Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1859-01-21

the head always goes before the hand
the intellectual before the physical-thc
speculation before the result. The elder
D'Israeli has remarked. that "tbe people
are a vast body, of which men of genius
are the eyes and the hands" The annals
Of Productive Industry verify the asser-
ton. How frequently have the specula-
tons Of the philosopher prepared tho
way for the triumphs of Science; and
how often has the theory Of the student
in the closet aided the workman in tho
shop to the accomplishment of the iuost
important inventions. A little spark Of
thought has often been the means Of ILL
ing the world with fame Of glory
Epicurus, in the solitudes Of philoso.
phical retirement, matured those truths
Which eventually caused the dark insti-
tutions of paganism to usoulder away,
aud to lose their hold upon the masses of
mankind, and so prepared the then civ
ilized world for the light Of Christian
truth.
Machiavel, living amidst the princi-
pal.tios Of Italy, where stratagems and
assassination were the favortc admins
tra,ive policies, lifted the veil from the
tyrannic institutions of his age, aud
by exposing system subversivo Of all
human happiness and virtue, opened the
way for tho advancement Of political
freedom.
Locke ard Montesquien, 10 the secld-
sion of their libraries, elaborated those
ideals of government which. after re-
modelling the systems of Europe, guild
ed the trainers of our own federal and
State constitutions And no higher ho-
nors were ever paid to the productive
power Of even speculative Genius, than
when the Oeeapa" of Harrington
caused the Protector Cromwell to trem-
bic on his throne, and Charles | con-
demned the heroic Alyernon Sydney 70
death for MSS. found in his library, Oh
the plea that to write is to act.
And that to write and to speculate is
to acts to lay The foundation Of pro-
gross, il no where else more signally Il.
Illustrated than in the published works Of
Evelyn, of England and Franklin, Of Ame-
RIGA Evelyn taught the English tasts
for art and Il love Of progress, and laid
the foundation Of her modern glory
While her commerce extends to every
part Of the globe, and her navy reiairs
its proud prc-eminencc the Sylvia" OF
Evelyn win not be forgotten. In the
third edition Of that work, he tells
Charles / "iIow many Millions of tim
Der trees, besides Infinite others, have
been propagatod and planted at the ins.i-
CATION and by the sole direction Of this
work. " His speculative eye behcld tho
future commercial greatness Of his coun.
try; his prophetic forcthought prepared
for its protection, aud the ships which
swept tho navics Of Holland and Franco
from tho ocean, were built Of the oaks
which the speculations Of Evelyn had
planted. In like manner. the ecouoni.
cal aud industrious habits and money
making prccepts Of Franklin have i'm.
pressed their characteristics upon tho
American people, who, with the quaint
sayings Of Poor Richard Cor their guide.
have advanced these United States to
their present eminent poait.9n in indus.
try aud wealth.
A similar example win be found in
the productive industry Of France. Tho
value Of her silk manufactures is now
estimated Is exceed twenty-five millions
Of dollars, and this addition to her wealth
France owes to the speculative genius Of
one man. De Series, in 1909, compos.
cd work on tho cultivation Of mulber-
ry trees, with reference to tho. art of
raising silk worms lie then taught his
countrymen to change a leaf into silk and
silk to be the representative Of gold
Indeed, those who sre unaecustomcd ~
trace effects TO causes, or forget The
fountain in the stream, know but littla
Of the real sources Of the comforts and
privileges they ENJOY They know not
Of the debt the great debt--that is duo
70 the mere speculations Of men, whose
only workshop was tho brain, whose on
ly instrument was the pen.
Columbus, bordering over his chsris,
and Specializing upon the properties of
the sphere, marked out that path on
which civilization, art and refinement
came to this Western wilderness
Newton, Specializing upon the fall OF
an apple from tree. realized the truth
Of universal gravitation, and ascertained
the law which governs the movements Of
all the celestial bodies.
Calico. spccuiating upon the osciiis.
lions Of lamp suspended from the cell
ing of church in Pisa, led to the intro
duction Of the pendulum in the measure
ment Of time.
Harvey, meditating upon the valves
in tho veins and arteries Of the human
body, enriched medical science with the
important discovery Of the circulation Of
The blood.
1t was a mere speculative idea which
led Franklin TO carry his kite into tho
field as a thunder storm was rising. He
bad conjoctured the identity Of lightning
and Of electricity before no had realized
il by decisive experiment. Tho kite be-
ing raised, a. considerable time elapsed
before there was any appearance Of ir
being electrified. Ono promising cloud
had passed over il without any effect.
Was bis idea not to be realized? Was
il really nothing? Not so. Hc secs tina
fibres Of the hempen string stand apart
and repol each other He applies his
knuckles to the key be feels the spark;
and 10 that moment when be felt that a
new world was opening, surely his emo
lions Of grati6ed triumph were unspeak-
ablo-were not eonallel even when the