UTAH ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 155 
OUR NATIONAL AWAKENING TO THE 
IMPORTANCE OF SCIENCE. 
By W. C. EBAUGH. 
Mankind is prone to use shibboleths or catch words. 
A person conversant with our language at various periods 
of time would have no difficulty in telling when such phrases 
as the following were used most frequently: “Liberty, 
Fraternity, Equality”, ‘““Masses against Classes”, “Aboli- 
tion”, ‘Labor against Capital’, “See America First’, 
“Conservation of National Resources”, “Safety First’, 
“Efficiency and Scientific Management’, “Preparedness”. 
With the shock of war in August, 1914, entirely new 
conditions arose in the industrial as well as in the political 
world. The war itself, based on race—old hatreds and 
suspicions in Europe, brought out much that was worst and 
much that was best in mankind. Over night was effected 
a world transformation. Men were removed from peace- 
ful occupations to those of war; schools and universities 
were deserted for camp, barracks and trenches; industries 
were turned into new channels and science itself was di- 
rected with new aims. 
On the one hand was the call for destructive agencies, 
and the scientist and technologist provided munitions not 
only of the older types of explosives, but also deadly gas 
and liquid fire to add horrors to the already horrible. In 
ordnance the skill of metallurgists produced alloys of quali- 
ties unknown in earlier wars. Submarine and aerial war- 
fare called for new methods and new means. 
On the other hand science was forced to supply agen- 
cies for constructive work, to find new uses for old mater- 
ials and new materials for new needs. Hygiene and medi- 
cine called for new industries, by which elements were 
forced into new combinations to meet these unusual needs. 
No matter how our sympthies may lie with respect 
to the participants to the present struggle, all must admire 
the wonderful “preparedness” and team work shown by 
Germany. Overnight the land whose battle cry for cen- 
