Maech 11, 1910] 



SCIENCE 



363 



philistine is a thorn in the flesh of artists 

 and moralists— especially the patronizing 

 philistine. But I am inclined to think that 

 men of science have more than their just 

 share of that sort of thing; that, in other 

 words, the number of people who can ap- 

 preciate (if only dimly) the idea of art 

 for art's sake is far greater than the num- 

 ber of those who can understand why sci- 

 ence should be cultivated irrespective of its 

 possible applications. 



On the other hand, the professed follow- 

 ers of pure science regard the "useful" 

 consequences of their work as a mere by- 

 product — and one which must not be al- 

 lowed to usurp the chief place in their 

 hopes and plans. In fact, they are some- 

 times accused (and with some show of 

 justice) of leaning too far in the other 

 direction and despising everything that is 

 practical. This undoubtedly is a wrong 

 attitude and a very short-sighted one; no 

 one who takes an unprejudiced view of the 

 matter can doubt that, apart from their 

 general beneficial effects, the applications 

 of science have a most favorable reaction 

 upon the progress of purely scientific 

 studies. Not only does the prospect of 

 useful technical results bring to scientific 

 studies much greater support and financial 

 aid than they would otherwise enjoy, but 

 the progress of technology always assists 

 in many ways the science with which it is 

 most closely connected — by the develop- 

 ment of instruments and appliances upon 

 a commercial scale, by the purely scientific 

 problems which are suggested in the course 

 of the development of the applications, and 

 by the stimulus which comes from the ac- 

 tivity of large numbers of earnest men in 

 closely related lines of work. Many things 

 are easy to us to-day which would have 

 caused Faraday infinite trouble and labor, 

 just because the electrical engineers have 

 been busy in producing such cheap and 

 convenient instruments and appliances. 



I can not leave this phase of the subject, 

 however, without attempting to offer an 

 excuse for the somewhat intolerant atti- 

 tude which the student of pure science 

 sometimes assumes toward his brother who 

 deals only with its useful applications. 

 Almost every successful man of science is 

 constantly tempted to engage in technical 

 work of some kind. Invitations come to 

 him which mean an opportunity to do 

 work which is obviously useful to the 

 world. He knows that the material re- 

 wards for such work are usually much 

 greater than for purely scientific achieve- 

 ments and he usually needs money as 

 much as other people. He knows too that 

 in all probability he will gain much more 

 general commendation and applause along 

 with the money; for the contemporary 

 fame of even a very distinguished scholar 

 is limited to a surprisingly small circle of 

 people. At a recent academic celebration 

 the degree of doctor of laws was conferred 

 upon a number of prominent and well- 

 known men; honorary degrees in letters 

 and in science were also conferred, and a 

 wise and observant spectator said after- 

 ward that the recipients of these latter de- 

 grees must have been distinguished schol- 

 ars, for he had never heard of any of them 

 before. 



Well, our man of science knows these 

 things and he is sorely tempted; but he 

 also knows that if he yields he must give 

 up the better part of his scientific work; 

 he knows that there are ten men willing 

 to take up the popular and profitable task 

 for every one who is content to devote his 

 time and energy to the other. So he re- 

 sists the temptation; and if it helps him 

 and comforts him to regard the part which 

 he has chosen as the better part, as a little 

 more honorable and dignified and worthy 

 than the one which he has refused, we can 

 hardly wish to deny him that consolation. 



