September 25, 1903.] 



SCIENCE. 



389 



few people realize the iiniiiense number of 

 scientific problems the solution of which 

 is required for the State service. The na- 

 tion itself is a gigantic workshop, and the 

 more our rulers and legislators, administra- 

 tors and executive officers possess the sci- 

 entific spirit, the more the rule of thumb is 

 replaced in the State service by scientific 

 methods, the more able shall we be, thus 

 armed at all points, to compete successfully 

 with other coiintries along all lines of na- 

 tional as well as of commercial activity. 



It is obvious that the power of a nation 

 for war, in men and arms and ships, is one 

 thing; its power in the peace struggles to 

 which I have referred is another ; in the lat- 

 ter, the source and standard of national effi- 

 ciency are entirely changed. To meet war 

 conditions, there must be equality or su- 

 periority in battleships and army corps. 

 To meet the new peace conditions there 

 miist be equality or superiority in univer- 

 sities, scientific organization and every- 

 thing which conduces to greater brain 

 power. 



OUE INDUSTRIES ARE SUFFERING IN THE 

 PRESENT INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION. 



The present condition of the nation, so 

 far as its industries are concerned, is as 

 well known, not only to the Prime Minis- 

 ter, but to other political leaders in and 

 out of the Cabinet, as it is to you and to 

 me. Let me refer to two speeches deliv- 

 ered by Lord Roseberyand Mr. Chamber- 

 lain on two successive days in January, 

 1901 : 



Lord Rosebery spoke as follows: 

 " • * * The war I regard with apprehen- 

 sion is the war of trade which is unmista- 

 kably upon us. * » * When I look round 

 me I cannot blind my eyes to the fact that 

 so far we can predict anything of the 

 twentieth century on which we have now 

 entered, it is that it will be one of acut- 

 est international conflict in point of trade. 



We were the first nation of the modern 

 world to discover that trade was an absolute 

 necessity. For that we were nicknamed a 

 nation of shopkeepers ; but now every nation 

 wishes to be a nation of shopkeepers, too, 

 and I am bound to say that when we look 

 at the character of some of these nations, 

 and when we look at the intelligence of 

 their preparations, we may well feel that 

 it behooves us not to fear, but to gird up 

 our loins in prepai-ation for what is before 

 us. ' ' 



Mr. Chamberlain's views were stated in 

 the following words : 



"I do not think it is necessary for me 

 to say anything as to the urgency and ne- 

 cessity of scientific training. * * * It is not 

 too much to say that the existence of this 

 country., as the great commercial nation, 

 depends upon it. * * * It depends very 

 much upon what we are doing now, at the 

 beginning of the twentieth century, 

 whether at its end we shall continue to 

 maintain our supremacy or even equality 

 with our great commercial and manufac- 

 turing rivals." 



All this refers to our industries. We 

 are not suffering because trade no longer 

 follows the flag as in the old days, but be- 

 cause trade follows the brains, and our 

 manufacturers are too apt to be careless 

 in securing them. In one chemical estab- 

 lishment in Germany, 400 doctors of 

 science, the best the universities there can 

 turn out, have been employed at different 

 times in late years. In the United States 

 the most successful .students in the higher 

 teaching centers are snapped up the mo- 

 ment they have finished theii- course of 

 training, and put into charge of large con- 

 cerns, .so that the idea has got abroad that 

 youth is the password of success in Amer- 

 ican industry. It has been forgotten that 

 the latest product of the highest scientific 

 education must neces.sarily be young, and 

 that it is the training and not the age 



