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BlUTMH ASSOCIATION 1^011 THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. 



[1854. 



which is indeed worth all the organized instruction in the wovkl which 

 despotism could offer, — " altliough no science fairly worth the seven," 

 — we have enjoyed security for life and property ; the free exercise of 

 thought and action ; religion, which does not chain the energies of 

 mind and character, but stimulates and exercises, while it regulates 

 and directs them ; and though last, not least, a country to be proud of, 

 and to be fond of, and which every one desires to bequeath to his 

 posterity better, more beautiful, and stronger, than he found it. And 

 it is by reason of this indirect influence on national character, that, in 

 spite of the more than want of encouragement of science of which our 

 Government has been guilty, England has yet to boast of an array of 

 men of science, of workers and discoverers, if not always of teachers, 

 such as she need not be ashamed to show by the side of any other 

 country, whatever stimulants or encouragements its Government may 

 have supplied. 



But because so much has been done by the spontaneous vigor of the 

 people's character and of their political and religious institutions, with- 

 out special assistance or encouragement, does it follow that still more 

 would not be done with those aids ? Such, happily, is not the opinion 

 of the present day — not the opinion of the legislature — not that of the 

 Universities themselves. We do not believe that such difficulties are 

 an advantage even to the vigour of the plant, still less to its extended 

 p>ropagation ; and accordingly, individuals, colleges, and, I hope. Go- 

 vernments, are now heartily and honestly engaged in repairing the de- 

 fect of centuries, and not only in promoting the general development 

 of intellect, but especially in directing it to the fields of science. And, 

 happily, the facilities for the purpose already at hand are enormous. 

 The Chancellor of the Exchequer need not apprehend excessive de- 

 mands upon his treasury to meet the case ; though, if they were ne- 

 cessary, I believe he is too sensible a man to withhold them ; but such 

 demands are not required. The encouragements and assistances 

 already given by the State to the education of the people, in various 

 shapes; the superior class of trained and examined teachers, who are 

 spreading over the land, and whose training has in no small degree 

 been in physical science ; the books provided for early education by 

 our societies and by individual enterprise having the same character ; 

 the every-day more and more acknowledged connexion between agri- 

 culture and science, showing itself in such papers as enrich the pages 

 of the Journal of the Royal Agricultiiral Society ; the establishment 

 of the department of science, with its school of mines, under the Board 

 of Trade; the improvement which is to be expected, under the 

 action of the charity commissioners, in the system of our old gram- 

 mar schools ; the spontaneous action of our old Universities, not super- 

 seded, but facilitated and stimulated by parliamentary interposition. 

 These and such like changes, which are taking place, partly within 

 the bosom of society itself, and partly by the action of Government, 

 will shortly provide such means of scientific education, although not 

 systematised ivith the exactness of continental organisation, as will, 

 after our rough English fashion, adequately provide for all our wants 

 in that respect, and give us no cause to lament over any considerable 

 deficiencies in practical result. 



But will there be encouragements to make use of these facilities ? 

 Are there rewards in prospect, whether of direct emolument or social 

 consideration, which will induce men "to wear out nights, and live 

 laborious days," in a service which has hitherto, in the world's eye at 

 least, appeared often to be ill requit:d? Now, ihe real stimulant to 

 science has at all times been the delights of the pursuit itself, and the 

 consciousness of the great services rendered to humanity by every con- 

 quest within the domain of truth ; but still these questions may fairly 

 demand an answer. To the questions of pecuniary rewards I will 

 presently advert, they have certainly been miserably inadequate ; but 

 in regard to social consideration, I think there has existed some mis- 

 understanding. It has been often asserted, and made the subject of 

 lamentation or complaint, that men of science do not enjoy in this free 

 country, the consideration which they do in some countries less favored 

 otherwise in their institutions than ourselves. Now, if by this it is in- 

 tended to express, that men of science are notmade Knights of the Garter 

 or Peers of Parliament — that they are not often met with in the haunts 

 of wealth and fashion — that they are not called into the councils of 

 their Sovereign, or sent to represent her in foreign Courts, I admit the 

 fact ; but, then, I doubt whether these are the natural or fitting ob- 

 jects of ambition to the scientific man ; and if it is intended by the as- 

 sertion that they are not, as a class of individuals, appreciated by their 

 fellow-citizens for their genius and honored for their services, I cannot 

 so fully admit the fact. I would ask any of those whose presence 

 adorns is meeting, do they not find that their names are a passport 



into any society, the proudest of the land ? Whose doors, that are 

 worth entering, are not open to them ? There are certain advantages, 

 superficially considered, which will always belong to mere wealth or 

 power ; but are they such as the lover of science can bring himself to 

 envy or desire ? Wherever he is known, he is honoured — witness in 

 themselves the meetings of this great Association, and of other kindred 

 bodies, who visit, from time to time, different quarters of our land : 

 where is their presence not hailed, not struggled for? Where is it not 

 the endeavour of rank and wealth on every such occasion to do honour 

 to itself by showing honour generally and personally to those who, by 

 their successful pursuit of science, have done honour to our own or 

 foreign lands ? If, indeed, there be anything yet wanting in this 

 respect, either in our people or our Government, the progress of 

 education in science, to which I have before alluded, will soon supply 

 it when the various classes of our population, in their schools, their 

 mechanics' institutes, and, not least, in their colleges, are themselves 

 less ignorant of science ; when they have learnt to appreciate its 

 value by personal acquaintance with its truths, there is no fear that 

 those at whose feet they have sat — whose names are familiar to them 

 in association with so valuable an acquisition — will not receive all due 

 honour and regard. Whether, or to what extent, the result will be a 

 greater association of science with political position, and how far such 

 association would be advantageous to either politics or science is 

 another question. The experience of foreign countries on this head 

 can hardly be held to be quite satisfactory. I am not sure that their 

 men of science have been very successful politicians, or that science 

 itself has profited by the union. Public life, more than science, is a 

 jealous mistress, and does not well tolerate a known devotion to any 

 other pursuit. It has besides a science of its own, essential to it, 

 especially in a free country, — the knowledge of men; and this is not 

 always the special gift of men cf science, who deal less with men than 

 with things and thoughts ; and I am not sure that the qualities which 

 fit a man for success in the one pursuit, are peculiarly advantageous 

 to him in the other. This, however, is certain, — that those who admin- 

 ister the affairs of this country ought at least (I do not think as yet 

 they do) to know enough of science to appreciate its value, and to be 

 acquainted with its wants and with its bearings upon the interests of 

 society ; hut such knowledge, I cannot doubt, will soon become the 

 common apanage of all well-educated men ; and when it is so, as I said 

 before, whatever, either in the position of science, or of men of science, 

 is still wanting, will soon be supplied. 



To accelerate, however, this process, I would gladly see a more 

 direct communication established between the organs of power and 

 scientific bodies. Something in this respect has already been done by 

 the Parliamentary Committee of this Association, and the results have 

 been already seen in the increased attention of Parliament and Govern- 

 ment to scientific objects. Still, however, in regard to science, I must 

 admit that there is one great deficiency. For often may it be said of 

 science, as it was said satirically of virtue by the poet, laudalur et 

 alc/et, — It is praised and starves. The man of science may not desire 

 to live luxm-iously ; he may not, nor ought he, desire to rival his 

 neighbours in the follies of equipage and ostentation, which are often 

 indeed, rather imposed by the customs of society than an advantage 

 or even a gratification to the parties themselves ; but he must live, and 

 for the sake of science itself he ought to be able to live, free from those 

 anxious cares for the present, and the future, or from the calls of a 

 profession, which often beset and birrden his laborious career. Why 

 was oru- Dalton compelled to waste the powers of such an intellect on 

 private teaching? As a teacher, a physician, or a clergyman, or more 

 rarely as a partner in a profitable patent, such a man may earn a com- 

 petence, and give to science the hours which can be spared from his 

 other avocations; and it is indeed astonishing what results have been. 

 the produce of these blessings of a laborious life, — these leisure hours, 

 if so they may be called, of men who are engaged in arduous duties of 

 another kind. But this ought not to be ; and it will not long be, I am 

 confident. It must give way before the extended cultivation of science 

 itself. The means of occupation in connexion with our schools and 

 our colleges, and our- examinations, will increase; and I cannot but 

 hope that a grateful country will insist upon her benefactors in science 

 receiving a more liberal share of her bounty than has hitherto been 

 allotted them. If I recollect right, out of the £1,200 which are 

 annually appropiated in pensions to the successful cultivators of 

 science, literature and art, a poor pension of £50 is all that last year 

 fell to the lot of science ; and in former years the disproportion has 

 often been little less remarkable. I do not grudge theii- share to Litera- 

 ture and Art ; hut I confess I cannot but consider that the labours of 



