Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1854-06-08
Fer lie Tpginis Fsss prssf.s
CHEaEIsTRY AND ITS UTILITY.
nrI 4 yeaNsov.

fHTl1T ne
particular wSrkags Of Nature and mediate which ii
these may heusesteHed 70 the Arts BAcoS.
II Mankind, ntheir Investigation and ed.
vanesment Of science, were frs. directed to
II rational sc1rse Of reasoning BY close and
attentive phseryaiion Of the Divine Laws,
which govern and perpesuate the operations
II OF Nature aha BY mans continual scrutiny
and acumen ia the comprehension of tde
areana OF Naaire, those phenomena which
v were once considered mysterious and aston
H ishing, aud yilwed as the Inenacings of De
mons for the disturbances and destruction Of
hun4n happ!tess, are now contemplated
n with revere5t;al delight, and to.the intelli-
gent mind The AWerkmanship Of NATURE
H is seen rita q feeling of humility not un.
mixed with eAFaptnre The termination Of
seed. its Etdsxth, maternity and decay, are
" seen by the igaerant With cold and care
less eye, but q the Chemist and Physiolo.
gist, the diAesent processes wL;ch are noces.
sary 70 the growth Of the plant, speak in
language Sc istelligible that he cannot fail
to admire the wisdom and design of the
II Creator and inspired by the beauty aud
n harmony Of those workings man is led on
in his researches from from one secret to an
other until D Sast and incredulous number
II q,
and by the poser Of arrangement manplaces
thoseEtrushs 10 such ORDER as at once emo
bles his Ingenuity, rewards his industry, and
l eventnats In tie formation Of monument
to hisgenius, whose durable front and tower
/ ing height withstand the shafts Of sophistry.
| NlpE that|the sunlight Of Chemistry has
/ sisPefed the ssaguant vapors Of Alchimy, it
behooEes every one who wishes to he CON
| sidered INTELLIGENT and to ascend in the scale,
of knswledgs abotet those animals over which
be claims So mach Importance, to be at least
II familiar with tAe Laws whose operations
meet bis gaze at every turn and | there.
\ fore imagine 1t would be rendering no small
/ service to society if any one would attempt
II to poiht cut tho advantage which must a.
Il crue ffom the acquisition Of Chemica. knewl-
y edge i but il would be almost i'm possible to
array Sn paper tie immense good and pleas.
ure such knowledge would insure to its pos
/ sesssrs then those natural results which bic
H thought accidental would DO nationally con
/ sdcrea as the Inevitable effects Of immutable
flaws lacting and coetaneeus with the ores
| ton of bodies, But alas it is d lamentabls
| fact that the majority Of men do not think
/ for themselves, aud a general attention to i
I subject Of Importance and usefulness cannot
be expected or attained until IT'D truths are
explained ana almost forced unbidden upon
4 their minds, end even then the illiterat5
shrink when any attempt is made to turn
\ them from the path Of stupidity, and otter
\ the malarial breath Of ignorance blights4in
| some degree these intelligent efforts, which
are MADE from time to time TO present the
usefulness of al object or subject | have
d an Ia Y,raeank ~, .pstauon h.
the ASSERTION that Chemistry has not re-
csiEsa iAai gltsatIaa and egItiEasisB eur aes,
liens, lis Importance demands
How many. young men and women resort
to the Daguerrean Gallery With their heads
| filed with more 1--we than Chemistry, for the
| purpose Of haIing their miniatures taken,
aud leave satisfied with seeing their pretty
features Impressed upon the shining surface,
without thinking for one moment that il
would he psefu! and pleasing to understand
the process And again, was once at q
dinnertable in:ccmpany With young man,
who Was interesting two boarding school
misses by narration Of some Of his College
feats, aud having occasion to replenish his
| glass with ce.water, he observed the mois-
ture chi the outside Of the glass, and remark
| ed to his fair auditors "that it was wonder
| full to tbink that the water had sweated
| through the glass And the nice young
ladies replied IN all the simplicity of igno.
rance, 'tthat it was really remarkable" The
/ Chemists ear often encounters such Incl
dents, and many smile Of pity curls his
lip as he hears the sciolist heasting Of his
/ fashionable educuticn, which he had long be
fore concluded vas no education at all II
is net FIR meotal pleasure alone, the s,ience
| Of Chemistry should be studied, but for the
enhancement Of those arts and operations
which come within its cognizance and as
the science has FOR its examination the con
] stituents Of every material substance Of the
/ world, il is therefore Interesting and impor
tant to every agocatioA Of life, for it likewise
teaches the manner iuIwhich those constitu-
ents cotnport with each other, and the way
in which such substaucss may be disposed Of,
and adapted te the promotion Of the welfare
and happiness Of mane
H Think you, reader, Watt could have made
his Improvements in the Steam Engine with
oui knowledge Of latent calorio and the
expansi8ifity Of steam or,tdo you suppose
Morse could have invented the telegraph
without being familiar With the. theory Of
electricity No, fsrweean scarcely examine
one important Invention that il not ID some
way or other connected with Chemistry, and
no nation Of people seems more convinced Of
this facs than tue French, for they not only
II introduce it's .ssady as apart Of fashiona-
III Ne education, but - tie bases of a useful
one Nnd iris said BIZ biographer that
LaToisiar was one of the distinguished men
of FRANCE who cultivated bis land on purely
chemical principles aud SO successful were
bis effotts, that bis annual crop increased a
least otF third oyer those procured 81 The
ordinary routine and at tho expiration d
nine years his crops weromore than doubled
This fact ought ts lie sufficient to embolaeu
our farmers IN following the example d
\ Lavoisifr. for, / am sorry to lay, | have seer
them c,.ltiyating their land hy the ordinary
rout, wsthous once: presuming that correct
and REPEATED analysis was Essential to i'm
prove tie fertility :of the soil and | have
!; known shea 30 spfead upontIeir fields q,
contents Of the copap post, mixed eonfusedll
!, with line, glA,no, tlaster, ashes, end various
} other festilisihc agents, and no. knowing
whethtit they wsresall, or separately adapted
therebysrentirtng 81 ID many Instances, fsrtil,
!. land abSolntcsg sterile Plus gning on from
I yeat to year. they begin 70 complain If ii,
!, labor aad snall. TifofFs Of farming, and 10
4 dreaming once Shat the cause vas is thei
AN snnt of kRovledge. ami not IA tie land
4 and Il sure il Houli be d ciledly nor
!. pleasant ID the tanner, and his crops wonl,
bc more abundsnt, IL be would turn his al
..rt;or III rhenistrv and till his LAID i