And when the night was at its darkest, light gradually appeared, and
after innumerable difficulties had been overcome his Resonant Recorder
was perfected, which enabled the plant to tell its own story. And in
the meantime something still more wonderful came to pass. Hitherto all
gates had been barred and he had to produce his passports everywhere. He
now found friends who never asked him for credentials. His time had come
at last. The Royal Society found his new methods most convincing and
honoured him by publication of his researches in the Philosophical
transactions. And his discoveries, which had so long remained in
obscurity, found enthusiastic acceptance.
Though his theories had thus received acceptance from the leading
scientific men of the Royal Society, there was yet no general conviction
of the identity of life reactions in plant and animal. No amount of
controversy can remove the tendency of the human mind to follow
precedents. The only thing left was to make the plant itself bear
witness before the scientific bodies in the West, by means of
self-records. At the recommendation of the Minister of Education, and of
the Government of Bengal, the Secretary of State sanctioned his
scientific deputation to Europe and America.