414 DIVERSIONS OF A NATURALIST 



laboratory. When that is done, as it sometimes, though 

 rarely, is, the only further difficulty is how to choose a 

 real man, an inspired, inspiring discoverer. There is 

 only one way. 



Real discoverers are extremely rare — great ones are 

 recognized about once in fifty years in any one large 

 branch of science. There may be others wandering 

 about — undiscovered discoverers. The only people who 

 can discover them are men like themselves. Hence, in 

 German universities and all wisely managed institutions 

 for the promotion of scientific discovery, they give the 

 power of choosing new discoverers to those discoverers 

 already belonging to the university or institution, and 

 they take care that all the electors are vitally interested 

 for the honour, credit, and pecuniary success of their uni- 

 versity. These conditions can be arranged and brought 

 into healthy action by care and understanding. But the 

 whole fabric may go to pieces, and jobbery and jealousy 

 prevail (as has sometimes happened in England) if care 

 is not taken to identify the personal interests of the 

 electors (brother professors) with the honest exercise of 

 their capacity to choose a real discoverer to fill a vacancy 

 when it occurs, or if an ignorant council of " superior 

 persons " is allowed to interfere. 



To find these great discoverers is, indeed, no light 

 task. They have to be looked for by the State, firstly, 

 in the primary schools; the net has to be drawn and, the 

 minor fishes allowed to escape, whilst the strong and 

 promising are sent on to high schools. Then again, 

 after further sifting, some are passed on to the special 

 college, then a selection to the university, and at last 

 one or two a year may be chosen as assistants to an 

 established and inspiring discoverer. Seven, ten, or 



