New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-06-18

il is much moro strongly marked among those who
have small heads. The general scientific position OF
the smalheaded and large headedmen seems equally
good bnt the fact is conspicuous that oft OF thirteen
of the former there only two or three who have
not remarkable energy and ont OK eight of the Latter
there is only ore who has. a combination OF great
energy and great intellectual capacity - the most
effective Of all conditions but like the combination
Of swiftness and strength in muscular powers, II Is
very rare.
Excellent health is another quality which NJ.
Gallon has found to exist TO a remarkable degree
among scientific men, considering that the majority
are of middle aud many of them of advanced ages.
One-quar.er of those who have furnished returns
state that they have excellent very good health
a second quarter have good fair. third have had
GOOD health siuce they attained manhood. aud only
one-quarter made complaints or reservations. One
correspondent writes: "Only absent from protes-
sional duties two days in thirty years; only two
headaches in MY life" Another correspondent, who
is between seventy and eighty years OF age writes
Never III for than two or three days, except
with neuralgia no surgical operation except nnocu
lation drawing of one TOOTH and cutting of corns."
Sir Henry Holland never had serious illness Til
his last He might be seen in all climates. in the
arctic regions the tropics. on the parties or the
pyramids, in precisely The came attire-fhe black
dress coat in which he hurried from house to house
in Mayfair There was not a day. probably not an
hour i'm his life when he could not boast of a sound
condition. both physical and mental, and without
headache or heartache he attained the extraordinary
age of eighty-sx.
Steady perseverance, is quality that is noted in
almost every instance. There is not case in which
impulsivencss is acknowledged by single physicist
chemist or meclanican. Practical business habits
are so common not to be considered exceptions TO
the prevailing rule. Among the authors correspond
ents no fewer than seventeen were active heads of
great commercial undertakings. There were ten
medical men in the highest ranks Of practice, and
eighteen Others who have flied important medical
posts. Only two correspondents speak Of being de-
fcent IN business capacities. Both these piys-
cists The following quotation goes to show that
success in science depends the sane conditions as
success i'm other walks of life: attribute all the
knowledge have acquired, and any Success l may
have had, chiefly 10 these qualities, all OF which
believe ] have inherited. First, independence OF
Judgment which prompted me to learn for myself
what wanted to know. Secondly, carnestncss, de-
termination, and perseverance, in acquiring snch
knowledge often under difficulties and in the face
of routine business occupations and thirdly, bust
ncss-lihc practical, logical way If looking at things
which enabled me 10 direct attention to tho inipor-
tant and relevant, neglecting the unimportant and
irrelevant parts, Isl what had TO study and do'
Mr.. Cation presents several interesting details in
regard to tho faculty of memory in scientific men,
showing that it is an important element of sci
entific abity. bat not an essential in n high
degree About onc-quartcr of the on his list
are remarkable for its great Development while
il is defective in about case i'll fourteen. good
memory is of more consequence to the young stu
| dent who has much TO learn than to the adyapced
| philosopher who has chiefly to reflect. and vino
| knows where 10 refer for information. Memory
is usually defective in persons of small ability, but
not invariably So and even among idiots it may be
charp Mrs. S0nervle relates the case of two IDIOTS,
one of whom could repeat the sermon word for
word on returning home from church, aud the other
knew the Bible 50 perfectly that if he was asked
where such verse WIS to be found could tell with
out hesitation and repeat the chapter In some Of
the eported to Mr. Cation the writer could retain
poetry after two perus;tls, and learned it
seldom forgattcn; or after reading a lecture
speech Of an hours duration, could rccollcct the
words as written for eight or ten days or conld
repeat considerable parts of the Had and Odys-
sew with an abundance Of names in zo0lOgy, botany,
mincralogy, and plaeCnt0logy Others had almost
no verbal memory at all, but recalled facts that
would fit into any chain Of reasoning; bad memory
for names dates, but clearly retained the princi
! PIES Of physical science; excellent memory for
Gent and modern history. The power of rccolect-
! ing multitude of barbaTous Names which all nat
uralsts must possess in a considerable degree and
which seems so wonderful to those who are not nat
uralists, is by means in proportion 20 the emf
hence in scientific altainmeuts.
Independcnce Of character which has been already
referred to as condition Of scientific success APPEARS
IL be almost universal among scientific men. Fifty
Of Mr. Cations correspondents show that they POS
il in excess Willie in only two is it below par.
The home atmosphere which the scientific men
breahed in their youth was generally saturated with
the spirit Of independence. One writer says: Ny
father was Liberal when Liberalism then styled
Jaeobnism highly obnoxious, an early de-
nouncer of slavery and advocate of religious
liberty freetrlder when the world protection
ist and an opponent Of unrighteous war when war
was most popular" II is remarkable how many emf
nent men Of science haze been brought up among
obscure and Questionable religious sects. Dalton,
the discoverer of the atomic theory, and Young ffe
undulaioIy theory Of light, were borh quolsers.
Faraday Sandemanian. There are numerous
cases of Quaker pedigree. There are many Mora
vals, and more UnitariaDs. The religious feeling
of scientific men, says the author, is necessarily Of
a peculiar character They are probably more occu-
pied with eligious ideas than the generality of
people Their tendency is doubtless to take philo-
sophie view Of life. They are apt t. disregard the
transient aud petty events which absorb the aticn-
ton Of inferior minds, and TO feel most at peace
when their thoughts rpasng on the broader as
poets Of the moral and material world. The ques-
tons addressed by Mr.. Gallon to bis correspondents
were ia general terms inguirng whether they pos
sesscd a strong eligiOus bias. Most, if not all Of
tie answers indicated great indifference to dogma
aud perfect exemption from mysterious terror. The
author inferred from their remarks connected with
their energetic temperament and beautiful
physiouc that few OF them had strong