322 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XXI. No. 5o^. 



for Plant ^Morpholooy aud Physiology and 

 other societies in good and regular stand- 

 ing, I think, perhaps, it may be well to dis- 

 cuss for a short time the importance and 

 significance of botany as a science and a 

 profession, in order that those who are un- 

 familiar with the situation may realize that 

 we have as distinct a part in the world's 

 work as a banker, an engineer, or a brick- 

 layer. 



So hard pressed have scientific men some- 

 times been for an excuse for their existence, 

 that I know of at least one instance where 

 the reply of Cuvier to the practical jokers 

 trying to frighten him by impersonating 

 the devil, has been given as a legitimate 

 reason for being acquainted with certain 

 facts regarding the structure of animals. 

 Perhaps you are not familiar with the 

 story. It seems that Cuvier while a young 

 man incurred the enmity of certain of his 

 colleagues, who decided to give him a severe 

 fright by dressing one of their number iu 

 the conventional garb of Satan and making 

 a midnight call upon him. It is presum- 

 able that being aroused from a sound sleep, 

 Cuvier was duly impressed with the figure 

 before him and that some of the threats 

 made were having the desired effect. But 

 finally, in a last effort to overwhelm him, 

 the devil threatened to eat the young scien- 

 tist. This was a fatal mistake, for Cuvier, 

 at once reassured, eyed the grotesquely-clad 

 figure from head to toe and exclaimed, 

 "What, horns and hoofs and carnivorous! 

 Never ! " He then rolled over and went to 

 sleep. 



Now, I can not maintain that the study 

 of botany will enable one to detect the real 

 devil from an impostor; neither do I con- 

 sider that the botanist has any need for 

 such knowledge. The particular use of 

 the story, however, well illustrates, I think, 

 how great has been the necessity at times 

 for resorting to any means calculated to 



demonstrate the value of pure science to a 

 certain class of people. 



The test, of course, which nowayears is 

 applied to any science or profession by a 

 large part of the world is : What is it worth? 

 How much money does it influence? 

 What industries has it created ? The money 

 value of botany to those engaged in it, 

 I will pass over in silence, it being impos- 

 sible to say so little that a fair proportion 

 would be maintained between the words 

 and the compensation. But to those not 

 teaching or studying it, those who have 

 criticized botany and botanists for their 

 lack of efficiency, and to the world in gen- 

 eral, the value of our profession is so great 

 that Ave may well feel proud to be among 

 its numbers. 



It may be regarded as an admission of 

 weakness to even discuss the practical side 

 of botany. But we who daily come in con- 

 tact with the results obtained from our 

 knowledge of plants are apt to forget that 

 the large part of those engaged in other 

 professions still look upon botany as it 

 was considered fifty years ago, the whole 

 function of which was so aptly described 

 in the Avord to teachers by Mrs. Lincoln in 

 1845. She says: "In the first meeting of 

 a botanical class, after some explanation as 

 to the nature of the study they are about 

 to commence, each member shall be pre- 

 sented with a flower for analysis." That 

 this was the chief object of all subsequent 

 meetings seems to have been taken for 

 granted by many who have never had an 

 opportunity of belonging to a class in 

 botany. Pex-haps it will be worth while to 

 quote still further from this same book 

 which served as an introduction to the sub- 

 ject for more than one of the sturdy 

 pioneers whose names shall ever stand high 

 on the roll of botanical achievement; for 

 it is well to know how much foundation 

 there is for certain opinions now held by 

 the uninformed. In the introduction to 



