philosophy or politics; or meddling with
human education; because, after all, that is a part of his kingdom which
he has only voluntarily forsaken.

Having now defined the meaning of the word Biology, and having indicated
the general scope of Biological Science, I turn to my second question,
which is--Why should we study Biology? Possibly the time may come when
that will seem a very odd question. That we, living creatures, should
not feel a certain amount of interest in what it is that constitutes our
life will eventually, under altered ideas of the fittest objects of
human inquiry, appear to be a singular phenomenon; but, at present,
judging by the practice of teachers and educators, Biology would seem to
be a topic that does not concern us at all. I propose to put before you
a few considerations with which I dare say many will be familiar
already, but which will suffice to show--not fully, because to
demonstrate this point fully would take a great many lectures--that
there are some very good and substantial reasons why it may be advisable
that we should know something about this branch of human learning.

I myself entirely agree with another sentiment of the philosopher of
Malmesbury, "that the scope of all speculation is the performance of
some action or thing to be done," and I have not any very great respect
for, or interest in, mere knowing as such. I judge of the value of human
pursuits by their bearing upon human interests; in other words, by their
utility; but I should like that we should quite clearly understand what
it is that we mean by this word "utility." In an Englishman's mouth it
generally means that by which we get pudding or praise, or both. I have
no doubt that is one meaning of the word utility, but it by no means
includes all I mean by utility. I think that knowledge of every kind is
useful in proportion as it tends to give people right ideas, which are
essential to the foundation of right practice, and to remove wrong
ideas, which are the no less essential foundations and fertile mothers
of every description of error in practice. And inasmuch as, whatever
practical people may say, this world is, after all, absolutely governed
by ideas, and very often by the wildest and most hypothetical ideas, it
is a matter of the very greatest importance that our theories of things,
and even of things that seem a long way apart from our daily lives,
should be as far as possible true, and as far as possible remo