Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1846-01-15
MISCELLANEOUS.
The Pathway of Scierse.

The Pathway of ScIene.
We have been reading Professor
Morse's account Of the wonderful
properties of the electro magnetic tele-
graph, and it has set our fancy all
aAoat in the wide world speculation.
Our thoughts have received a tone and
character for the day, which will total
ly unfit US for any more commonplace
druggery. We cannot becontent with
stage coaches and mountains, and
paupers. The incidents Of all travel
are tame. The mind-the mind scars
upwards and onwards, awakened in all
its energies, struggling, grasping, ex-
panding, with the magnificent concep-
lions which are awakened in the path
way and the progress of science! For
give US, if we indulge the emo
tons which are shaking US now, and
the thoughts which struggle for ex-
preston. Our theme must be sea
ence.
Science!-uhat is i,?-where was
il engendered.- What are its achieve
ments, and what are the limits which
God has ascr;bed to its astounding
Developments? Did it belong to an
tiquity, or is it ours? Science! In
the Academy-the Lyceum or the
Porch at Athens, shall we search for
ii? Will we go to the dark ages to
trace its footprints Those are the
ages whose contemplations filed Pro-
lessor Brownson with such an extacy
of wonder! Those ages with their
s,condeyul' and illuminated doctors,
and their magnificent creeds. Ages
which brought the hoary-headed CALI
leo before the solemn convocation of
the wise and learned to pronounce
upon him, through seven grace Cordi-
mails, the anathema of the Church
shat 10 maintain the sun to be immoye-
able and without local motion in the
centre ofthe world, is an absurd prop
osition, false in philosophy, heretical
in religion, and contrary to thetestimo-
ny Of the Scripture; that it is equally
false and absurd in philosophy to as
sert that the earth is not immoveable
in the centre of the world, and consid-
cred theologica!ly equally erroneous
and hereticalp The dark ages, with
Copernicus imprisoned by the Pope to
recant his absurd dogmas'-With
Faustis flying from Paris after his fatal
bibles had been exposed for sale-with
Friar Bacon suspected Of too much in
tercourse with his Satanic Majesty
the dark ages with the ponderous
tones of Thomas Aquinas, Abelard
Duns Scotus, and Peter Lombard, pill
ed up on groaning shelves-the Sci
enoe of the dark ages!
We come to the Baconian era Ba-
con, the genius Of inductive science, is
born. He defines its lines and teaches
it's limits. His pathway is upwards
amazing truths amazing develop
ments!
.Earth,s disembowoled measured are the skies!
Stars are detected in the deep recess!
Creation widens! vanquised nature yields,
! Her secrets are extorted! art prevails;
What monument Of genius, spirit, power!'
Science has been manDest;ng God.
Where is God in nature? The litter
ate and the savage see him in the
whirlwind and the storm, but in ten
thousand beautiful combinations is he
revealed to the scientific. The earth
quake, causing mountains to totter or
their bases, ocean to heave her immense
volumes in august majesty to the sky
: and bare her profound cayerns--tht
earthquake, laundering rivers from
their Channels, rocking down cities
and swallowing them up in yawnint
abysses-these are God to trembling
~ universally revealed-God in hi
mieht, in his awful magnihcence!-
Nm. 81. To- few only is He N the sof
beauty Of the landscape, the meander
81 stream. the ripping f0un'sin, tn