Men of Science and the General Public. 215 



As already intimated, we do not seem to b,e getting on in 

 this direction. Our own early history and the history of 

 other nations is full of examples of eminent scientific men 

 who were no less distinguished as publicists and statesmen. 

 The name of Franklin is imperishable alike in the history 

 of science and of politics. On many questions relating to 

 exact science, the Adamses spoke with confidence ; Thomas 

 Jefferson was a philosopher, and on assuming the duties of 

 the highest office in the gift of the people, counted his op- 

 portunities for association with men of science as one of its 

 chiefest rewards. Other illustrations might be selected from 

 the pages of the history of our own country, while in Eu- 

 rope, where science has long been cultivated and under more 

 favorable conditions, they are much more common. This 

 is notably so in France, whose roll of scientific men, who 

 have distinguished themselves and their country during the 

 past century, includes many names prominent alike for the 

 importance of their performance in her various crises of 

 peace and war. The present president of the French Repub- 

 lic, himself an engineer, bears a name made famous in the 

 history of science hj the rich contributions of his ancestors, 

 one of whom voted for the execution of Louis XVI, and 

 was a member of the committee of Public Safety. It would 

 be difficult to overestimate the value to science as well as 

 to the public, of the presence in the halls of legislation of 

 even a very small number of men who might stand as ex- 

 ponents of the methods of science and as competent author- 

 ities on the results of their application. Our national con- 

 gress, especially, is almost constantly dealing with questions 

 of great moment to the people, which can only be thorough- 

 ly understood and wisely dealt with by scientific men, and 

 the presence of one or two such in each branch of that body 

 would be of decided advantage to the whole country. In 

 the nature of things, opportunities for such representation 

 will be rare, but when they occur they must not be suffered 

 to escape. 



Finally, if the conclusions reached in the foregoing should 

 be thought wise, and should any young man at the threshold 



