January 5, 1900.]' 



SCIENCE. 



15 



tical. lu this view they undoubtedly rep- 

 resent the American public, and it is from 

 the public that the money must be obtained 

 for carrying on research, either directly 

 from private individuals in the case of en- 

 dowed universities, or indirectly through 

 the legislatures as representing the public 

 in the case of the State universities. The 

 misfortune is that the word practical means 

 nothing in particular, for even abstract sci- 

 ence sooner or later has a practical applica- 

 tion, and it often happens that what is sup- 

 posed to be very practical is merely em- 

 piricism which a thorough theoretical study 

 would show to be false. 



It would be unjust not to admit that 

 there is something to be said on the side of 

 governing boards in the attitude which 

 they take towards research. Eesearch is 

 expensive, and when the professors ask that 

 it be encouraged that means something more 

 than sympathetic words. It means money 

 or relief from an excessive amount of teach- 

 ing, which is the same thing as money, for 

 some one must be paid to do the teaching. 

 It can hardly be supposed that the govern- 

 ing boards are really opposed to research, 

 although they at times overrate the value 

 of formal instruction as compared with re- 

 search. They feel that they have no money 

 to spend, which is, unfortunately, often true, 

 and, on the other hand, they do not under- 

 stand the absorbing nature of research and 

 the necessity for giving one's close atten- 

 tion to it. So long as research is subordi- 

 nated to other work it cannot accomplish 

 the best results, and any occupation, whether 

 it be excessive routine work in the way of 

 lectures or laboratory instruction, or whether 

 it be the enforced necessity of going about 

 and talking to private individuals or mem- 

 bers of legislatures for the purpose of ob- 

 taining money for a proper equipment, 

 stands in the way of, if it does not entirely 

 check, research. In Germany the profes- 

 sors are able to pursue their original work 



without feeling that one of their functions 

 is the raising of money for carrying on the 

 work. Unfortunately, in most of our scien- 

 tific establishments, in speaking of the pro- 

 fessors, the double-headed question is not 

 unfrequently asked : What work are they 

 doing and how much money have they 

 raised for the support of their laboratories ? 

 For the credit of American science, it is to 

 be hoped that this question will soon be re- 

 duced to the simple inquiry as to the work 

 done. 



Hitherto I have spoken of American col- 

 leges and universities somewhat indiscrimi- 

 nately, since it is not possible to distinguish 

 between them, some colleges not dififering 

 essentially from universities, while some 

 so-called universities are not universities in 

 any sense. By whatever name they are 

 called my remarks apply to institutions in 

 which advanced instruction is given, look- 

 ing ultimately to original research by speci- 

 ally qualified students and by the instruc- 

 tors, and in the same class should be included 

 the better scientific schools, for, although it 

 is hardly proper strictly to compare their 

 organization with that of a German univer- 

 sity, many of the anomalous conditions 

 found in our universities and colleges are 

 found also in our scientific schools. I have 

 assumed that all such institutions have the 

 double function of teaching and investiga- 

 tion, a dogmatic view perhaps, but one with 

 which I presume most, if not all, of those 

 present this evening are in sympathy, al- 

 though there are people, especially some 

 who think that they are very practical, who 

 hold a different opinion. 



We believe that the two functions must 

 be combined in a university because we know 

 from experience that, in the cases where in- 

 struction is considered to be the sole func- 

 tion, stagnation, not progress, is the result. 

 On the other hand, if research were the 

 sole function of a university, it would be 

 difficult to see where else those desiring to 



