Men of Science and the General Public. 213 



it means that one cannot do anything well unless it is done 

 con amore, that pecuniary reward alone will never develop 

 genius, that no great philosopher, or poet, or artist will ever 

 be other than unselfishly devoted to and in love with his 

 work, just so far it is true, although it does not, as is often 

 assumed, furnish a motive of the highest order. It is a trite 

 saying, but perhaps it cannot be too often repeated, that he 

 who lives and labors in the interest of his fellows, that their 

 lives may be brightened, that their burdens may be lessened, 

 is above all others worthy of the highest praise. By this 

 standard, the value of a discovery must at last be fixed, 

 bearing in mind, of course, that the physical comfort of man 

 is not alone to be considered. Judged by this standard, the 

 work of Newton, of Watt, of Franklin, Eumford, Faraday, 

 Henry and a host of others, is truly great. There should be, 

 and there usually is, no controversy as to relative merit be- 

 tween the discoverer of a gem and the artist who polishes 

 and sets it. In science, the genius of the former is unques- 

 tionably rarer and of a higher order, but his work will al- 

 ways be incomplete and in a great degree useless until sup- 

 plemented by that of the latter. 



Another demand which the public may justly make upon 

 the man of science is that his interest in public affairs 

 should not be less than that of other men. Through his 

 failure in this particular, science has long suffered, and is 

 suffering in an increasing degree. This criticism is espe- 

 cially applicable in this country, where in theory every 

 man is supposed to bear his share of the public burden, arid 

 to take his part in the performance of public duties. Un- 

 fortunately, the attitude of the scientific man is too often 

 one of criticism and complaint concerning matters in the 

 disposition of which he persistently declines to interfere, 

 It cannot be denied, I think, that men well trained in the 

 logic and methods of scientific research, ought to be excep- 

 tionally well equipped for the performance of certain pub- 

 lic duties constantly arising out of local, state or national 

 legislation ; yet the impression is well-nigh universal, that 

 the scientific man has no genius for " affairs." Indeed it has 



