, 1875-04-04
WHAT WE OWE TO SCIENCE.

than church-fairs.
WHAT WE OWE TO SCIENCE.
1 Readers Of BUCKLE Will remember thai
| able, intolerant, and partial authors famous
argument that, since religious truths do no.
| change and intellectual ideas do, an progress
must be due to intellectual advancement.
DRApEE, whose mind closely resembles
BUCKLES, takes very nearly the same view.
It is not our purpose, however, to compare,
with him, the relative influence Of theology
and science upon human advancement, but
simply to show what the condition Of man.
| discoveries OF the last three centuries-those
since the Reformation made when the
human intellect was unfettered after an en-
chainment Of twelve long, dark, dreary Gen.
| t11ries
| In the first place, then, we should have no
blast furnaces, rolling mills, Or steel-worls,
| and no steam-engine. The one made by
| Hero, 100 years before Christ, was mere
| toy. Modern sciences rediscovered and ap-
piled the forgotten principle. The steam
engine does our pumping, Wearing spinning,
drilling, mining, transportation by land and
sea, and thousands Of other useful things for
U.s. That is, it has enabled Us to do an in
with much smaller amount Of labor. With
out it, the comparatively small population Of
the earth would be almost wholly engaged in
producing food. The area of settlement
would be almost confined to sea-boards and
the valleys Of navigable waters. There is
scarcely Inconvenience Of modern life which
is not partly due to steam-power. We should
have almost no time for mental improvement.
The struggle for mere existence would absorb
our every tenergy.
Without printing, books, save the costly
manuscripts OF the mediaeval monks, would
be unknown There would be practically no
means Of reaching the intellect Of the masses
The daily newspaper, the flower and fruit Of
modern progress, would not exist. Knowl-
edge would creep slowly and painfully into
being. Railroads. and telegraphs, and steam
boats, by annihilating distance, make great
nations possible, but they do so by carrying
knowledge from one point to another. We're
printing still unknown, every so-cal1ed nation
would be bundle Ct petty principaGties,
speaking different dialects and often differ
ent tongues, and with nothing but vague
sentiment Of reverence for an unknown cen
tra1 power to bind them together. The fail
bonds would often snap.
Without science, We would have no saw
mill and so no wooden floors, no cheap and
comfortable houses- Without the scientific
improvements in the manufacture Of glass,
our dwellings would have no windows, and
could not be lighted Without the scientific
invention Of chimneys, the smoldering peat
or wood-fres in the centre Of dirty earthen
floors would make health and clean1in ess i'm
possible. Without science, We should have
no paved or lighted streets, no drains, no
sewers, no gas, no looking glasses, nd clocks,
no stoves, no white bread, no forks, no tea,
no coffee, no sugar, no carpets, no spring |
cabs or hacks, no agricultural machinery
worth the name, no insurance companies OF |
fire engines, no vaccination, no surgical or |
medical skill, no scientific instrumentg,-
the implements Of constant advance,-
no post-of6ce, no advertisements, con- |
very little business; 10 rational |
methods Of treating crime, pauperiism, and |
ignorance, scarcely any Of. our countless
or the countless machines
which make them possible. Woman would
be- deprived Of the sewing machine, and man |
Of the power loom. Rocks would not be
torn by powder, nor could tunnels be
3riven through the bowels Of mountains.
Our lives would be ope-third shorter, We
should be ignorant Of the wonderful revela-
ions Of geology, and Of animate and inani-
nate chemistry, Of natural philosophy, hy-
1rostatica, pneumatics, heat, light, electricity,
md correlation Of forces and conservation Of
,nergy. There would be no America, save
continent abandoned to savage misery in the
forth and south, and barbarous, cruel mag
ufeence in the centre.
We have sketched little part Of the eco
lomicd gifts Of science to modern man
Ye have scarcely touched upon her intellec-
un1 gifts. Yet this brief catalogue is 80
that the passionate zeal for SCI
nee which reallyrules the world to-day seems
easonab1e and right There is truth in the
aging Of the witty Bosto1,ian who preferred
literature p1 u 10 science purblind y;
,ut the reason for progress in the present
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