54 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XV. No. 367. 



oiigh and systematic study." This action 

 is timely and welcome in view of the exist- 

 ence of an opinion like the following, ex- 

 pressed in a letter to me by a representa- 

 tive of a prominent publishing house : "I 

 feel that we can not be too emphatic in ex- 

 pressing sympathy with your movement 

 and in denouncing the intimidation of 

 teachers and other educators which has 

 gone on for some years. The whole so- 

 called temperance physiology movement of 

 the "W. C. T. U. seems to have fallen into 

 the hands of blackmailers and schemers, 

 who pull the wool over the eyes of the rank 

 and file of the organization, and work both 

 schools and publishers for their own finan- 

 cial benefit. You are quite right in saying 

 that the school teachers are ' bullied ' ; they 

 are, and they do not dare resent such 

 action as it should be resented." 



Time fails to deal, as I would be glad 

 to do, with other forms of propaganda 

 which seek to bring under their special 

 subjection various departments of science or 

 education. One of these is that Imownasthe 

 anti-vaccination movement, which is widely 

 supported not only in England, but of late 

 also in America, and has already succeeded 

 in both countries in modifying very ma- 

 terially those requirements of compulsory 

 vaccination indicated by science, experi- 

 ence and common sense. It is true that 

 compulsory vaccination should be under- 

 taken only after the most careful con- 

 sideration, for it constitutes a serious tres- 

 pass upon the fundamental right of per- 

 sonal and individual liberty. But I have 

 no idea that this movement will ever seri- 

 ously subvert the cause of vaccination, for 

 the reason that a lively epidemic of small- 

 pox will generally bring the majority of the 

 people to their senses, and such epidemics 

 are tolerably sure to come if anti-vaccina- 

 tionists become too numerous or too active. 

 I must, however, enter a protest against 

 those medical practitioners who after 



merely prescribing powders for children 

 give them certificates of ' vaccination ' 

 which \vill enable them to attend the pub- 

 lie schools. Such lying and deceit merit 

 only the condemnation and contempt of 

 all lovers of science and truth. 



Naturalists should also be on their 

 guard against the influence of that new 

 but rapidly growing sect, known as 

 Christian Scientists, which virtually de- 

 nies the existence of disease and accord- 

 ingly, logically enough, disapproves of all 

 teaching of physiology and hygiene. It 

 has recently come within my own knowl- 

 edge that a Christian Scientist refused to 

 attend a lecture on domestic economy by 

 an expert because the latter happened to 

 be at the time attending a meeting of the 

 American Public Health Association, 

 alleging that no one could be worth hear- 

 ing on the subject appointed who had any- 

 thing to do with an Association devoted to 

 a purpose so useless. 



With propagandists besieging more or 

 less successfully our halls of legislation, 

 the time has come when bodies like the 

 American Society of Naturalists and the 

 American Association for the Advance- 

 ment of Science should have standing com- 

 mittees on legislation, to take care, as far 

 as possible, that unwise, extravagant or 

 fanatical ideas regarding science and edu- 

 cation shall not be given the force of law 

 by the several States or by the Federal 

 Congress. 



If to-day we have little to fear from 

 dogma or theology we may still have much 

 to dread from foolish or needless legisla- 

 tion ; and I desire to urge upon all those to 

 whom these words may come, the duty, 

 alike of individual watchfulness and of 

 united effort, to resist everjTvhere and al- 

 ways the statutory subjection of science 

 and education to propaganda. 



"William T. Sedgwick. 



Mass. Institute of Technology. 



