The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1870-07-14

Each OF Itself, with II powers, properties
and uses in the affairs Of life. has expanded
into science and risen to m Importance IN
i the;business O. life that makes them spe'
cialties of study, and clothes them WIZ
all the dignity that formerly surrounded
what was called the learned professions
Consider the WORK that is now performed
for us by these agent Of naturc-measure It.
That which the united power OF oil tile
men and cattle on the lace of the earth
could do cannot be compared With that
which is performed by one alone OIL these
agencies and as for that which is per.
formed by the other, no mechanical nor hui
man powers can accomplish. Servants, they
are to do for us that which we cannot dc
for ourselves.
The Uses which scc.a- enables men to
make of these new f.. and properties
individuas 1--WE in part ,1r;' greatest Mate
rial benef,, society - rcinement= ma
tons their .1wer and r:usperlty; AID the
world its high degree q r:vilization: yet
notwithstanding this, Their. are institutions
of learning IN which the c:irriculum and the
chairs reIlaia at this LAY much rs they
were before man had learned TO harness
any Of thosc forces o! nature and to bring
thenPinto lis service.
The application OF rn. -fc@l r res to me-
chanical purposes COZ nt"s - r: means
the only powers or the rn,, -&"3r-sa'llg pro,
cesses whiC,, in the lro-Gr-s 81 rhyslca
| discoveries, have reccnt'y ,.;j:,t - .. ch to
the powers OF man. I'!i2 ia''3r-savn2S pro-
cesses and tle benefits 10 Lie ;lu.lai1 i"'n!ly
resulting from the Giscu"Gil"1 Ii r"",.;istry
are not one whit les iAlfort:;i.f 20 our we'll
being and niateria! delight fn"n those
arising from the new applications OF such
physical force us steam, WIllG, "GaVltatlon,
| and water-to mechanical purposes.
IN readjusting our southern system OF
| education shall it not be such rs to invest
our ycrlng men with all t!ie power which
knowledge of these thing n impart! Let
| il ! short of this and tic ieremost among
them ,-ill, when they 60 road, be sub
iected to the humiliation u; indinS them
selves. whenever they attend he assemblies
! of the wise meu of other lards, not in the
| presc1. ,e of neers in knowledge, but at the
| feet of masters and teachers.
If il ne so with our foremost men IN
knowle,i re. how will it be with the rank
and tile. Would you have an example ana
a warning rs TO the lot that awaits IN" peo.
ple who signully fl 10 teach what urge I
Then look at spain and all Spanish coun-
tries. One hundred years ago SPIN was
one Of the Great Powers, and Salamanca
one of the most if noi -" most renowned
university in the WDr!,t. Buckle tells us
that il has not been onf i!l'iitred years ago
since that famous in,tltl -"". publicly re-
fused to alloy. the discoveries OF NeWtons
TO be taught there; physical science was
IGNORED in ali he Spanish universities. Now
visit that grand old country, or Mexico, or
any of its American sclons, and what 90
YOU sec. The first thing in their social
nspocts that strikes the traveller is the rude
state of industry. They plough with u
stick, reap with hook, saw with an axe,
and grind with the neither milestone on the
knee. They know, nothing, practically,
about these newly discovered forces OF ma
ture. OF course, then, they cannot call
them into their service,
They are behind the times not because
they themselves have refrigerated in t!l9ir
system of education, and got behind in That
way, but because the times have gone
ahead of them. They have neglected 10
teach their youth the newly-discovered
laws Of nature and properties OF matter.
They have moved slowly along III the paths
of progress while other pupils, moving
with quicker step, have passed them.
Unless our instructions in knowledge As
to the laws of nature and the properties OF
matter be such as 20 give force to the brain,
nerve to the muscles, and skill to the hand,
we must be content to remain hcwers of
wood and drawers of water TO other peO1
pies But your ain, gentlemen, Is to plant
our educational goal not where other pco-
pies already stand, but little in advance,
so as to lead our youth to the utmost verge
of human knowledge.
Let it not be fixed zen there, Jut let IT
be so adapted that Us the horizon O: lysi-
cal research is enlarged By discovery nay,
as we climb and make that horizon Ger,
push it further and further, eve: reSt.". Oh
the boundaries Of the unknown
Nothing short Il Il system . 49,. ton
with powers of expansion Slici. -. tiiuSe
will suit the wants of our ptoI'l... >;lch a
system concerns rich &iAd poor :!Lih Tor IT
touches every one who earns DrcaG n the
sweat OF an honest brow. Look over the
country, and consider tiI: condition OF our
people.
What is 1t that most of them have to sell!
After all, the most marketable mmodlty
among lis is human bone and S..JW--mus"
cular strength. And for mere muscular
strength the market is-r lin the increase
ofpopulation, especially in countries already
thickly settled-becoming. from one gene
ration to another, less and less active, the
demand smaller, and the price lower. In
time it will be SO here, too: and all this in
consequence of what phys:c.,! research nd
discovery are doing and Hiil vet do---not
only in the way of mechanical achic e.
mentS, but in the way OF chemical refine
ment and improvement in other depart
mentS.
Itwould be cat ofplace, "vcnlfL were pre-
pared, either to enumcrai" these discoveries
or explain those processes. an alluSiOn to
q few Of the achievements III chemistry
alone-some of them quite recent, but ali Of
them within living memoTy--Wli serve at
1anc tn s,fs hoy hi a nm
is the field which Ia: been added - The area
of human knowledge, and how. iuport"Dt it
is that our system Of education Should he 20
altered as not only to includ" Tie ptaI;ic;ll
application to the arts and indl!>iIles ol tle
most approved chemical processes, but 70
keep pace with the advances in this anu al
other branches Of physical knowledge, and
to contribute our part to them also.
Coal had been used for generations before
it was discovered that it contained a gas
that mich be used with advantage for light
ing our streets and houses.
b. so using ii, other hum,l industries,
such as those connected with the deep-sea
fisheries and the preparation oi animal fats
for candles and lamps, were vastly affected,
After the gas was obtained, there was,
besides the coke, refuse, consisting OF coal
tar and coal srater, which we tor long
time considered nuisances and we'll nigh
useless, but chemistry has discovered in
them most valuable substances. ..
From coal water we get fertilizers, which
supply our grain Win aliLnen1tary lnsr;ef,dl,
form we use it for cand!,S, ana In the liquid
for lamps. We get, al~', ihuriatcS, sui
pilates, and carbonate O. mntonia. eleven
thousand tons of these three substances, in
the aggregate, are annually obtained from
the coal water alone in England, to be