The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1852-10-14
DEMOCRACY OF scIENCE.-No. Is.
By JOSIAH HoLBRooK.


The NAVAL LYcEUM," at Brooklyn, New
York. is a scientific collecton-large, rich, and
beautllul-made by the officers of our navy
A bequest Of minerals aud other specimens
made 10 the institution by the &" IMPERIAL I.Y-
cEUM +" in ST. Petersburg, Russia, is conspicu-
Gus in the collection. The plan, so well COM
menced by an agency so powerful, needs only
to be carried out to have similar and constant
ly increasing collections in all our seaports, and
IN every village upon the banks of our lakes
and our rivers Such collections, combining the
products of our own and of foreign countries,
by exchanges, would soon be extended TO ham
lets, schools, and families, throughout our en-
tire country reclprocaton enlightened, pa
cItic, universal.
With floating batteries upon the sea. militia
ry stations upon land would gladly come into
JOINT action for the diffusion of knowledge in
lerestlng TO every American citizen. Colonel
Nauman, late commandant at Fort Washing
ton. cheerlully and gladly offered TO furnish
any institution desiring them with specimens
OF fossils deposited in mari beds about that sta
ton IN interesting varieties and inexhaustbe
quantities, the under officers and soldiers heart
| y concurrng in the proposal Thus the way
Is open Tor using the agencies of war for pro
way for beating swords into ploughshares.
Among Government funclionaries, most
ready and able TO scatter the seeds of science
over our entire globe, are foreign ministers,
| consuls. and other agents for national recipro-
| cations. As member of the United States Sen
| ate has proposed TO make il the duty of consuls
10 collect scientific knowledge from abroad for
the benefit OF American citizens, and as the
proposed duty will be entirely acceptable to the
consuls themselves. the time cannot be distant
when that class OF public iunctlonaries will con
| tribute largely 10 the diffusion of knowledge.
The Government tunctonaries of foreign
countries residing IN our own uniformly mani
lest hearty interest in scientific reciprocations
between nations. A specimen Of such interest
may be seen in the remarks of foreign minis
| ter from country OF mines Said he: 1.-THE
| system OF SCIENTIFIC EXCHANGES now in
| progress IS, IN my opinion, calculated TO pro
| mote an enlightened and pacific intercourse
| among nations. In my own country, rich in
mines and other natural resources, such a sys-
TEN OF scientific commerce may be instituted,
greatly to the benefit Of all concerned Ii is
especially fitted for scientific and literary instl-
tutions, and could hardly fail TO elevate their
character and extend their useiurPss. shall,
therefore, earnestly recommend il TO institutions
and individuals, az emlnenlly fitted to benefit
themselves by extending their benefits TO others"
The universal spread of productive science,
especially the elements OF agriculture and
mechanism. is now commanding so much al
lention over the civilized globe as TO present 10
all individuals holding public stations, from the
highest TO the lowest, opportunities and induce
menis to use the relations and the influence OF
office for giving durability and perpetuily 10
the foundation Of office, of institutions. and OF
all the blessings of civil sociely-soUSD KNowL
EDGE UNIVERSALLY DIrFUsED.