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SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXIX. No. 1008 



for no other reason than to keep its name 

 and its work preeminently on the map 

 throughout the ages. Perhaps this latter 

 phase of the ideal may exist even though its 

 ■workers may be largely unaware of it. At 

 any rate, I believe it is generally admitted 

 that it is desired that material rewards shall 

 be forthcoming in the near future. If it 

 could be that wise leaders in industrial re- 

 search could recognize the value of pure 

 science to the industries centuries hence, 

 then there would be not so urgent a plea 

 for the physical institute. But these con- 

 cerns are of human hands and in a demo- 

 cratic country, and the resources generally 

 come from individuals who expect divi- 

 dends at least in due time to be incorpo- 

 rated in the death wills of the stockholders. 

 I believe that as a corporation grows large 

 it tends toward the recognition of values 

 other than immediate money values. If so 

 this is cause for larger faith in humanity. 

 In fairness we must also recognize the 

 struggle for corporate existence the same as 

 we recognize the struggle of the individual. 

 It is, for example, perhaps difficult to know 

 to whom should be given credit for the es- 

 tablishment of such able and broad-minded 

 leadership as prevails at the General Elec- 

 tric Company's laboratories. 



The pure scientist believes that it is most 

 difficult to obtain willing and capable men 

 who will devote all their energies to the 

 search for new knowledge by the free and 

 methodical movement of the human mind, 

 without regard to practical applications 

 and money rewards. He believes further 

 that this is the only royal road to intellec- 

 tual achievement, and yet he is not unmind- 

 ful that some time or other much of the 

 knowledge will be absolutely necessary to 

 the existence of the human race. He be- 

 lieves that the man who investigates with a 

 commercial purpose in view has a handi- 

 cap load that must limit him in his ardu- 

 ous search to the extent that such an 



investigator can only be half a scientist. 



The attitude of the commercial scientist 

 may be gathered from the words in part of 

 Dr. Arthur D. Little in his recent presiden- 

 tial address before the American Chemical 

 Society : 



Most of us believe that the doctrine science for 

 science 's sake is as meaningless and mischievous 

 as that of art for art's sake or literature for lit- 

 erature's sake. These things were made for man, 

 not for themselves, nor was man made for them. 



The pure scientist is perfectly aware of 

 the immediate value to humanity of this 

 attitude, but at the same time he insists that 

 there should also exist a body of most capa- 

 ble thinkers who shall not be limited by 

 placing dollar signs ahead to mark out the 

 paths. Even from the standpoint of service 

 the dollar mark often leads away from the 

 best route or the safe route. For what man 

 of Faraday 's time could have predicted that 

 within a century the electrical industries of 

 one country would be facing a capital re- 

 quirement of $8,000,000 a week. 



That research pays our industries ac- 

 knowledge fully. They are aware that in 

 farming alone investigation has resulted in 

 the saving of about $1,000,000 in the labor 

 cost of a single crop and a very much larger 

 saving as a result of increased yield, as com- 

 pared with fifty years ago, or that in elec- 

 tric lighting alone fully the same sum has 

 been saved annually as a result of the prog- 

 ress in the last ten years. And I doubt if 

 it could be estimated the returns that have 

 come to the steel industry or the telephone 

 industry as a result of their years of special 

 researches. According to Dr. Little there 

 are several industrial firms that are now 

 spending $300,000 annually on their re- 

 search laboratories, and many more, $100,- 

 000 a year. These figures should certainly 

 make those interested in the promotion of 

 pure science take notice. It is perfectly ob- 

 vious that it is a concentration of effort and 

 resources of our much-talked-of trusts that 

 has made possible these wonderful expendi- 



