Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1874-09-16
PRoF. TYNpALLs ADDRESS.


While opinion may be divided as to
the matter of the late address of the
retiring President of the British Assoc
citation for the AdvaucementofSc Science,
all are agreed as to its merits as a liter
airy production. Il is one Of the finest
specimens of English composition it
has been our pleasure to read fora long
time. For clearness of statement and
perspicuity of style, it stands as
model for addresses Of that particular
class. And to this clearness and per~
specuity, there is added q yigor and
terseuess that almost makes one feel
that he is reading one Of those mastery
essays of Carlyle, to whose trauscend~
ant genius the Professor refers in this
address, IN such an eloquent manner.
We see no reason to regret, as Prof.
Tyudall seems to DO, that this power
ul, but kuotty old Sco,chman did not
throw his great intellect into scientific
pursuits, for we have in the Professor
himself, the Carlyle of science, and
more perhaps besides. There is in him,
the vigorous intellect, the unwearied
search after truth, and the fearless eX-
posture Offs, that is so highly character
istic Of Carlyle, but there is also that
patience with opposition, that calm
consideration OF an opponents opin~
ions, and that careful weighing of all
facts pro and con that comes Of his sci.
entfc training, which Carlyle has
never been accused Of possessing.
There is also an enthusiasm run.
ming through the whole of this ad
dress, as in fact it does through all his
writings, that assumes frequently the
form OF the highest eloquence, and
sometimes even poetry.
How can high and noble thoughts,
and aspirations be more eloquently
put forth than in the following ez-
tracts?
would set forth equally the path of
knowledge, and the uuqueuchGble claims
of his emotional nature which the under
standing can never satisfy. The world en-
braces not only q Newton, buta Shakespeare ;
not only q Boyle, but @ Raphael; not only
Kant, but Beethoven; not only Oar
/ win, but a Carlyle. Not in each Of these,
/ but in all, is human nature whole. They
are not opposed, but supplementary; not
mutually exclusive, butreconcila5le. And
/ if, still unsa:ished, the human mind, with
| the yearning of a pilgrim for his distant
/ home, will turn to the mystery from which
| it has emerged, seeking so to fashion it as
| to give unity to thought and faith-so long
as this is DONE not only without intoler-
ance or bigotry of any kind, but with the
| enlightened recognition that ultimate tiXity
| ofcOnception is here unattainable, and that
/ each succeeding age must be held free to
| fashion the mystery in accordance with its
/ own need, then, in opposition to all the re-
! strictions of materialism, | would affirm
| this to be a field for the noblest exercise of
| what, in contrast with the knowing facul>
| ties, may be called the creative faculties OF
man.
What grander conception Of human
nature can there be than that? rs the
Professor himself remarked, "there is
no rank materialism here.n
He once delivered an address
on what he called the scientific
use of imagination, showing
the legitimate use Of the imaginative
faculty in scientific pursuits. He here
showed the close alliance between poe
try and science, and proved himself ia
be half a poet. What a beautiful poet
ic idea is contained in the closing
sentence of this last address: Here
however, I must Quit a theme toe
great for me to handle, but which will
be handled by the Hottest minds age:
after you and I, like streaks of morn
ing cloud, shall have melted into the
infinite azure of the past"