The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1945-01-18

are d lew lOISOlIcll dSIcS,
There were sparks of recognition that
are not forgotten yet"
In this article | would like to dispel.
once for all, the popular notion which
has been voiced even among Oakland
people, who should know better, that
the inhabitants of Youghogheny For
est Colony are queer" folks.
A fruit has been produced there
potent with seeds for its multiple
progeny 1t is the result of the in
tense, detached and courageous men
tai labor of Dr.. David Lindsay Wat
son. DR.. Watson was born, reared and
educated in Edinburgh, Scotland. He
| came to this country where he con-
tinued more graduate work and re-
search and for time taught in Anti
och College. He has brother who is
the head Of the Department of Physics
at McGill University, Toronto, Can
ada. In 1888, persuaded by a good
friend, he came to Youghiogheny For
est Colony, purchased lot and there
with his own hands, with assistance
Of local carpenters, built his cabin.
He completed his first book four
years later and in 1888 it was pub
lished by Watts and Co., London,
England. The title of the book is:
scientists are Human" In his fore
word, DR.. John Dewey, of Columbia,
one Of the worlds leading philoso-
pliers, says: "Dr. Watson accom-
rlishcs much-nccded work, admira-
; bic in form and content He is
concerned to show that the pursuit Of
science and the products of science
are relative to the mental world Of the
scientist, to the organization of his
personality in all its phases, and that
this in turn is relative to the social
organization that subsists"
A mere curSory reading Of this
book is a waste Of time The only per
son who can hope to profit from it is
he who is determined to study it Line
on line 1t is indeed one Of the most
brilliant examples of synthetic
, blending Of logic and imagination as
more sturdy instrument to reveal
and state the truth as pertains to the
! domain of contemporary science. 1t
shows a wholesome mental thrift in
that there are no antiquities nor re
dundancics Every word written
stands within its context as a monu-
ment Of necessity.
That the reader of this review may
have his curiosity aroused to the point
Of studying this recent classic from
the Library Of Science and Culture,
will quote several passages:
Science is by far the most power
full intellectual phenomenon of mod
ern times, ineXorably laying down the
law in regions far from the labora-
tory, and subtly governing, by its
technics and devices, our modes of
life and ways of thinking"
scientific truth and scientific
method are, to great extent relative
to (that is, dependent on) the mental
world of the operator and to the
social organization from which they
spring.
eve must be less concerned with:
| What has the scientist done? More
with: What sort of a fellow is he?
/ Thus when we say that SCIENTISTS
, ARE HUMAN we are directing at
tention to the fact that science, far
from being the work of an abstract
automatOn or Unconditional mechanism,
is incXtricably intertwined with the
paradoNes and tragic imperfections of
| human nature"
"The point is that in every epoch
men have had a different basic CON
| ccptlon Of what is reasonable
THE thinker is he who learns to
wait for the message from his inner
volcc-a message which is denied to
the too sociable and INDUSTRIOUS"
Science in the modern world is
made largely by men who live most of
their lives in the shelter of a stable
relatively static social environments
! Their ambitions are keyed to the old
man cthic of the university and all it's
| chicanclY. . The clustered envir-
ment created for the average scien-
fist by conservative institutions per-
mitS him to entertain, in all inno-
ccncc, a rather pueljle conception of
the soundncss or worth of truth"
What claim have scientific men to
! usurp the spiritual leadership of our
age if they are unable to recognize
the most potent contemporary dis.
covcries within their own domain OF
science itsclf?"
Science, as understood today, en-.
braces only a very limited aspect OF
! human experience"
"The success of science as new
popular religion can be clearly seen
in the extent to which an exaggerated
belief in the power of numbers has
carried over from the laboratory tC
everyday life. How many pounds die
you gain on your vacation? How
many miles to the gallon? How much
does he earn? How many calories ir
Your breakfast? =. SO long as my
weight is l20, says the young girl, il
does not matter if | have a pasty com.
plcXion that must be hidden with {
| layer of cosmetic. If earn a hundred
dollars a week, it does not matter if
have lost my peace Of mind.
"A new protestant reformation is
needed in modern science to sweer
away the cumhrOuS scientific ma.