Septembee 2, 1898.] 



SCIENCE. 



211 



your summer meeting, and look forward 

 to talking over with each other your dis- 

 coveries and your difficulties, and as you 

 are willing to do this in public, the whole 

 community as your place of meeting comes 

 to a better knowledge of the beautiful, 

 earnest, skilful effort which makes up the 

 life of a man of science. It is not a con- 

 gress to adjust conflicting interests or for 

 displays of oratory which lead to no conclu- 

 sions. We get to know the man himself, 

 and I think he would be even more popular 

 than he is at present if we could invent some 

 suitable name for him. Scientist is a most 

 ill-sounding word. The French term savant 

 — a knowing one — might provoke a smile, 

 when contrasted with the simplicity of char- 

 acter of many men of science, but perhaps 

 after all this is your best title to fame. Your 

 discussions do not often degenerate into dis- 

 putes, because for the first time in the his- 

 tory of the world methods of work have 

 been found so sure that the results can be 

 accepted almost without discussion. Even 

 the geologists come to an eventual agree- 

 ment about their theories, and the account 

 which Bret Harte has given about their 

 meetings must not be taken too literally. 

 You are good witnesses and generally agree 

 upon your facts, and when facts lead to 

 differences of interpretation the single- 

 minded desire to reach the truth brings you 

 into accord at last. 



We have good reason for welcoming you 

 among us, and although you do not come 

 as missionaries we shall find ourselves the 

 better for your coming. 



DESTR UCTIVE A ND CONSTB VOTIVE ENERGIES 

 OF OUB GOVERNMENT COMPARED* 

 We have been witnessing during the past 

 five months an extraordinary exhibition of 



* Abstract of an address given by President Eliot, 

 of Harvard University, before the American Associa- 

 tion for the Advancement of Science, in Saunders 

 Theater, on August 26, 1898. 



energy on the part of the government of 

 the United States in making sudden prep- 

 aration for the war with Spain and in 

 prosecuting that war to a successful issue. 

 As men of science, or teachers or promoters 

 of science, we have a special interest in the 

 lessons of the war, because the instruments 

 and means used in modern warfare are com- 

 paratively recent results of scientific inves- 

 tigation and of science applied in the use- 

 ful arts. Moreover, the serviceable soldier 

 or sailor is himself a result, not only of 

 moral inheritance and instruction, but of 

 training in the scientific processes of exact 

 observation, sure inference and accurate 

 manipulation. It is not the linguistic side 

 of school training which makes the effec- 

 tive soldier or sailor ; it is the scientific 

 side. His vocabulary may be limited, 

 though expressive, and his grammar false ; 

 but his eye must be true, his judgment 

 sound and prompt, and his hand capable of 

 using instruments of precision. The first- 

 relief package, which every soldier carries, 

 is crammed with surgical knowledge which 

 the world waited for till the last quar- 

 ter of the nineteenth century. Physi- 

 ological science has really arrived at valu- 

 able conclusions with regard to the soldier's 

 diet — the indispensable foundation of his 

 effectiveness. Financial science is also a 

 contributor of prime importance, since, 

 success in war depends more and more on 

 the command of money and credit. To 

 this war with Spain we owe the most effec- 

 tive revenue bill, or rather the only com- 

 prehensive revenue bill, the country has 

 had within a whole generation. 



It cannot be doubted, then, that the en- 

 ergy put forth by our government for the 

 immediate purpose of capturing or destroy- 

 ing Spanish vessels, forts, towns and war 

 material, and incidentally killing, wound- 

 ing and starving Spaniards has been a great 

 exhibition of power in applied science, and 

 as such must commend itself especially to 



