Daily American telegraph. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1851-1852, 1852-06-08
Democracy OF Science-No. Nv.
BY JOSIAH HoLBRooK.


Ten minerals have been called the 'GEoLoG1-
cAL ALPHABET" They are quartz, feldspar
mica, hornblend lime, slate, gypsum, serpentine,
tale, and chlorite. Separate and combined, they
form mountains, rocks, and soils. They are
also the repositories of ores, crystals, and min
erals 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 speci-
mems being collected by his oscn hands, giving
employment, instruction. amusement, and mate
rails for " sELP-INsTRucTIoN" in his future prog.
ress. Every pupil id a New York. school-fvc
hundred in all--on returning home at night, took
with him six letters of the geological alphabet,
all collected, broken, labelled, and arranged by
the pupils themselves, as their amusement for
that day. Thousands upon thousands of similar
cases have occurred within few years past in
almost every section of the country. This fact
gives the secret of the unparalleled progress re-
Gently made in geology and for the immense
developments of our natural resources in all
parts of the country, alike for wealth and for
science. The reduction in the price of chrome yell
low, from fifteen dollars to twenty-five cents
pound, within q short time, is among the results
of amusement in :" Geological Excursions"
The work of Progress in the Democracy of
Science now proposed is to have the alphabet,
petteI, IdplheL Vi UeolORy, COIecteu Dy the
members of each Of the hundred thousand schools
and six millions of families in our country, the
acork Of their own hands. Aided by the progress
already made, this great step is as simple and
easy as it is important 1t can be commenced
any moment, anywhere, when teacher or parent
shall request pupil or child to step out of the
door and pick up the first pebble he can find.
That pebble, in nine cases out of ten, will be
quartz; furnishing probably as rich and as far
reaching lesson of instruction as ever was or
ever can be given to any pupil. A highly distin-
guished geologist has written volume on "The
Pebble" book equally fraught with instruction
and entertainment.
To "Cabinets of Nature" both for schools
and families, numerous aids are at hand. Such
collections are already made, by hundreds and
thousands, all over the country. BY their aid
they can be easily increased to millions Mem
bers OF Congress and other public functionaries
have taken to their respective districts very nu-
merous cabinets of labelled specimens, designed
especially as guides to their young friends in
collecting and labelling specimens by their own
hands-a process indispensable for any available
knowledge on this and many other subjects
Ii all the functionares Of our government
would render similar aid to their young
friends, the democracy of Science" would
soon stand on an immoyable basis and with
1t, perhaps the perpetuity and harmony of
our Union, and the success Of our republican in
stitutions, be better secured than by party dis
cussions, hitherto not entirely successful.