When this date was fixed by your Secretary for thedelivery of the Boyle Lecture, I discovered that ithappened to be the fifteenth anniversary of the veryday on which I was first called upon to address ageneral audience in Oxford. On May 20, 1896, I deliveredan inaugural lecture as Waynflete Professor ofMineralogy; when I look back upon the happy yearsspent here in teaching and studying a science which isdear to me, I feel that the present lecture should be anopportunity for expressing gratitude for those peacefulyears, not unmingled with regret that they led to nosuch worthy achievement on my part as might havebrought great credit to the University and so haverepaid something of the debt which I owe to her.
Looking back from the busier world of London, it iseasy to see how ideal are the conditions under which anOxford Professor conducts his work; especially if hissubject be one which does not overwhelm him withstudents who pursue it only for the purpose of passingan examination. Those who are attracted to his Laboratoryprobably come because they have some naturaltaste for the subject; he finds it a pleasure to devotehis time to them; while his vacations and the conditionsof Oxford life give him unique opportunities for his ownresearches.
It is true that those who have most leisure not infrequentlywaste most time. It is true also that thecustom of Oxford is to burden her students and scholarsin addition to their teaching, with the conduct of affairswhich could be managed as well by persons speciallyappointed for the purpose. Still it is also certain thatto those who enter into the genius of the place, and areanimated by the spirit of Learning, Oxford is prodigalof opportunity, and enables them to live the AcademicLife in a way which is scarcely possible elsewhere.
I know that the doors of the University are beingopened to all the newer studies, and that many a studentspends most of his time in acquiring the useful knowledgethat is to equip him for his profession and for thedirect purpose of that profession; knowledge which isto fit him to become lawyer, doctor, minister, engineer,or teacher; yet an Oxford Professor may always maintainthe pursuit of Learning for its own sake and keepthi