El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-10-26
HUNS ARE NOT
THE SCIENTISTS
Allies to Hold Balance Of
Scientific Power After
the War Is Over.
BY SIR ROBERT HADFIELD.
Foremost lIetaIIurgist In Britain.

BY SIR ROBERT HADFIELD.
Foremost lIetamurgist In Britain.
London. Eng, Oct. 26.-I have yet
10 learn that the German scientist.
are superior to our own Germany
never was ahead Of US except in the
application OF knowledge. There j:
no evidence that Germans are. or ever
were. ahead Of US in research or in
Eenuity. The German people are very
industrious. In the years before the
war they proved that they were will
ing to spend years Of work on any
line that was suggested to them
They were ready to take any hint, 20
follow Up any clue, but they have no
monopoly Of inventive genius
Their eagerness to learn has always
seemed to me their chief character
istic- know that Krupps kept an
eye on every periodical in the world
that dealt with steel Their arrange
meuts were so perfect that they could
not miss any important fact that found
its way into print anywhere. The
Germans pressed the brains Of all the
world into their service, and the curl
Gus fact is that the world has been
deluded into thinking that the conse-
Gucut progress was solely due to the
superiority o. German brains
Life Has Been Too Easy.
Some Of US knew before the war
that the British had brains OF their
own. but It has needed the war 10
bring that fact TO the mind OF the
nation There IS that excellent Brit
1sh scientific industries exhibition at
Kings college. It has been reTe-
Iation TO very many people. They had
no idea that British scientists had
achieved so much or that British in
dustry was capable OF SO much but
the achievements of our scientists are
not new, and British industry was
always capable OF the things which
il is performing today. The fact is
that life had been too easy for US IN
the past We did not take our work
seriously enough and We did not care
II others reaped where we had soWn.
Our scientists made discoveries and
Germany exploited them, and was
given the credit for them
The ObseSsiOn Of Letters.
We have suffered in the past from
the obsession OF letters. oxford and
Cambridge have concentrated on let
tiers and mathematics and they have
neglected science 1t has been left tC
the local universities to rectify that
error, and to a great extent they have
done II. in our works at Sheffield
we know the value Of the men who
are trained at Sheffield university
and we employ many OF them. We
have in England no lack Of the raw
material Of which scientists are made
But the trouble is that there is SO
little recognition of the scientist We
live in an industrial age. Consider
for a moment and think what the
world would be like If you took away
iron and steel. What would become
Of our houses. our towns, the whole
fabric OF our life2 The world Of to-
day IS built on q foundation anC
framework OF steel. and the scientist
is the master OF steel as well as oi
all those other material things which
play a part in life But the scientis
has scarcely any part in the govern
ing OF the country. The highes
places and the greatest rewards ap
pear TO be reserved for those WIZ
are quite definitely not scientists.
That is one Of the things we havi
TO change This war has made plaiI
the Importance Of the scientist ever
TO those who in the past thought lit
lie Of science
Organization Of Discovery.
There Is nothing accidental abou
scientific discovery or invention
Scientific discovery is an art which
can be cultivated as the late Dr.
Gorge showed in his wonderful book
The Art Of Scientific Discovery" I'm,
portant discoveries cannot be mad
by rule alone. but the process Of sci
entific discovery can be largely re
duced to order and rule. And it mus
be obvious that the man who hai
been trained in the rules and practici
of this art is infinitely more likely 4
make valuable discoveries than tn
unframed chance experimental. Dis
coveries which win wars and establish
a nations industries are not luck.
flukes- They are nearly always tn
results Of work along certain definit
lines-work which can only be csrrie'
oHt by men who have been trained Z
perform it
IN the years to come We shall nee
all the discoveries, and therefore W
must provide ourselves with discov
erers- IN the past we left nearly ev
erything TO chance but that VIII no
90 for the future We cannot affor
10 run such a risk again, neither ca
ne afford 10 allow the industrie
which are our strength 70 depend 70
their progress on the devotion Of tn
few or the toll Of those who are s
often unrecognized and unrewarded-
II we will do this, If we viii find
train, use and reward our own mer
there should be no question OF an
dependence on Germany in the futur
for scientific products or any fear @
German competition in the industria
world