Page:(Commercial character) The Joseph Fisher lecture in commerce, delivered at the University of Adelaide (IA commercialcharac00jessrich).pdf/22

18 towards light, wondering, guessing, but ever helping to solidify the slough for future generations to find firm foothold. There was a time when men wrought for the glory of God and the love of their craft, and under that sanctified inspiration did work so lasting, so beautiful; achieved triumphs artistic, architectural, of such supreme excellence as to make moderns wonder but despair of emulating. The genius of man to-day revels in the utilization of natural forces and systematized records, which it should be the care of all governments to preserve, make of each age a stepping stone to higher things. Michael Faraday said he had no time to make money, and was content with a pension as a pecuniary recognition of his life's work in the cause of science. The more modern philosopher floats on the sea of high finance. The discovery that crowns research, the invention that rewards ingenuity, is the legitimate prey of the promoter, the sport of the speculator, unless the discoverer or inventor is safeguarded by the possession of business acumen. Faraday had no time to make money. The "Marconi" Company insure the great electrician's life for £100,000. Hereditary partiality for exclusive information it was mayhap that caused the priesthood to force Galileo to recall his rash statement about the movement of the earth. What would they have done to Edison and Tesla? It may be as the Fabians say, that selfishness and greed as motive powers are waning, and shade of Disraeli, who would not be on the side of the angels? My experience teaches me, however, that much disregard of the rights and feelings of others is condoned by the oft-expressed axiom, "Business is business." But we must be optimists in our estimate of human character as in