884 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXI. No. 



eliminate all the old motives, but must ad- 

 just itself efSeiently among them. For 

 example, there is abroad an increasingly 

 insistent demand that in the primary and 

 secondary schools all instruction in pure 

 science shall be discarded and various 

 forms of applied science substituted, the 

 imaginary distinction being that which has 

 been indicated. The same pressure is be- 

 ing felt in the college, not to the extent of 

 substitution, but to the extent of adding 

 impossible courses and weakening existing 

 ones. My present thesis, however, is inter- 

 ested chiefly in the fact that the same pres- 

 sure has begun to be applied to the re- 

 search work at universities. This pressure 

 is applied not only by public demand, 

 which voices the supporting constituency 

 of most universities, especially of the mid- 

 dle west; but also by the extensive scien- 

 tific work of state and federal govern- 

 ments, in which for the most part the im- 

 mediate practical aspect must dominate. 

 The more recent developments at our state 

 universities are impressive illustrations of 

 this pressure ; and as a result, in such uni- 

 versities scientific research, in connection 

 with problems that do not seem to be re- 

 lated at present to the welfare of the com- 

 munity, is living in a depressing atmos- 

 phere. 



It is time for the public and for the 

 managers of universities to understand the 

 real relation that exists between what they 

 have been pleased to call pure science and 

 applied science. I can not hope to make a 

 statement that will appeal to all concerned, 

 but it may serve some useful purpose. 

 / As an introductory illustration, there 

 may be outlined the usual steps that sci- 

 ence has taken in the material service of 

 mankind. An investigator, stimulated 

 only by what has been called ' ' the delirious 

 but divine desire to know," is attracted 

 by a problem. No thought of its useful- 



ness in a material way is in his mind; he 

 wishes simply to make a contribution to 

 knowledge. No one can appreciate the 

 labor, the patience, the intellectual equip- 

 ment involved in such work unless he has 

 undertaken it himself. The investigator 

 succeeds in solving his problem, and is 

 satisfied. Later, perhaps many years later, 

 some other scientific man discovers that the 

 results of the former may be used to revo- 

 lutionize some process of manufacture, 

 some method of transportation or commu- 

 nication, some empirical formula of agri- 

 culture, some practise in medicine or sur- 

 gery. The application is made and the 

 world applauds ; but the applause is chiefly 

 for the second man, the practical man. 

 Any analysis of the situation, however, 

 shows that to the practical result both men 

 contributed, and in that sense both men, 

 the first no less than the second, were of 

 immense material service. The ratio that 

 exists between scientific men of the first 

 type and those of the second is not known, 

 but there is very great disparity. 



Another illustration is needed as a cor- 

 ollary. In this case an investigator, stim- 

 ulated by the desire to serve the commu- 

 nity, is attracted by a problem. He also 

 wishes to make a contribution to knowl- 

 edge. He succeeds in solving his problem, 

 perhaps makes his own application, and is 

 satisfied. Later, some other scientific man 

 discovers that the results of the former 

 may be used to revolutionize certain funda- 

 mental conceptions of science. His state- 

 ment is made and the scientific world ap- 

 plauds; and this time also the applause is 

 chiefly for the second man, the pure scien- 

 tist. The analysis of this case shows, how- 

 ever, that to the scientific result both men 

 contributed ; and that both men were of 

 large scientific service. 



A third illustration is needed to com- 

 plete the real historical picture of progress 



