New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1858-07-15

In the Quaker Church they have prescriptivs
rule Of deciding "by weight any question which
may arise il tie meeting OF which the members at
large, either because their knowledge may be in q
minus quantity, OF their passions IN excess do not
stem likely to come to wise AID cafe conclusion.
II is taken for granted that wisdom hath her
atiding.place with the elders and officers Of the
msetiDg, and if two or three Of them ''unIte" ia
the fleeing that the subject il question had bet
ter be dropped altogether or settled in particular
manner, tie decision is acquesced in 1t once By the
assembly as the wisest and most righteous DISPOSE
ton that could possibly be made Of IT, Among
less God-f,ariDg people than the Quakers, the rule
if applied to ecclesiastical affairs might be open to
strong objections but in matters of mere worldly
iLtt rest Lo safer or wiser course can sometimes be
possibly adopted than 10 decide them BY this rule
Of weight" The Knowledge, experience and
Judgment of the few are sometimes far more worthy
of implicit obedience than the voices Of the many.
The existing difficulty in the government Of the
Dudley observatory is one of those affairs wherein
this lule may b ,ld good The Trustees OF that In.
sttut;on were in the msjorty; the legal power
vested IN their hands aud perhaps, on merely tech
meal grounds Of legality, would justify their high
banded measures; they are, moreover, wealthy
men, respectable men, without doubt most valuable
CITIZEN, fulfilling their several duties in their re-
spestise shops snd Offices in most praise worthy,
Trustworthy and uIexceptiOnable manner. Beside
all this, if these qualities did not give them that
immortality" which it seems, was among the
aspirations Of the President Of the body they
were, at least, certain to insure the acknowledge
melt of their worth es< where if, BY any accident
il should ever happen that the existence of these
respectable citizens should be heard Of outeide Of
the borough Of Albany, and to render il probable,
90 much do We all reverence respectsblity, th.t
their decisiop, in any suppOsabe case, would go
uruuestioned. On the other hstd, opposed
to these powerful, worthy, and wealthy gen
.lsmen, were four persons, not powerful not
wealthy, but only worthy, and learned almost
strangers to Albany, with no shops, aud no banks
and I Offices, wherewith 10 act on public opinion
aid t, rule the cry of An admring public. Yet, with
the % four so largely in the minority in the admins
traitor of the observatory, lay the actual weight
They were filed with Learning, filed v tn calm aud
clear judgment, filed with pure and dsinserested
love Of scence, which raised them above the Low
level of petty salousies, Of little vanites and sm,
smlit;oIs. and gave them tie light to decide, with
out appe al such questions % were raised some ab
suitly. some wickedly, aid all weakly, BY the
President of the Board Of Trustees. Ga the
charges ssaip,t DR.. Gould, so far n they touched
his character a. . man Of science, the world had
uothrp TO do but wait in silence the decision Of bis
scientific asseciates as such charges involve ques-
tons which scientific people alone are capable Of
deciding. Ard the world, havirg the utmost conf
deuce in those gentlemen ., men Of integrity, as
We'll IS men of learning, when their desi,ion Is
gwen must accept it - final. The question must
be decided by 'weisht'-on the principle Of
the Quskers, that the spirit of wisdom is where
tie,e is humility And ealmness, and much thought
Ara, indeed, there is 60 other way for US. The
world at laree-s We are sorry to SOY, particu-
lsily in th 8 couptr!-knOWs little Of science
Every bc6y to be sure. is not so ignorant as not to
sncw that the stones used as eets for astronomical
rsuuu ents must peceuarlly Be perfect Of their
airt, that the pl.cirs Of them might b beyond
the srowb jss of ordinary ssoseussoa'; and that
tee 1ots iri ID In then required uaie precision