Pure science is like a beautiful cloud of gold and scarlet that diffuses wondrous hues and beams of light in the west. It is not an illusion, but the splendor and beauty of truth. However, now the cloud rises, the winds blow it over the ªelds, and it takes on darker, more somber colors. It is performing a task and changing its party clothes—think of it as putting on its work shirt. It generates rain that irrigates the ªelds, soaking the land and preparing it for future harvests. In the end it provides humanity with its daily bread. What began as beauty for the soul and intellect ends by providing nourishment for the humble life of the body. Academia de Sciencias, formal session of March 12, 1916.