i88 3 .] 
A Plea for Pure Science. 
677 
We call this a free country, and yet it is the only one 
where there is a direCt tax upon the pursuit of Science. The 
low state of Pure Science in our country may possibly be 
attributed to the youth of the country ; but a direct tax, to 
prevent the growth of our country in that subject, cannot 
be looked upon as other than a deep disgrace. I refer to the 
duty upon foreign books and periodicals. In our science no 
books above elementary ones have ever been published, or 
are likely to be published, in this country ; and yet every 
teacher in physics must have them, not only in the college 
library-, but on his own shelves, and must pay the Govern- 
ment of this country to allow him to use a portion of his 
small salary to buy that which is to do good to the whole 
country. All freedom of intercourse which is necessary to 
foster our growing science is thus broken off, and that which 
might in time relieve our country of its mediocrity is nipped 
in the bud by our Government, which is most liberal when 
appealed to direCtly on scientific subjects. 
One would think that books in foreign languages might be 
admitted free ; but to please the half-dozen or so workmen 
who reprint German books, not scientific, our free intercourse 
with that country is cut off. Our scientific associations and 
societies must make themselves heard in this matter, and 
show those in authority how the matter stands. 
In conclusion, let me say once more that I do not believe 
that our country is to remain long in its present position. 
The science of physics, in whose applications our country 
glories, is to arise among us, and make us respeCted by the 
nations of the world. Such a prophecy may seem rash with 
regard to a nation which does not yet do enough physical 
work to support a physical journal. But we know the speed 
with which we advance in this country : we see cities 
springing up in a night, and other wonders performed at an 
unprecedented rate. And now we see physical laboratories 
being built ; we see a great demand for thoroughly trained 
physicists, who have not shirked their mathematics, both as 
professors and in so-called practical life ; and perhaps we 
have the feeling common to all true Americans, that our 
country is going forward to a glorious future, when we shall 
lead the world in the strife for intellectual prizes as we now 
do in the strife for wealth. 
But if this is to be so, we must now aim low. The pro- 
blems of the universe cannot be solved without labour ; they 
cannot be attacked without the proper intellectual as well as 
physical tools, and no physicist need expeCt to go far with- 
out his mathematics. No one expeCts a horse to win in a 
