The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1852-07-15
DEMOCRACY OF SCIENCE 4.
BY JOSIAH HOLBROoK.

Ten minerals have been called the GEoLo
GIoAL ALPHABET" They are quartz, feldspar
mica, hornblend, lime, slate, gypsum, serpen
tine, tale, and chlorite. Separate and combin.
ed, they form mountains, rocks, and soils
They are also the repositories of ores, crystals
and minerals furnishing materials for industry,
the arts, commerce, wealth. science, refinement,
comfort, and progress.
The alphabet of Geology can be learnt by
any child Of six years in day many OF the spe-
cimens being collected by hIs own hands CIV
ing employment instruction, amusement and
materials for "sELrINsTRucTioND IN his future
progress. Every pupil in New York school
i've hundred in all-on returning home ut
night took with him six letters of the geologi-
cal alphabet, all collected, broken, labelled, and
arranged by the pupils themselves, AZ their
amusement for that day. Thousands upon
thousands of similar c;lses have occurred with
Ia n few years past, In almost every section OF
tho country This fact gives the secret of the
unparalleled progress recently made in geology,
and for the immense developments of our nat
uraI resources in all parts Of the country, alike
for wealth and for science The reduction in
the price Of crOne yellow, from fifteen dollars
totwenty-fye centsa pound, within short time,
in among the results Of amusement in "Geolo-
gical Excursions"
The work of Progress" in the Democracy
of Science now proposed IL TO have the alphabet
better, "A cabinet Of Geology" collected by
the members of each Of the hundred thousand
schools and six millions Of families in our cOun-
try, The pork Of their orn hands. Aided by the
progress already made, this great step IL as
simple and easy ~ it is important. II can be
commenced any moment, anywhere, when q
teacher or parent shall request pupil or child
to step out Of the door and pick up the first pcb
BILE he can find That pebble. in nnc cases
out Of ten, will be quartz; furnishing probably
as rich and IA far reaching lesson d instruc-
ton AZ ever was or ever can be given 10 any
pupil A highly distinguished geologist has
written u volume ON The Pebblc,n book
equally fraught with instruction and entertain
ment
To aCabncts of Nature, both for schools and
families. numerous aids are at hand. Such col
lections are already made, by hundreds and
thousands, oil over the country. BY their aid
they can be easily increased to millions. Mem
bers Of Congress and other public functiona-
rios have taken 10 their respective districts very
numerous cabinets Of labelled specimens, de-
signed especially M guides to their young friends
in collecting and labelling specimens by their
own hands, process indispensable for any
available knowledge on this and many other
subjects ~ all the fnnctionaries OF our Govern
ment would render similar aid 10 their young
friends the Democracy Of Science" would soon
stand On an immovablc basis and with IL per-
haps, the perpetuity and harmony oiour Union,
and success Of our republican institutions, be
better secured than by party discussions, h'th-
erto not entirely successful
Th... a IN etK aon oon worth of railroads in