PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS. 739 
Some years ago the Petit Journal invited its readers to answer the question 
“Who were the twenty greatest Frenchmen of the Nineteenth Century?’ No 
less than fifteen million votes were recorded. The resulting list included the 
names of nine scientific men, and Pasteur led by 100,000 votes over Victor Hugo, 
who came second, Napoleon securing the fourth place. It is obvious that a pofl 
of such magnitude must have been representative of all classes. I ask you to 
reflect on the probable result, mutatis mutandis, if such a poll was taken in this 
country. I am afraid we should find the names of football and cricket heroes 
included, but I doubt if the name of a single man of science would appear 
amongst the immortals. 
It should be our mission to make evident to the working-man his indebtedness 
to the pioneers of science. Demonstrate to him the close connection between the 
price of his meat and the use of refrigerating processes founded on the investiga- 
tions of Joule and Thomson; between the purity of his beer and the labours of 
Pasteur. Show the collier that his safety is to no small extent due to Humphry 
Davy; the driver of the electric tramcar that his wages were coined by Faraday. 
Make the worker in steel realise his obligation to Bessemer and Nasmyth; the 
telegraphist his indebtedness to Volta and Wheatstone, and the man at the 
‘wireless’ station that his employment is due to Hertz. Tell the soldier that 
the successful extraction of the bullet he received during the South African 
War was accomplished by the aid of Roéntgen. Convince the sailor that his 
good ‘landfall’ was achieved by the help of mathematicians and astronomers ; 
that Tyndall had much to do with the brilliancy of the lights which warn him 
of danger, and that to Kelvin he owes the perfection of his compass and 
scunding line. Impress upon all wage-earners the probability that had it not 
been for the researches of Lister they, or some member of their family, would 
not be living to enjoy the fruits of their labours. If we can but bring some five 
per cent. of our voters to believe that their security, their comfort, their health, 
are the fruits of scientific investigation, then—but not until then—shall we see 
the attitude of those in authority towards this great question of the encourage- 
ment of Research change from indifference to enthusiasm and from opposition 
to support. 
When we have educated the man in the street it is possible that we may 
succeed in the hardest task of all, that of educating our legislators. 
APPENDIX. 
SUMMARY OF THE REPLIES RECEIVED FROM THE DIRECTORS 
oF EDUCATION. 
Total number of forms returned: 121. 
Qusstion I. 
“Do you consider that the centralisation of authority in the hands of County 
Councils has caused any decay of interest in education in your district ?’ 
Tasue I. 
No change, 
Authority. Yes No or 
indecisive 
Per cent. | Per cent. | Per cent. 
Counties. . : ait ae 5 ; P 4 9 82 9 
County Boroughs . — ess. Daly 27 28 45 
Boroughs and Urban Districts. 5. 53 26 21 
If, disregarding the classification, we take the country as a whole, we get :— 
31 per cent. 44 per cent. 25 per cent. 
Question II. 
‘Would you prefer the educational authority to be one elected ad hoc, as in the 
days of the School Board, rather than the system as at present established ? ’ 
3B 2 
