The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-09-14
PROF. TYNDALL ON MATERIANIsM.

Fichte. In his lectures on the Vocation of the
Scholar" insisted on a cultuTe for the scholar
which should not be oue.sided, but al-sided
His intellectual nature was to expand spheri'
cally, and not In o single direction. In one
direction, however, Fichte required that the
scholar should apply himself directly 10 nature,
become a creator of knowledge, and thus repay
by original labors of his own the immense deot
he owed to the labors OF others. 1t was theee
which enabled him. to supplement- me kno y
ledge derived from his own researches, 80 as to
render his culture rounded and not one
sided. Fcbte's idea is to some extent Illus
frafed by the Constitution and the labors
of the British Association. Partly through
mathem atical and party through experimental
research, physical science has OF late years
assumed a momentous position in the world.
Both in a. material and in an lntelectual point
OF view it has produced, and 1t is destined to
produce, immense changes, vast social amelio-
rations, and vast alterations in the popular con:
Ception OF the origin, rule, and governance OF
things. Miracles are wrought by science in the
physical world, while philosophy is forsakng its
ancient metaphysical channels and pursuing
those opened or indicated by scientific research.
This must become more and more the case as
philosophic writer's become more deeply imbued
with the methods of science, better acquainted
with the facts which scientific men have won,
and with the great theories which they have
elaborated. IF you look at the face OF a watch,
you see the hour aud mlnutehands, and possibly
also q secondhand, moving over the graduated
dial. Why do these hands move and why are
their relative motions such as they are observed
to be? These questions cannot be answered
without opening the, watch, mastering
its various parts, and ascerlaining their
relationship to each other. When this is done,
we find that the observed motion of the hands
follows of necessity from the inner mechanism
of the watch when acted upon by the force
invested In the spring. This motion OF the
hands may be called phenomenon of art, but
the case is similar with the phenomena of
nature. These also have their inner mechanism,
and their store of force to set that mechanism
going. The ultimate problem of physical sci
ence is to reveal this mechanism, to discern this
store, and to show that from the combined
action of both the phenomena OF which they
constitute the basis must OF necessity how. l
thought that an attempt to give you even brief
and sketchy illustration of the manner in which
scientific thinkers regard this problem would
not be unlnteresting TO you on the present
OCCASION; more especially as it will give me
occasion TO say 9, word or two on the tenden--
cies and limits of modern science, to point
out the region which men of science claim as
their own, and where it is mere waste of
time to, oppose their, advance, aud also to
define, if possible, the bourne between this and
that other region to which the questioning and
yearnings of the scientific intellect are directed
In vain But here your tolerance will be needed.
II was the American Emerson, think, who said
that it is hardly possible TO state any truth
strongly without apparent injury to some other
truth. Under the circumstances, the proper
course appears to bs to state both truths strong
ly, and allow each fair share in the formation
of the resultant conviction. For truth is often
of a dual character, taking the form of magnet
with two poles; and many of the differences
which agitate the thinking part of mankind are
to be traced to the excusiveness with which
different parties affirm one half of the quality in
forgettulness of the other half. But this wait
ing for the statement of the two sides
OF question implies patience. 1t i'm
plies resolution to suppress indignation
if the statement of the one half should
clash with our convictions, and not to suffer
ourselves to be unduly elated if the half state
ment should chime in with our views. 1t implies
determination to wait calmly for the statement
OF the whole before we pronounce judgment
either in the form of acquiescence or dissent.
This promised, let us enter upon our task There
have been writers who affirmed that the pyra-
and in his early youth Alexander Won Hum boldt
wrote an essay with the express object of retut-
ing this lotion. We now regard the pyramids as
the work of mems hands, aided probably by
machinery of which no record remains. We
picture to ourselves the sWarming workers toll
ing at those vast erections lifting the inert
stones, and, guided by the volition, the skill, and
possibly at times by the whip of the architect,
placing the stones in their proper positions.
The blocks in this case were moved by power
external TO themselves, and the final form of
the pyramid expressed the thought OF its human
builder. Let us pass from this illustration of
building power to another of different kind.
When solution of common salt ID slowly
evaporated, the water which holds the salt in
solution disappears, but the salt itself remains
behind. At a certain stage of concentration
the salt can no longer retain the LIQUID form;
Its particles, or molecules, as they are called,
begin to deposit themselves as minute solids-so
minute, indeed, as to defy all microscopic
power. As evaporation continues solIdidcation
goes on, and we finally obtain, through the
clustering together of innumerable molecules,
mite mass OF salt of definite form, WHAT
Is this form 1t sometimes seems a mimicry OF
the architecture Of Egypt. We have little
pyramids built by the salt, terrace above ter
race from base to apex, forming thus series of
steps resembling those up which the Egyptian
traveller is dragged by his guides. The human
mind is as little disposed to look at these
pyramidal salt-crystas without further ques-
tlon, rs to look at the pyramids of Egypt
without inqulrlpg whence they came
How, then, are those salt-pyramds built up!
Guided by analogy, you may suppose that.
the salt, there is an invisible population, guided
and coerced by some invisible master, and
placing the atomic blocks in their positions.
This, however, is not the scientific idea, nor do
think your good sense will accept 1t as likely
one. The scientific idea is, that the molecules
act upon each other without the Intervention of
slave labor; that they attract each other and
repel each other at certain definite points, and
In certain definite directions; and that the pyra-
midal form is the result of this play of attrac-
Egypt were laid down Sby power external to
themselves, these molecular blocks of salt are
self-posited, being fixed in their places by the
forces with which they act upon each other. l
take common salt as an illustration because it
1s so familiar to US all; but almost any other
substance would answer my purpose equally
well. In fact throughout inorganic nature, we
have this formative power, as Fichte would
call it-this structural energy ready to
come into play, and build the ultimate
particles OF matter into de6ninite shapes.
AZ is present everywhere. The ice of our winters
ana Oh our polar regions is its handiwork; and so
equally are the quartz, telspar, and mica of our
rocks. Our chalk beds are for the most part
composed OF minute shells, which are also the
product of structural energy; but behind the
shell, as whole, lies the result of another and