338 
BIGELOW. 
about criticism and what it attempts to do, yet I may be 
permitted to doubt that every one here has clearly thought 
out what the organic nature of the function is, and in what 
ways it operates to the best advantage. At least it may not 
be inappropriate to devote the time at my disposal to mak¬ 
ing some attempt to bring out the leading features of a 
subject so vital to the interests of science, with the hope of 
stimulating students to a more correct employment of this 
agency than has been uniformly the case in the past. It is 
proposed, therefore, after a few remarks intended to illustrate 
the misuse of criticism, to proceed with the statement of the 
canons of criticism and the recital of a few examples which 
illustrate them in the branches of science with which I hap¬ 
pen to be partially acquainted. A complete exposition of 
my theme would involve the rehearsal of the entire range of 
scientific discovery since man entered upon the process of 
finding out things carefully and systematically. 
The idea of critidism is apt to excite the thought of some¬ 
thing very disagreeable, simply because no one enjoys the 
application of corrective measures to his lack of information, 
to his pride of reputation, and generally to his self-esteem 
or self-will. Ignorance brought home publicly and presump¬ 
tion exposed to rebuke are terrible weapons to punish those 
who break into Nature’s great preserve by any other than 
the narrow way of labor that alone leads to ultimate truth • 
yet the genuine scientist cannot but rejoice to see his errors 
exposed, for few determined searchers in Nature’s treasure- 
house have any satisfaction in following a barren vein or a 
phantom promise. Hence we may justly conclude that 
every true student is his own best and sharpest critic, so far 
as in him lies. Criticism is not something to be avoided or 
dreaded, if it is sound. It is rather one of those labor-saving 
devices that has fortunately been bestowed upon us to keep 
us from too much useless work. 
On the other hand, what can be said that is too severe of the 
trash, which is falsely called criticism, that encumbers nearly 
every journal devoted to scientific information. There are two 
