s the excessive supremacy claimed for
physical science. This is partly due, no doubt, to a most wholesome
reaction against the excessive supremacy that has hitherto been
claimed for literature, and held by literature, in our schools and
universities. At the same time, it is well to remember that the
historic sciences are making strides not unworthy of being compared
with those of the physical sciences, and not only is there room for
both, but any system is radically wrong which excludes or depresses
either to the advantage of the other.[2]

And now there is another idea which I should like to throw out, if you
will not think it too tedious and too special. It is an old saying
that, after all, the great end and aim of the British Constitution is
to get twelve honest men into a box. That is really a very sensible
way of putting the theory, that the first end of government is to
give security to life and property, and to make people keep their
contracts. But with this view it is not only important that you should
get twelve honest men into a box: the twelve honest men must have in
their heads some notions as to what constitutes Evidence. Now it is
surely a striking thing that while we are so careful to teach physical
science and literature; while men want to be endowed in order to have
leisure to explore our spinal cords, and to observe the locomotor
system of Medusae--and I have no objection against those who urge on
all these studies--yet there is no systematic teaching, very often no
teaching at all, in the principles of Evidence and Reasoning, even for
the bulk of those who would be very much offended if we were to say
that they are not educated. Of course I use the term evidence in a
wider sense than the testimony in crimes and contracts, and the other
business of courts of law. Questions of evidence are rising at every
hour of the day. As Bentham says, it is a question of evidence with
the cook whether the joint of meat is roasted enough. It has been
excellently said that the principal and most characteristic difference
between one human intellect and another consists in their ability to
judge correctly of evidence. Most of us, Mr. Mill says, are very
unsafe hands at estimating evidence, if appeal cannot be made to
actual eyesight. Indeed, if we think of some of the tales that have
been lately diverting the British Association, we might perhaps go
farther, and describe many of us as very bad hands at estimating
evid