• Southport on Wednesday. Frankly abandoning any attempt • to
record the recent achievements of science or to trace its future course, he dealt exclusively with the national need of improved scientific education. The progress of science, he pointed out, had internationalised the material resources on the first use of which our superiority had depended. That change was beyond our control, but we had culpably neglected our other great asset, our mental resources, by our inefficient and in- adequate system of education, and were entering on the new struggle for existence—that between organised nations —ill-equipped in both science and brains. Our trade was suffering because " trade no longer follows the flag as in the old days, but because trade follows the brains, and our manufacturers are too apt to be careless in securing them." After showing what might be done to awaken the nation by the establishment of a British Science League organised on the model of the German Navy League, Sir Norman proceeded to enumerate the preventible causes of our perilous position, not only as merchants but as a nation. These were our lack of efficient Universities—which, as the chief producers of brain-power, ought to be as much the insurers of the future progress as battleships were the insurers of the present power of States—and our neglect of research.
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