Septembee 24, 1915] 



SCIENCE 



399 



the late Dr. Milne, working through one of 

 our committees. 



The success of these enterprises alone is 

 sufficient to show that we are not merely a 

 body promoting social intercourse between 

 men of science and the rest of the com- 

 munity. Nevertheless, it may be admitted 

 that our efforts have been spasmodic, and 

 the time has arrived to consider whether it 

 may be possible to secure not only a greater 

 continuity in our work but also its better 

 coordination with that of other scientific or- 

 ganizations. The present juncture affords 

 the opportunity, and the changed condi- 

 tions, which in the near future will affect 

 all our institutions, render it indeed incum- 

 bent upon us once more to adapt ourselves 

 to the needs of the times. Proposals for a 

 move in that direction have already been 

 made, and will no doubt be carefully con- 

 sidered by the council. In the meantime, I 

 may draw your attention to the important 

 discussions arranged for by our Economic 

 Section, which alone will justify the decis- 

 ion of the council not to suspend the meet- 

 ing this year. 



It must not be supposed that, even in the 

 early days of the association, Whewell's 

 ideas of its functions were universally ac- 

 cepted. It is pleasant to contrast the lam- 

 entations of the omniscient professor of 

 mineralogy with the weightier opinion of 

 the distinguished mathematician who then 

 held Newton 's chair at Cambridge. At the 

 concluding session of the second meeting of 

 the association, Babbage expressed the hope 

 ' ' that in the selection of the places at which 

 the annual meetings were to be held, atten- 

 tion should be paid to the object of bring- 

 ing theoretical science in contact with the 

 practical knowledge on which the wealth of 

 the country depends. " "I was myself, ' ' he 

 said, "particularly anxious for this, owing 

 as I do a debt of gratitude for the valuable 

 information which I have received in many 



of the manufacturing districts, where I 

 have learned to appreciate still more highly 

 than before the value of those speculative 

 pursuits which we follow in our academical 

 labors. I was one of those who thought at 

 first that we ought to adjourn for our next 

 meeting to some large manufacturing town ; 

 but I am now satisfied that the arrange- 

 ment which has been made will be best 

 adapted to the present state of the associa- 

 tion. When, however, it shall be completely 

 consolidated I trust we may be enabled to 

 cultivate with the commercial interests of 

 the country that close acquaintance which 

 I am confident will be highly advantageous 

 to our more abstract pursuits." 



Since then, as we all know, our most suc- 

 cessful meetings have been held in manu- 

 facturing centers; but it is important to 

 note that, while Babbage laid stress on the 

 benefit which would accrue to pure science 

 by being brought into contact with prac- 

 tical life, scientific men of the present day 

 have more and more insisted on the services 

 they, on their part, are able to render to the 

 industries. The idealistic motive has thus 

 given way to the materialistic purpose. 

 Both aspects are perhaps equally impor- 

 tant, but it is necessary to insist, at the pres- 

 ent time, that the utilitarian drum can be 

 beaten too loudly. There is more than one 

 point of contact between different activi- 

 ties of the human mind, such as find ex- 

 pression in scientific pursuits or commer- 

 cial enterprises, and it is wrong to base the 

 advantages to be derived from their mu- 

 tual infiuence solely, or even mainly, on the 

 ground of material benefits. 



I need not press this point in a city which 

 has given many proofs that a business com- 

 munity may be prompted by higher mo- 

 tives than those which affect their pockets. 

 It was not for utilitarian objects that re- 

 peated efforts were made since the year 

 1640 to establish a University in Man- 



