The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1849-06-07

/
a'e'y detect and separate the tinse from the gold
OF a mans character. Conversely, IL you choose
Tor your companions, the idle, the vicious, the
hansers.on about coiiee-houses, and the nightly
visitor OF theatres, billiard rooms, and houses
more damnlng still to the character, despite Your
efforts to the contrary, your manners and your
language, will partake oil the lbidinous and the
vulgar.
but It is your reading, il ever You expect TO
WELD pen Chat mighty instrument of the nine
'eenth centuryD that will make you the great
Magician. with the power OF Hercules: or the be-
ing whose presence will create no other sensa.
ton than inditierence-the mere diluor, or i,ni.
'at"r, OF the light literature OF the day To read
weak compositions, relaxes the understanding
by debasing 1t TO their standard; by reading
strong, vigorous compositions, the mind becomes
strengthened BY being elevated to their dignity
ana recoliect that the weakness OF a strong man,
Is more endurable than the strength OF a weak
one Tor the one may be taken for relaxation,
while the other BY its feeble efforts OF strength,
only throws open its weakness. as the unpractis-
ed swordsman, by an effort 10 assume that science
which he has not, strives to lounge his adversary
through, but only exposes his weakness and him
self, and receives his death. wound
Read as little as possible what is termed Slight
lterature for it is so exceedingly volatile, that
u will leave a superficial impression OH your
mind, which hours of hard study will not RENE
dy. As this species Of literature did not max e
The least draw upon The mind of the author, YOU
may be quite certain that it can impart nothing
to yours, for unlike streams OF water this kind of
literature does not increase, from the time orleav-
ing IFS source; bu. ever remains the same from
the beginning; while conversely, strong l,iera-
ture grows in volume, for il not only gives you
its strength, but its brightness lumes The mind
and suggests numerous ideas, which you are
prone 10 cast in the waters.
There is perhaps no reading which pays so lib.
orally for The time and study spen, upon it as SCI
ence II isa held OF vast, nnbounded extent, but
YOU should not be discouraged from entering it.
as you are jus. as liable 10 find rare flowers as any
other person-paTiicularly ityou search for them.
No two persons think or reason alike, minds are
/
Won may in perusing a scientific truth. have some
thoughts suggested which by fostering and cult
vaiing, may lead TO great results.
Herschell, the greatest Of philosophers, said
that il clever man be shut up in a room, in
course OF time he could, with but his unaided
reason, study ont the whole OF Mathematics
This is true, answered an equally great philoso.
pher-Sir Humphrey Davy-b.t with a life
times reasoning he could not find out that the
chemical combination OF mercury and sulphur
will produce the beautiful yermillion. This an.
swer is equally truthful, and proves that reason
and experiment must go hand in hand-mnst mu-
tua'ly aid each other, in order to cultivate with
success physical science.
AS said above, the field of science is unbound
ed; but il may be not little consolng TO reflect,
tina; being so, no man has yet approached far
within its circumference; and that after all, al
though Others may be little more advanced than
yon, they are no nearer the goal so press on,
Tor as the race will never terminate, so never can
We deter mine who is the winner or who is the
loser. We are all wandering over a vast area,
and as it is SO vast, and contains SO few within
ITS domain, so much greater is the opportunity OF
passing over ground never trod before, and con.
seqnen,ly OF picking up rare things not lighted
upon BY others. There is no study which pre-.
sents such inducements rs science. The ambi-
tious man who would excel in discovery, and
discover TO excel and surpass his fellow men, may
here feed his passion. He who reads to CRAFTY
curiosity or refined taste, may persevere, for
the one will be gra,iiied in improving the other:
and they who take il up to pass away time, will
learn that that time can never be past, but will
ever remain in the improvement OF the present.
| To say that man is possessed OF liberal ell.
lcation at the present day, who had not studied
science, would be as absurd as to assert that a
lawyer had finished his studies without perusing
Blackstone, or surgeon without visiting the dis
secting room; and to assert that the person could
join in enlightened conversation, would be more
absurd than either. In order to pass in society
at this time, or to excel in the conversation like
" to ensue, you must be conversant with the gem
era' scientific truths ofthe day. The Telegraph,
or the Electric Light, or the Steam Engine or
Locomotive, or other new and useful inventions,
involving the principles Of science, will come up,
as they do every evening in enlightened society,
which, IL you are not conversant wish, you are
but mere automaton-one Of those supernumer-
aries on the stage, who walk on to increase the
number Of performers without At al increasing
their 'irsngM:-a mere drone, feeding upon the
intellectual food Of others, who may have natural
intellects inferior TO yours, but whs by their in
dustry, have left you far behind. And it is a hu-
initiating thing to see persons whom We know
possessed It one time minds inferior to our own.
lar in advance Of US in intellectually. The hu.
initiation i greater, a. we reflect that BY our own
exeTtions We might have avoided this; while