, 1860-09-01

more rugged paths Of onr pilgrimage.
The occasion and the acene ETC suggestive OF
many sutj:cts; bus shst which my own habi1s
Of thought and tbe circumstances Of The occa-
dependence Of SCIENCE ma asts, and the mssna
fal arts":
70 this subject, thea, would ak your aaep-
tion for brief .,sriod, with the hope th.t some
thing mar b said which msy induss more
cora1st interest to be felt In the thorough edu-
cs1on Of the mechanical classes, ind ircits
s3newha. to the gradual anoihilatiou of the d1t-
tiucttous belttofors existinR between the sc;sn.
udc man aud the mechanic
Th.t tho iuduss1id arts h4ye received valua'
bic asaistauce from science il 4 proposition now
genera y conceded; bnt the converse of the
pfopusittou, that tbs useful arts kare dore
much for science u not 10 gentralfy xllo~ed
The autl lscs thus divides 1iself rattcuaiy into
two inquiries: l. How End to wha. extent
does acience contribute to tie pro2ress OF the
useful arts2 Rnw and to what extent do
The useful arts contribute to the progress Of sci
eace1
I hare ssfd that the fact is now granted that
science does contribute t, tho Advance Of Tho
arte. To contradict this proposition in this
aga OF the world man would stuttify himself.
Si.ll 1t must te acknowledged that thu iu.f force
If the fact Is not sufficiently appreciated By
manufacturer, mechanics and inventors, il wr
may b. allowed to judi them BY their scts.
How frequently ts1t the case, that in she 1t.
tempt to prodLee = new or to improve Tn old
process In = manufacture, imnente tums Of
money are expended, and much valuable tine
thrown away, not mesoiy without obtsining the
desired rtsult, but in direct eont1ayentton Of
we'll aseertaiued phyEiral or chemicI law,
when consultation with scientific man, or. still
better, = previe US aequ4totscce Of the inventor
with the natural Jaws involved in the required
problem, would hare saved beth tins and
money.
il II not IN unusual occurrence for suth cases
to como under my own observation.
i mAn would be set down u IN idiot vho
should grops his way hlindfoId when 1t was in
bis power to tear ctf the bandage which Oh.
secured bis vision. Yet many Of the attenrts
OF inventors will fn'ly bear tie comparison.
Instances sre comm1n where men have Iabored
bard BY day and BY night through long years,
md have te.gared TIL nse1ses aEd their friends
possible results By inpossib!s mesns-vhen
one quarter Of the tim: spent in ths atn5y Of the
prir ciples Of tho sciences involved. would have
proved in advance the tu.iity OF such Efforts,
and guided to the adoption Of the proper means
to secure The end desired
Another stumbling block in the way Of prae.
tical men ia terrible dread Of theories snd
aheorizts, which terms are used AZ ttrms Of rs-
pronch to science and scientific men. This Is
IN iridttice which tas been brnngbt about by
the absurd pretensions Of scientl8c quacks Tor
there are quscks in other sciences thsn mt d.
atne) who have de uied their hu, dset1 Of victims
py either their ignorance or Il ar cupidi.y.
True kcfercr or 1 truly scientific man will
never palm of theory for principle. nor a.sert a.
known thst which tas yet TO be discovered,
| knowing we'll that Art is lang and life IL
sbort," hs will never fear to acknowledge his
Ignorance Of the unknown, or claim to know
rnors than has been developed. Experience Is
| nHAA krzf l.
The industrial sciences furnish tho spectacles TO
correct its vision, and give it wider rArge and
clearer definition.
| The various processes in the azts and n1anu.
faotures are, for Tho most part, bsaed upon the
| principles developed By this departments of nat.
ural philosophy and chemistry, and while it il
true that many important facts which hare
formed the bas1s uppn which The laws Of ts;ese
sciences hare been developed, have been con.
trlbuted by the useful arts, it il equally true
that those sciences hare done much TO besten
the progress and raise to higher standard The
arts whence shey received their origin. :,
Ga the other hand, science has often devel
oped phenomena, and from them deduced Law.
which ut the time Of their discovery have mol
Anpesred to bear the Temntess relation 10 u.t
eh;ch have al later period been productive o.
the most important practical results. / "a.
only stop to preaent brith hy two ex implies:
"When Plato and tho Eeometr,ciAns Of h;1
which thef obtsiued By cutting cono with 4
plane, no one could foresee that two thousaud
| Yesra aflerward Kspler shon1d discover The
Identity Of the eciipss-ons # those curves-
With the orbits described BY the plauets around
the sun OF, that Hewtoa should deduce from
it tho law Of universal attraction. md obtn,r
The most certain proofs Of The correspoudenc,
which exists between the expression cf tbfs ixr
and the asonetriu movements Of tbs atatp
But the theory OF Newton in enabling the as
:ronoruee to predict with certainty h@-s.oa'
complex celestiai pbenomena, long time ie
eav.aee o. ths1r oSensrenee, M tornsshed ths
most e1Aet sod reliable meAna OF observatior
to navigation aud geography Truly hss Can
dorcet said, that the sailor whom an in'elli
gent observation OF bis Longitude preserve'
from sh'p"E.ck, owes h's Ute 70 theory cot
cefved two shousand years before, By mea c
thought who had nothing IN V1sN but speeula
tions IN gsneral.
When ha'ers discovered tbs phenomena Q
polar'1stlon Of hght-that properly BY whics
sfky Of light II divided into two portion8 hxv
| ing opposite properries-if Was scarcely poshi
bis 70 suppose tbGt any practical use could b
made Of tte discovery, curious though it MAJ
be. Yet tn,s sesJ discovery now furnishes Il
tho chemist IN easy aud expeditions mode 0
auAy ~ Of various organic substances, vh.cl
could be effected but wish the gre4teat difficult!
oy other means. 'By this msaoa, tbs value .
various cornsnerciai articles, sugtr more par
s:cutasly. arc ssoertaired; aaulterations Of nu
merous sub1tsaces arc readily exposed medi
c'nes and poisons detected tho SECT 'tians H
sxeret:ons Of tho human 6ody examined By tn
physicisn to nd him in detecting latent disease
aud the dspths OF the ocean explored withou
descent below tho surface.
LIT cot then tho practical man dsprsclat
scientific Investigation. No enc can even con
ceive the importance Of 4 aingia isolated fac
when It gives the starting point Of nov. dell
Of investigation. The quivtrnR Of a frogs le,
bJ contact Of tRo metals has gwen I'D the Mag
nets Telegraph. the singing Of = tea.kettte ha
given us The st. An EaR1ne.