The Washington times., 1905-11-20
Science and Profit.

About the last thing America
would charge against England is
lack Of interest in science. It is only
about three years since she had
prime minister as widely renowned
for his chemical Investigations as for
his statecraft. The most eminent
student of electrical science, Lord
Kelvin, divides his time between
London and Edinburgh The island
has in Birmingham. Liverpool. Glas-
gov. Edinburgh. both the English and
Scotch capitals. and numerous other
cities, admirable technical schools
with modern courses In applied
science. Scientific societies abound,
and the magazines and newspapers
report their proceedings copiously.
Yet. the Electrical Review, in ex-
planation of Bngland's tardy appli
cation of electricity to useful pur-
poses. is driven TO the position that
the difficulty lies n q general mis-
trust among English manufacturers
of mechanical developments originat-
ed in the laboratory and not in the
workshop. In this connection the
Review says:
II would be unfair not 10 say that
there are large number OF British
manufacturers who have long since
passed this stage, and who are today
as well advanced as anyone. but the
old type is in the majority, and the
general English public, too seems 10
a1-H-
dabble in. but Of no value to them as q
people Nor would it be fair to Eng
land 70 let IL be assumed that such per-
sons are not to be found elsewhere. IN
this country We, unfortunately. have our
share, although they are being forced
TO the rear.
The Review may be right about
England, and the average reader
viii defer to its knowledge about
America. But it is hard to think that
in the United States this type exists
among our manufacturers except in
extremely rare instances. Wash
ingtonians who have attended any
of the sessions of the American
Manufacturers Association in this
city, or have read OF the management
OF the Carnegie Steel Works, near
Pittsburg, or know anything of the
operation OF the Westinghouse cleo
trical works, viii doubt 1t strongly.
Every showing of our commerce is
that the American manufacturer be-
lieves in science implicitly. II is
the finished product that we export,
electrical or otherwise. not the raw
material; and today's finished cleo
trical product, whether a mirror gal
vanometer and ciphon recorder for
submarine telegraphy, or a dynamo
for use in a factory, is very much
scientific product The Manufacture
ers' Association revealed the livest
and most active interest in every
discovery which would advance its
numerous businesses Two chiefs
Of the Westinghouse staff are sent
every year TO the leading technical
schools TO select the students they
think most fit to enter the service of
that company. and this firms enter
prise is not exceptional among insti-
tutions Of the same class.
Over here we have found that
science is a mighty good way
TO spell profit. Germany has dis
covered the same pathological coinci-
dence in another language. Once
England realizes it, once she grasps
the relation OF the laboratory to
pounds. shillings. and pence, she will
recover her place beside her two
great competitors-not very rapidly.
perhaps. but steadily. confidently, and
surely. In the meantime the Ameri-
can does well 20 make scientific hav
while the sun of radium sb,nee