188 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLI. No. 1049 



of him that his researches do not cease with 

 his attainment of a professorship. 



The excuse is often offered that the pro- 

 fessor is frequently subject to interruptions 

 which interfere with research work. I 

 notice, however, that such interruptions are 

 quite as often as not the fault of the man 

 himself, whose sociable disposition or in- 

 ability to concentrate his attention as well 

 as the fatal tendency to "putter," eat up 

 the time which ought to be devoted to inves- 

 tigation and which, if properly utilized, 

 would soon show substantial results. 



It is easy to find fault and criticize but 

 when it comes to suggesting remedies for 

 the future, the problem is a difficult one. 

 First of all, perhaps, is getting hold of the 

 right men, and next, after getting them, 

 to see that they make the most of their 

 natural talents. 



In these days of commercial ideals when 

 the value of everything is gauged by what 

 it will bring in the market, and especially 

 in this country where the opportunities for 

 easy money-making are probably greater 

 than anywhere else in this world, it is not 

 strange that most of our young men become 

 early infected with prevailing standards 

 of values. One indeed must have a very 

 strong love of science for itself to with- 

 stand the lure of the market place. To 

 realize after years of hard work and expen- 

 sive training that a man may in case he 

 devotes himself to pure science have to 

 serve for a lesser wage than is paid an ex- 

 pert bricklayer or carpenter, does not offer 

 a very alluring prospect to most able and 

 energetic young men. Nevertheless, if we 

 are to develop men to do the highest type 

 of work, we must in some way persuade 

 them to take these chances. 



Of course, before urging a young man 

 to devote his life to a career at best pec- 

 uniarily far below what he might reasonably 

 expect to earn in some other calling, we 



shotdd be very sure that our youth gives 

 something more than a vague promise that 

 he is likely to accomplish something really 

 worth while in the branch he has chosen. 



This is perhaps our most difficult task. 

 We all have seen young men, bright and 

 alert, who are immensely interested in their 

 investigations just so long as you set them 

 the problem and superintend the work, 

 giving from time to time the necessary sug- 

 gestions and encouragement. The question 

 is, win they devise problems for themselves 

 and carry them through without some one 

 at their elbow to give them assistance when 

 they come to a difficult place. 



It is very hard to recognize the men who 

 have this initiative and with it the perse- 

 verance and resourcefulness which mark 

 the born investigator; and I believe therQ 

 are born investigators, just as truly as there 

 are born poets and painters. You can cul- 

 tivate the gift but you can not create it. 

 How we are to discover our budding genius, 

 however, and how we are to hold him when 

 caught is another matter. 



While undoubtedly there is much en- 

 couragement to be derived from the prog- 

 ress we have made during the past genera- 

 tion, still we may learn a lesson from this 

 which may help us to direct the work of 

 the next generation so as to yield still 

 better results. 



I can not but feel that we very much need 

 to have the importance of pure scientific 

 work as an end in itself strongly insisted 

 upon. This I believe is one of our hardest 

 problems. In the face of the constant de- 

 mand for men trained in technical lines 

 and the indisputable importance of the 

 many economic problems that confront us, 

 it is hard to make the average hard-headed 

 young American see the beauty of science 

 for its own sake. Our whole social system 

 and modern trend of educational methods 

 both tend to magnify the importance of 



