POSNER ey eae he 
1896 } BOTANICAL OPPORTUNITY 209 
of quality of attainment. As a rule, genius, which, left to itself, 
now and then leaps to the most unexpected accomplishments, is 
most effectively repressed by close supervision. It is tolerant 
of guidance but not of the goad; and yet, on the whole, perhaps, 
both guided and driven, if this is done wisely, it accomplishes 
most, for in harness it becomes plodding research, which is dull, 
to be sure, but, if persevering, productive of cumulative results 
which become of incalculable importance. In fact, whether 
fortunately or unfortunately I shall not attempt to say, the world 
has come to recognize the slow but sure progress of research as 
in the main more desirable than the irregular and intermittent 
leaps of genius, though the two are closely akin, patient labor 
over endless facts, on the one hand, and broad observation and 
untrammeled thought, on the other. 
If, everything considered, it is slow and persistent investiga- 
tion, rather than sudden inspiration, to which we must look for 
the accomplishment of the greatest collective results in botany, 
itis equally true that the individual student is more likely to 
build his reputation on the summation of the small accomplish- 
ments of many days of close application than to arrive at some 
great discovery by a leap; and this quite aside from the fact 
that the latter result is entirely impossible to many a man who 
in the other way may still hope to be of great usefulness. It 
has been said that there is a tide in the affairs of men, which, 
taken at the flood, leads on to fortune, and no doubt what is 
true in the military, literary, and commercial world is equally 
true in the smaller realm of science. In fact, I fancy that each 
member of my audience has in mind some one preeminent occa- 
sion which may have looked small or large at the moment, but 
the Seizing or neglect of which he now sees marked a turning in 
his scientific career. But, it will be seen, it is not of the one 
great ©pportunity that I would now speak. Improving it always 
has marked and always will mark the turning point of life, but 
unfortunately the bridge cannot be crossed before it is reached, 
vi 8reat as the value of a true and wise friend’s counsel then 
'S, it cannot be replaced by any generalities in advance; there- 
