March 26, 1915] 



SCIENCE 



447 



that the desire of such men is entirely legi- 

 timate, that it is wholesome and praise- 

 worthy, that it deserves to be stimulated, 

 and that universities ought to meet it, if 

 they can. Indeed, all this seems to me so 

 obvious that I find it a little difficult to 

 treat it seriously as a question. If the 

 matter must be debated, let it be debated 

 on worthy ground. To say, as proponents 

 sometimes say, that, inasmuch as all knowl- 

 edge turns out sooner or later to be useful, 

 students preparing for a given vocation 

 by specializing in a given field may prof- 

 itably seek some general acquaintance with 

 other fields because such general knowledge 

 will indirectly increase their vocational 

 equipment, is to offer a consideration which, 

 though in itself it is just enough, yet de- 

 grades the discussion from its appropriate 

 level, which is that of an ideal humanity, 

 down to the level of mere efficiency and 

 practicianism. No doubt one engaged in 

 minutely studjdng the topography of a 

 given locality because he intends to reside 

 in it might be plausibly advised to study 

 also the general geography of the globe on 

 the ground that his special topographical 

 knowledge would be thus enhanced, and 

 that, moreover, he might some time desire 

 to travel. But if we ventured to counsel 

 him so, he might reply: What you say is 

 true. But why do you ply me with such low 

 considerations? Why do you regard me as 

 something crawling on its belly? Don't 

 you know that I ought to acquire a general 

 knowledge of geography, not primarily be- 

 cause it may be useful to me as a resident 

 here or as a possible traveler, but because 

 such knowledge is essential to me in my 

 character as a man? The rebuke, if we 

 were fortunately capable of feeling it, 

 would be well deserved. A man building a 

 bridge is greater than the engineer; a man 

 planting seed is greater than the farmer ; a 

 man teaching calculus is greater than the 



mathematiean ; a man presiding at a faculty 

 meeting is greater than the dean or the 

 president. We may as well remember that 

 man is superior to any of his occupations. 

 His supreme vocation is not law or medi- 

 cine or theology or commerce or war or 

 journalism or chemistry or physics or 

 mathematics or literature or any specific 

 science or art or activity ; it is intelligence, 

 and it is this supreme vocation of man as 

 man that gives to universities their su- 

 preme obligation. It is unworthy of a 

 university to conceive of man as if he were 

 created to be the servant of utilities, trades, 

 professions and careers; these things are 

 for him: not ends but means. It is said 

 that intelligence is good because it prospers 

 us in our trades, industries and professions ; 

 it ought to be said that these things are 

 good because and in so far as they prosper 

 intelligence. Even if we do not conceive 

 the office of intelligence to be that of con- 

 tributing to being in its highest form, which 

 consists in understanding, even if we con- 

 ceive its function less nobly as that of en- 

 abling us to adjust ourselves to our envi- 

 ronment, the same conclusion holds. For 

 what is our environment? Is it wholly or 

 mainly a matter of sensible circumstance — 

 sea and land and sky, heat and cold, day 

 and night, seasons, food, raiment, and the 

 like ? Far from it. It is rather a matter of 

 spiritual circumstances — ideas, sentiments, 

 doctrines, sciences, institutions, and arts. 

 It is in respect of this ever-changing and 

 ever-developing world of spiritual things, 

 it is in respect of this invisible and intangi- 

 ble environment of life, that universities, 

 whilst aiming to give mastery in this part 

 or that, are at the same time under equal 

 obligation to give to such as can receive it 

 some general orientation in the whole. 



And now as to the question of feasibility. 

 Can the thing be done? So far as mathe- 

 matics is concerned I am confident that 



