Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1868-12-16
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Inventive genius, by being forced into
narrower spheres Of action every year,
naturally devotss itself to the develop.
ment Of new channels Of discovery
within those spheres. Where an indi-
vidual stood alone in a given field, years
ago, he now finds himself surrounded
by numerous workers quite as ardent as
himself; and where he then sought for
some general principle he now seeks for
different individual opportunities, ad-
hitting Of its application for some utii-
izing object. With the invention Of
steam, for example, follows the in
vention of an endless number Of ways in
which steam can DO usefully applied for
the promotion Of industry in every
known direction. Great cardinal dis
coveries lead to the exercise of inventive
spirit for their minor application, wher-
ever 1t may prove profitable. Were 1t
not for this the field of invention would
be q very restricted one. There is this
difference between the condition Of that
field in the past and Its condition at
present, that in former years It was
visited by few, owing to the limited dif-
fusion of those orders Of knowledge
leading to invention and aiding it, while
now the active, and extensive, and in-
creasing dissemination of information
upon all subjects has brought a multi
tude of inventive minds into unremit-
ting service.
Invention has now become n calling,
and one to which tue best powers arc
devoted for q whole lifetime. One has
but to inquire into the dOings OF the
patent branch of the government service
at Washington to realize the immense
strides which invention has taken IN
this country alone, the army who are
engaged in invention, and the degree OF
elaboration that invention is giving to
the principles contained in leading dis
coveries. As truth is pronounced to be
indestructible, so do these principles,
which may be said to be included
within the domain of universal truth
appear to be .~inexhaustible in their ca
pacity for application to the varied
wants Of mankind. 1t requires great
minds for tho discovery of great scien.
ti6c truths, hidden from the common
perception and mystifed by attending
phenomena; but those minds, though
possessing the genius necessary for dis
covery, are for the most part wholly
incapable of giving practical application
to the principles they involve with such
uuerriug accuracy in theory.
For such an application minor minds
are required, and it is u question which
Of tho two classes are Of the most bene-
fit to mankind, those who discover and
leave their discoveries uuapplied, and
therefore serviceless, or those who take
them up and give them substantial APP
p~lication iu some solid and lasting
shape, e1erting influence upon the gen.
eral progress of the world in civilization
and otherwise. Invention is but another
term for civilization. Its future may
not be told, but there is every reason 10
suppose that the world will be blessed
with new and great discoveries in SCI
ence in time to come as il has been in
time past. The underlying principles
which have contributed to the progress
of this age seem to determine this as
true. The wants Of those generations
that are destined to succeed US will
more than likely be met by the achieve
ments of inventions as our own have
been. Necessity, we are told, is the
mother Of invention, and the experience
of all ages shows that it is in the pres
ence Of actual emergency that the high
est powers Of the human mind are put
forth. II this be true in tho present
age, how much more so is it likely to be
in one enjoying more extended knowl-
edge than we do ourselves.