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SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXVni. No. 985 



for the work to be carried on in it.'* 

 The plans show that one room each is 

 to be devoted to the Corpus medicorum 

 Gracorum, the Acta Borussia, and the 

 Plant Kingdom, three rooms to the Corpus 

 inscriptorum Latinarum, four to the Orien- 

 tal Commission, four to the Egyptian Dic- 

 tionary, eleven to the Inscriptiones Grcecce, 

 eleven to the German Commission, two to 

 the edition of Leibnitz's collected works, 

 seven to the History of the Fixed Stars. 

 In addition to all of these rooms for spe- 

 cial research, there are the great "Fest 

 Saal," separate meeting rooms for the two 

 classes of the Academy, a general meeting 

 room for both classes together, a large ante- 

 room, a demonstration room, seven editorial 

 rooms, four secretaries' offices, offices for 

 the registrar, the recorder and the chan- 

 cellor, a reading-room and large library 

 and stack room, a correspondence room, an 

 instrument room, a photographic labora- 

 tory, and various other offices, kitchens, 

 servants' rooms, etc. 



It is a significant fact that Merz, after 

 devoting an eloquent chapter to the evolu- 

 tion of science in France under the stimu- 

 lus of the Paris Academy, barely mentions 

 the German academies when discussing the 

 progress of science in that country. The 

 reason, as we have already seen, lies in the 

 predominating influence of the universities 

 in the development of German scientific 

 life and thought. With every teacher an 

 investigator, every university a laboratory 

 of research, and with the powerful aid of 

 the state encouraging in every possible way 

 the prosecution of investigation no less 

 than the instruction of students, it is easy 

 to see how the universities obtained their 

 ascendancy in the field of science, or rather 

 in the broad field of Wissenschaft, for in 



s^Most of the European academies are housed 

 in palaces or similar buildings formerly used for 

 other purposes. 



Germany the same spirit of research has 

 permeated every department of knowledge. 

 The wide distribution of the universities 

 and their considerable number, together 

 with the free interchange of professors and 

 students, have worked against centraliza- 

 tion, and have served to create a cosmopoli- 

 tan spirit in striking contrast with that 

 which obtains in France. One can hardly 

 fail to believe that no single influence could 

 be more effective than the universities for 

 the development of the latent capacity of a 

 nation for scientific research. But while 

 the German academies have doubtless suf- 

 fered by contrast with the universities, a 

 survey of the intellectual progress of Ger- 

 many should by no means overlook the in- 

 valuable services they have rendered. 



It would seem, however, that these serv- 

 ices might have been even greater if a larger 

 number of the scientific men of the na- 

 tion could have taken an active part in the 

 work of the academies. As at present con- 

 stituted, the membership of these bodies is 

 extremely limited, and the requirement that 

 each member must reside within a very 

 short distance of the seat of the academy, so 

 that he may be able to attend the meetings 

 regularly, is in striking contrast with the 

 wider membership and freer interchange 

 which seem to have been essential elements 

 in the extraordinary development of the 

 university system. 



When we pass to England, and examine 

 into the conditions of intellectual progress, 

 we find a fundamentally different condition 

 of affairs. This reflects the natural char- 

 acteristics of the English people, just as the 

 university system of Germany and the aca- 

 demic activities of France illustrate the 

 essential qualities of these nations. Merz's 

 picture of the growth of scientific research 

 in England is in some respects a somber 

 one. In his view the Royal Society appears 

 to have played no part in advancing the 



