Delaware inquirer. (Wilmington, Del.) 1859-18??, 1860-03-10

There appears to be no affinity between
science and religion. Does this arise from the
want of true religion, or a neglect on the
part of the masses who are capable of, and
have sufficient time and opportunity in study
ing the different branches of useful sciences 2
In what was termed the dark ages of the
world, we believe the priesthood were allowed
to be the true depositaries of knowledge and
they possessed II divorce bill between science
and religion ms ii the former did not emenate
from God the creator us well as the latter In
order however, to produce anything worth the
perusn we must write odt some of our own
thoughts, and not depend too much upon the
ideas and works of others who have burned
midnight-lamps, in order to produce for the
benefit of their fellow citizens thoughts which
speak and words which burn. To go on through
life the mere echo of what other great minds
have accomplished in arts, science, and the
different branches Of useful knowledge, in gen
rral is nothing more nor less in our opinion,
than BURNING out the candle of life in folly
and yexation of spirit; and remaining all the
rest of our time the mere socket OF n man.--
Our knowledge is of but little consequence,
whether gathered verbally or from reading, if
We have not the talent or the power OF ORR
ginality within to make it subseryiant 10 our
own Objects purposes and original designs,
whether in prose or voice-in the compose
As every small shower helps to swell the river,
so every paragraph composed from the Labra-
tory of the mans mind adds still small por-
ton to the litrature of his country.
The study of any branch of the mechanical
science tow which many apply the energies of their
mind, and after years of much toll, study and
labor having brought forth something useful in
the shortning of manu- labor, whereby man
kind are benefited, in general, he is aptto meet
with but slight encouragement at the outset.
lie is obliged to meet the sneers ofthe ignorant
us well ms the criticism of the learned, and il
we can place any dependence upon history,
many have been brought TO the rack and the
wheel as a reward for powerful and inventive
or genius, which, in the cause OF its application
to the useful sciences, will continue TO benefit
mankind to the latest generation. Yet not
outstanding all the opposition poets, snges
and philosophers have all had to work up hill !
hut still their works stand nntarnished, and
have lost none of their lustre by the landings
of the groundlings
We certainly might come TO the conclusion
that in the twelfth century there might have
been some respect for the useful sciences. The
world was not destitute of learned men at that
day. and vet neither in the 18th nor 18th cen
tury were the men willing to let knowledge go
forth among the people; nor need we think this
to be passing strange when we take into con-
sideration the large number who oppose the
spread of true science in the 10th century.
In the council of Tours in llG3, and at the
council of Paris, in 1909 all works on physics
or natural philosophy were intcrdicted to the
Monks as sinful reading. Because Roger Bea-
con, the light OF the middle ages, tried some
experiments in science he was accused of
practising magic, and imprisoned by two pages
Nicholas the third and fourth in the famous
decree Of March 8, lGl6 against the system OF
Corpcrnicus, sixty-nine years after the first ad-
dition oithe De Rooluionbus, il is called tdLsdf-
Ia docrind PythGgorica diama ddpeoSens. That
is, false pythagorica doctrine, or system, SO
contrary TO the sacred Scriptures. Even at a
later period Kepleis Laws encountered the
same prohibition in Protestant Germany. Those
learned men must have understood the Scrip
lures to some purpose, when they prevented
by their pious zeal all that was useful TO man
kind.
Most certainly as far as the sciences have
been studied by minds capable of calculating
their principles, their uses to mankind have
been Of the utmost Importance. The man who
first by meditation, and study, caught the idea
Of steam machienry from noticing the lid OF
tea-kette 10 be born up frequently by the
steam, had to apply msefassidiously TO study
a long time before the steam engine was pro-
duced and who can calculate the lasting bene-
fits the world has produced for the benefit OF
its inhabitants from the introduction of this
one branch of mechanical science.
GLENNG ANE.