Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-11-10
0BsEssED OF LETTERS
TO NEGLECT OF SCIENCE
Foremost British MctalIurgist Tells
OF His Country Prcwar
Mistakes.
TRAINED MEN ARE NEEDED
England Has No Lack OF Raw Ma
terial of Which Scientists Arc
Made, but Before War Little Heed
Was Paid to Encouragement.
~ SIR RODEItT JIADFIEI.D,
E'nrcmOst IlctEIlurEint In UrItnIn

have yet to learn that the German
scientists are superior TO our own.
cept Ia the application OF Knowledge
There is no evidence that Germans are
or ever were. ahead Of US in research
or ingenuity. The German people are
very Industrious. In tie years before
the war they proved that they we're
willing 10 AXE any mint, to follow up
OF inventive genius
Their cagerncSs TO learn has always
krow THAI i;rupps kept an eye on
dealt wi;h ss he ae T9rla snas
miss srr I" fact 'n ,a, c f"nao nH
way iato print anywhere. And .nai
is how the Germans, scored. They
heir service. and The curious fact is
that The world has been deluded into
thinking ;nat TN" consequent progress.
was solely he 20 the superiority ot
Some OF us hnew before the war that
the british had brains Of their own
that fact home TO the mind OF IN.
nation There is that excellent British
ScientiGc Exhibition at Kings College
1t has becn 4 revelation to very mani
people They had no idea that British
scientists had achieved so much or that
British Industry vas capable OF so
scientists are now new ana British IN
. ,SinrE. , wns always ranahle Of the
The fact is is hat life Mad BEEN too TO- e anE
for us in tho past. We did not taIc
our work seriously enough and we did
not care if others rcaped where we had
sown. our scientists made discoveries
and German. exploited them, and was
given the credit for them.
OBSESSED OF LETTERS
TO NEGLECT or SCIENCE;
We have suffered in the past froro
the obscsson OF letters. Oxford and
cambridge have concentrated on let
ters and mathematics, and they have
neglected science. Il has been left to
the local universities TO rcctify that
error. and TO great extent thcy have
done it,. In our works at Sheffield we
know the value Of the men who are
trained at Sheffield University, and W.
employ many OF them The success OF
me Local univrrsiii in turning out
II c'car that ". have in England no
lack OF the raw matcr!a! OF which
scientists are made.
l!ui the trouble Is that there is SO
little recognition of the scientist. We
1--we IN an Industrial age. Consider for
a moment and think what the, world
aud steel What would become OF our
houses. our towns. the whole fabric OF
our life? The world III to-day is built
on foundptior and frame work OF
steel. and the scientist is tho master
~ steel as wei! as OF ali those other
y hicrlal things which play Il part In
NE; l'ut the scientist has scarcely any
ntEt II III" governing OF the country
Inc highest places and the creates; re-
who are quite definitely not scientists
That l. enc of tn. things wn nave
e, chnnse.. This war has made plain
of science. We owe our favorable post
tton to-day to the fact that there have
always boon in England men who have
devoted themselves to scientific studies
anu u research. very often without
hope OF reward. very often in the face
N.ss
NOTHING ACCIDENTAL. ABOUT
SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY
There is nothing; accidental about sci
enti!c discovery or invention. Sc;en-
title discovery is an art which can be
cultivated. as the late Dr. Gorge show
ed in his wonderful book. THE Art of
Scientific Discovery" Important dis
coreries cannot he made by rule alone.
can be largely reduced to order and
rule. And 1t must be obvious that the
man who has been trained in the rules
and practice OF this art is Infinitely
more likely To max. valuable dis
covcricS than tho uItraincd chance cx-
perimente:. Discoveries which win
wars and establish :, nntion's industries
are not lucky iiukcs. They are nearly
always the results OF work along GER
tain definite lines: work which can only
be carried out by men who have been
trained TO perform it.
all the discoveries. ana therefore we
must provide ourselves With discov-
ercrS. In the past We left nearly every
thing to chance. but that Will not do
for the future. We cannot afford to
run such Il risk again, neither can We
afford to allow the industries which
are our strength 10 depend for their
progress on tn: devotion Of the few or
the toll Of those who are so often un-
recognized and unrcwardcd.
If we will 10 this, il will find
train, use and reward our own men,
there should be no question Of any kind
of dependence on Germany In the flu
ture for scientific products or any fear
OF German competition in the Industrial
world.