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SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLIV. No. 1135 



from the ages shall be passed on with a still 

 brighter flame. Let us champion the cause 

 of education, in the best sense of the word, 

 as having regard to its spiritual as well as 

 its scientific side. Let us go forward with 

 our own tasks, unflinchingly seeking for 

 the truth, confident that, in the eternal dis- 

 pensation, each successive generation of 

 seekers may approach nearer to the goal. 



Magna est Veritas, et prwvaleiit. 



Arthur Evans 



University op Oxfoed 



THE IMPORTANCE OF SCIENTIFIC RE- 

 SEARCH TO THE INDUSTRIES 



America is in the throes of preparedness 

 and many are the remedies offered for quick 

 deliverance. These remedies are of two 

 varieties, namely, genuine and quack; and 

 at times it may be difficult to dissociate one 

 from the other. 



Schemes of all kinds are offered purport- 

 ing to be of immediate and direct value in 

 the program of national defense, but when 

 sifted to the bottom are found to be, either 

 wholly valueless, or detrimental to the 

 cause. On the other hand, the national 

 awakening to the necessity of providing 

 adequate defense has been productive of 

 measures and plans which, if carried 

 through, would result in permanent assets 

 to the country. 



The conclusion seems to be warranted, 

 that the major efforts in our preparedness 

 program should be directed toward the im- 

 provement of industrial conditions. In the 

 final analysis, war is a contest between the 

 industries of the belligerents. Therefore, 

 a country whose resources are exploited, 

 whose industries and commerce are well 

 developed, and whose systems of business, 

 education and research have reached a high 

 plane of efficiency would be incalculably 

 better off in the case of a long exhausting 



war than if reliance had been placed on 

 the military equipment alone. 



Preparedness means, not only the opti- 

 mum military and naval forces for repell- 

 ing the initial onslaughts of the enemy, but 

 also the power to quickly adapt one's self 

 to the changing conditions brought about 

 by war and to render available the latent 

 resources in the shortest period of time. 



It is the organization and development 

 of these latent resources that should de- 

 mand our attention at this time, as much 

 as the preparation of war equipment for 

 immediate use. This form of preparedness 

 can not lead to militarism, for the results 

 attained will be of as much value in time 

 of peace as in time of war. Militarism is 

 the great danger confronting our democ- 

 racy at the present time, and war is its in- 

 evitable result. 



To war the course of empire takes its way 

 and the route is : scaredness — preparedness 

 — assuredness — war, but a word to the wise 

 is sufficient. 



As a nation we are not sufficiently appre- 

 ciative of the value to industry of research 

 in pure science. In order to credit certain 

 experimentation, we must see a well-estab- 

 lished connection between the work in hand 

 and the end sought. A clear and definite 

 series of results pointing toward a certain 

 conclusion must be produced before we are 

 in a mood to consider the possible impor- 

 tance of the investigation. 



Pew of our manufacturers have realized 

 the significance of a well-equipped research 

 department in connection with their indus- 

 tries. This statement, however, does not 

 apply to the testing laboratory, whose value 

 has long been recognized and has its place 

 in the factory. The expenditure of a cer- 

 tain percentage of the profits for launch- 

 ing investigations into unexplored fields is 

 another matter. 



Some of our manufacturers are still con- 



