic 
interest, were a few rather cryptic observations which the 
President introduced as preface to his address. He announced 
that proposals were before the Council directed to secure greater 
continuity in the work of the Association, and also its better 
co-ordination with that of other scientific organisations. In 
this respect the unspoken comment of his hearers was probably, 
“ Quite time, too,’ for scientific folk have long been dissatisfied 
with the British Association meetings. Some very important 
committees, which report from year to year—and get half a 
line of recognition on the programme, and as much of the time 
of one section as suffices to read the head-line of a report—are 
doing most valuable work, and some joint meetings of sections 
for discussion are useful and suggestive. But the readers of 
individual papers often feel themselves ploughing the sands. 
Their papers may be interesting enough, but they are pub- 
lished only in the briefest and scrappiest summary and after 
long delay, and unless they secure publication in the technical 
journals and magazines, their treatises can be accounted 
stillborn. Some papers, on the other hand, ought never to 
have been read at all! This year, however, many of the 
“ bores’ were absent. 
ITS EARLY YEARS. 
But the intimation of the President was associated with 
some remarks in which were contrasted the ideals of two 
opposing bodies of the founders. When the British Association 
originated in York eighty-four years ago, the whole idea of 
Naturalist, — 
