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James would never have tolerated aspersions on the accuracy of his work, or the implied order that it must be suppressed. But he knew Sir. John to be a respected scientist and was willing to hear him out.
“Please do not misunderstand me, Dr. Forsyth. I met Taylor today at lunch in the club where he showed me your paper — I still retain enough interest in astronomy, you know — and he asked for my opinion before sending it to a professional referee. I immediately realised that your result has profound implications, if it is correct.”
Explanation:
Sir.John's words made James very upset. James was quite sure of his comet predictions. He refused to accept any criticism of his work since he believed he had done it flawlessly and he would not allow it to be repressed without publishing by anybody. James anticipated Mr. John to explain why he prevented his work from being published since he regarded him as a respected scientist.
Discussion between John and James
After seeing James' uneasiness, John began to speak. John told James not to misunderstand him since he had received his (James's) paper. He then began to explain James on how he obtained the original typescript James had provided to the editor of 'Nature', Mr. Taylor. Mr. John and Taylor were friends. Mr. John met Taylor at the club for lunch, where he showed Mr. John his (James') paper. Mr. Taylor requested Mr. John's judgement before sending it to a professional referee since Mr. John was a scientist and still had an interest in astronomy. A professional referee is someone who can testify for your abilities and expertise in your field. When Sir John read the paper, he realised that disclosing what James had mentioned in the paper would cause a lot of havoc throughout the world if the contents in the paper were accurate.
Meaning of difficult words:
S.No | Words | Meanings |
1. | Profound | Refers to something severe and serious |
2. | Aspersions | Unpleasant criticism or judgement about one's work |
3. | Suppress | To stop publishing something or stopping an activity |
4. | Astronomy | The scientific study of Universe which includes Stars, Planets and their objects |
5. | Referee | Refers to a person who checks materials before it gets published |
6. | Implication | A possible effect or result that something will have on the other in future |
Reference:
National Council of Educational Research and Training (2008). The Comet I - Jayant Narlikar (pp. 73-80). Published at the Publication Division by the Secretary, National Council of Educational Research and Training, Sri Aurobindo Marg, New Delhi.
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