Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1850-11-20
The Pride Of Ignorance,
AND TIE PRIDE OF scIENCE-CoNTIAsTED

e AND TIE PRIDE OF sCIENCE-CoNTRASTED
/. But, says an objector. the natural phil
osopher esieems himself inordina'eiy.
Tell me not Of the. pride of scien,ifi
men. We have, it is true, some few case
of the pride of Iearnine /; bat a multitude
, of the pride ST ignorance.
The grossly ignorant man. ima.inin
9 himself placed a, the very centre Of n
, ear'h's iancied plain. and exactly ben"a'
r The highest poin, in heavens arch, will
: arms a-kimbo, sirius forth, as tho rrnci
r ra occupant of the material universe
; This is manifest to common observation
Something like this is, also, seen anon.
The different classes in tie same school
and in communities. among individuals o
different grades OF civilization.
An accurate knowledge Of men anc
things. naturally rerresses pride and ad
vances humility. The diIigent student o
nature, as he gains deeper and deerer
knowledge Of the great book Of Gods wis
dom, goodness and power, necessarily secs
all finite glory dwindling and fading he
must see himself. too. depreciaiing in com.
Parison with the extent and grandeur Of
the objects which successively occupy his
vast and Illuminated field of view.
Again, it is evident, that the more we
learn Of what other men have accom-
plished. in pursuits and circumstances like
our own, and the more clearly we discover
how much VIC depend on others for what
We possess and accomplish. the more efIec
tualIy will (not our pride) our humility
be cultivated.
The philosopher is in circumstances Pc
culiarly favorable 10 make him feel and
acknowledge his heavy Indebtedness 10 his
predecessors and co,emporaries. lie can
not fail Of being convinced, that were any
generation of mon entirely destitute Of
transmitted knowledge. they could hardly
within the ordinary limits of human life,
find time 10 dress themselves and erect
permanent dwellings. They must com.
mence life as savages, and, at death, have
nothing better than blankets and wigwams
TO bequea,h 10 their savage SUCCESSORS.
Had not KepIer inheried the avals of Ty-
cho Brahe's !abors in descriptive as'ron-
omy. it is certain he could never have been
distinguished, in physical astronomy, as
the legislator Of the skies. Without leg
acy from his ancestors, even Newton must,
compa ratively. have been poor, and the
scientific wealth amassed and transmitted
by Newton and others has been :he ma.
king of their heirs. now the illusirious
phiIosoI hers of Europe and America.
But il you chance 10 meet with stub
born case Of pride in a philosopher, do net
hastily dismiss the case as iucurnbIe. He
can be cured Of any extraordinary degree
of pride, if he has breath of the spirit Of
Irue philosophy. But do nothing, be.
seech you, 10 lessen his amount Of science;
rather follow the good OLD specific Of Pope:
Give him to drink more deeply. Direct
his attention to the treasures Of science al
ready amassed. Show him the schools.
the laboratories, and observatories. Of
Europe and the United States Of America;
show him their Libraries whose shelves are
bending beneath ponderous tones, the
faithful records Of literary and philosophical
research; show him the rich gifts Of SCI
ence to agriculture, commerce. and the
whole sis,erhood Of the arts o: peace
show him not only what has been accom-
pIished. but show him every enlightened
part of the earth, at this moment, busy as
beehive. 10 all the departments of phiIns.
ophy. Then conduct him into those ex.
tensive fields of sober enterprise, which
sound philosophy has projected; and you
give him the position which Newton held
when under the conviction, that all which
philosophy has done, in comparison with
what it is destined to accomplish in ages 10
come. amounts to nothing more than the
examination of a few pebbles and pearls
thrown up on tho shore of broad ocean,
from the undiminished treasures of its i'm
mense bed.
If our patient is not yet recovered. i'm
merse him in the great deep Of space
Show him something Of the ertenf Of Je.
horah's uorks. Bid him look at himself.
and then at the earth, whose extended ra.
dius spreads the earii,'s surface into an ap.
parent plain. Next, equip him with the
quick wings Of light. putting him upon q
rate oftravcling equvalcn, TO twenty -four
diamctcrs Of the Garth. in single second.