16 THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM

leading industries, and an appreciation of the value of
scientific knowledge.
The facts which have been adduced in support of
this serious charge are innumerable: a few of the most
striking may perhaps be adduced as evidence.
(a) For many months after the commencement of the
war in 1914 the importation of lard into Germany was allowed
 to proceed without interruption. When eventually
sufficient pressure was brought on the Government to
stop this traffic, it was pleaded by them that the fact
that glycerine (the basis of many explosives) could be
produced from lard was of recent discovery. Apparently
not a single member of the House of Commons present
at the time had sufficient chemical knowledge to dispute
this statement, although anyone with the most elementary
knowledge of the history of chemical manufacture would
have known that the production of glycerine from oils
and fats was discovered as long ago as 1779, and has
been the basis of an enormous industry ever since.
Owing to this ignorance we permitted the importation of
thousands of tons of fats to Germany which were directly
used for the production of nitro-glycerine and other explosives.
 For the thousands of lives lost as a result of
scientific ignorance in this war we must hold our system
of education directly responsible.
(6) All scientific men in this country again viewed
with absolute dismay the laxity of the Government in
relation to the question of making cotton contraband.
In spite of all efforts made by scientists, and especially
by the late Sir William Ramsay, the Government took
no steps whatever in the matter, although practically
every ounce of cotton allowed to pass into Germany
was used for the production of explosives. Such collective
 scientific ignorance was again directly responsible
for thousands of lives, and for the indefinite prolongation
of war costing six or seven million pounds a day. One