Evening star., 1935-11-03
NEW SOLOMON'S HOUSE
MAY BE MODERN NEED
Brain Trust of $50 Years Ago Recalled
on Issue Whether Science Is Destroy
: ING World or Helping Humanity.

il = .
of adjustments of society to the new
knowledge, the nature of which
cannot be precisely predicted. 1t is
here that he revives the Baconian
idea Of the senate of wise men to
function either nationally or inter-
nationally.
This was projected by the man
whom many believe 10 be the founder
of the present scientific, philosophy
to act as the ruling body in his ideal
community.
Thus Bacon pictured it:
For the several employments and
! Offices of our fellows:
I'VE have II that sail into foreign
countries under the names of other
nations, for our own We conceal, who
bring us the books and abstracts and
patterns of experiments Of all other
parts. These we call merchants Of
light.
I'VE have three that collect the
experiments which are in all books.
These we call depredators
I'VE have three that collect the
experiments of all mechanical arts,
| and also Of liberal sciences and also
of practices which are not brought
into the arts. These we call mystery
men.
Eve have three that try new exper-
iments. such as themselves think
good. These we call pioneers or
miners.
I'VE have three that draw the ex-
| periments of the former four into
titles and tablets to give the better
light for the drawing of observations
and aXioms out Of them. These We
call compilers.
we have three that bend them
selves, looking into the experiments Of
their fellows, and cast about how to
draw out of them things of use
| for mems life and knowledge, as
we'll for works as for plain demon
| stration OF causes, means, natural
| divinations and the easy and clear
discovery Of the virtues and parts Of
bodies. These We call dowry men or
/ benefactors.
Three Called Lamps.
| Then after divers meetings and
consults of our whole number. to con-
slider of the former labors and collec-
tlons. we have three that take care
out of them to direct new experiments,
OF higher light more penetrating in
nature than the former. These We
call lamps.
I'VE have three others that do exc
cute the experiments so directed and
report them. These We call innocula-
tors
Lastly, We have three that raise
the former discoveries by experiments
into greater observations. axioms and
aphor;sms. These we call interpreters
Of nature.
| I'VE have also, as you must think,
novices and apprentices, that the sue
cess:on of the former employed men
do not fail, besides a great number
Of servants and attendants. men and
women. And this We do also: We
have consultation which of the in
ventions and experiences We have
discovered shall be published ana
which not And We take all an oath
Of secrecy, for the concealing Of those
which We think fit to keep secret,
though some of those We do reveal
to the State and some not.
For our ordinances and rites We
have two very long and fair galleries.
In one of these we place patterns and
samples of all manner of the more
rare and excellent inventions. In the
other we place the statues of all the
principal inventors. There we have
the statue Of your Columbus that dis
covered the West Indies: also the in
ventor of ships; your monk that was
the inventor of ordnance and of gun
powder; the inventor of music; the
inventor of letters; the inventor OF
printing; the inventor of observations
of astronomy; the inventor OF wine;
the inventor of corn and bread; the
inventor of silk and the worm. For
upon every invention Of value we
erect a statue to the inventor and
give him liberal and honorable re-
ward. These statues are some OF
brass, some of marble and touch
stone; some of cedar and other special
woods, gilt and adorned; some OF iron,
some of silver, some of gold.
Lastly, we have circuits or visits OF
divers principal cities of the kingdom,
where. as it cometh to pass, we do
publish new profitable inventions as
we think good. And we do also declare
natural divinations of diseases, plaques,
swarms of hurtful creatures, scarcity,
tempests, earthquakes, great inunda-
tions. comets, temperature Of the year
and divers other things: and we give
counsel thereupon what the people
shall do for the prevention and rem
edy of them"
Such a body, he says, in modern So
ciety might function "as an intellec-
tual exchange where thought would
20 ahead of immediate problems 1t
would be "a house devoid Of politics,
concerned rather with synthesizing
existing knowledge, and with continue
GUS concern for its bearing on social
readjustments."
Adjustment to scientific advance.
he stresses, is likely to bring vastly
increased leisure Most of us In the
past" he says, "have had a tendency
to fear the gift Of leisure for the ma
jority. To believe that it may be q
great social benefit requires some
mental adjustment and belief in the
educability of the average man and
woman But if the political aspira-
tions of the nations should grow sane.
and the artificial economic problems
of the world are solved, the combined
and assured gifts of health, plenty
and leisure may prove to be the final
justification of applied science. In a
community advantaged by these, each
Individual will be free to develope his
own innate powers and. becoming
more of an individual will be less
moved by those herd instincts which
are always the major danger to the
world"