16 It. GREIG- SMITH. 



are wofully ignorant of all matters scientific. It seems as 

 if they will not seek advice in case their absolute ignorance 

 should be made apparent. According to the British Medical 

 . Journal, the case is quoted of a public statement by a 

 member of the British Government, unchallenged when 

 made, that his colleagues should be excused for not having 

 prevented the exportation of lard to Germany since it had 

 only recently been discovered that glycerine, used in the 

 manufacture of explosives, could be obtained from lard. 

 The "recently been discovered" is pitiable. 



Scientific Journalism. 

 While we are waiting for the scientific enlightenment of 

 the masses, a certain amount of leavening might be done 

 by the press. Papers are read at the meetings of the 

 scientific societies, and, in course of time, are published in 

 the scientific journals, where, as far as the public are con- 

 cerned, they rest. They ought to be abstracted and done 

 up in a pleasing way for public consumption. The scientific 

 man cannot do this, he is too scientific and exact. The 

 ordinary journalist on the other hand, is too unscientific 

 and inexact. It has been said that the scientist is the only 

 man who has something to say, and is the only man who 

 does not know how to say it. What we want is a happy 

 medium between the two extremes, that is a scientific 

 journalist to "write up" the proceedings of the scientific 

 societies for the newspapers. I have in mind the articles 

 by Ray Lancaster, which appeared in English newspapers 

 and then in book-form under the title of "Science from an 

 Arm-chair." * 



All scientific papers are not suitable for such abstraction, 

 but, among the many, there are generally a few from which 

 much interesting information might be gleaned and used 

 for the general education. The official abstracts are usually 



