New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-11-17

leges for an explanation. But we must not forpa
that many of these humiliating accusations An
made by persons who are not of authority in thu
matter who, because they are ignorant of what
has been done, think that nothing has been done
They mistake what is merely blank in their own
information for blank in reality In their alacrity
to deprecate the merit Of their own country most
unpatriotic alacrity, they would have rs confess
that for the last century have been living on TIA
reputation of Franklin and his thunder-rod.
Perhaps then, we may without vanity recall some
facts that may relieve us in measure from the
weight of this heavy accusation. We have sent out
expeditions of exploration both to the Arctic and
Antarctic seas. We have submitted our own coast
TO photographic and yeOdesic survey, not eycelled
in exactness and extent by any similar works else
where. In the accomplishment of this we have
been compelled to solve many physical problems CT
the greatest decacy and highest Importance, and
we have done it successfully. The measuring rod,
with which the three great base lines of Maine
Long Island, Georgia, were determined and theiff
beautiful mechanical appliances, have exacted the
publicly expressed admiIa alton of some OF the great
est European philosophers, and the conduct Of that
survey their unstinted applause. We have IN.
sttuted geological surveys of many Of our
States and much Of our territories, and have
been rewarded not merely by manifold local bene-
fits but also by the higher honor of extending very
greatly the boundaries of that noble science. At an
enormous annual cost we have maintained meteor.
illogical signal system. which think is not equaled
and certainly not surpassed in the world. Should
it be said that selfish interests have been mixed up
with some of these undertakings, we may demand
whether there was any sefshness in the survey of
the Dead Seal Was there any seltishness in that
mission that a citizen of New-York sent to equat0-
rial Africa for the finding and relief Of Livingstone
any in the astronomical expedition to South Amer
lea any in that to the valley of the Amazoni Was
there any in the sending out OF parties for the OBJ
servaon of the total ecpses of the SUM- 1t was by
American astronomers that the true character Of his
corona was first determined Was there any in the
seven expeditions that were dispatched for obsery-
ing the transit of Venusi Was It not here that the
b-parition of Bielas comet was first detested here
that the eighth satellite of Saturn discovered,
here that the dusky ring of that planet, which had
escaped the penetrating eye OF Herschel and all the
great European astronomers, was inst scent Was
it not by an American telescope that the companion
of Sirius, the brightest star I'D the heavens was re-
vealed and Che mathematical prediction of the
cause Of his perturbations verifedf Was it not by
a Yale College professor that the showers
of shooting stars were first scientifically dis
cussed, on the occasion of the grand Amer
G 1881 display bGY w of h aos' on IN the n1
tons respecting terrestrial magnetism instituted
by European governments at the suggestion OF Hum
boldt and contribute our quota to the results OBJ
tanned Did not the Congress of the United States
vote money grant to carry into effect the invention
of the electric telegraph Does not the published
been done in botany Have not very important
Investigations been made here on the induction Of
magnetism in iron, the effect OF magnetic currents
on one another, the translation OF quality into In
tensity and the conyersei Was il not here that tho
radiations of incandescence were first investigated
the connection Of increasing temperature with IL.
creasing refrangbiiity shown, the distribution Of
light heat and chemical activity in the solar spec
trum ascertained, and some of the fundamental
facts in spectrum analysis developed long before
general attention was given TO that subject IN
Europes Here the first photograph of the moon was
TAKEN here the first of the dracf1on spectrums was
produced here the first portraits OF the human face
were madc-an experiment that has given rise TO an
important industrial art
OF our own special science chemistry, it may truly
he affirmed that nowhere are its most advanced
ideas its new conceptions, better understood moro
eagerly received. But how useless would it be for
Inc to attempt description in these few moments
of what Prof Sllliman, in the work TO which
| have already referred found that he could
not include on moro than 100 closely
printed pages though he proposed merely to
give the names Of American chemists and the
titles Of their works. Ii would be equally useless
and indeed an inyidious task to offer selection;
but this may be said, that among the more promi-
pent memoirs there are many not inferior TO the
foremost that the chemical literature of Europe can
present How unsatisfactory then this brief state
ment | have made of what might be justly claimed
for American scence Had 10 been ten times as
long and far forcibly offered, it would still
have fallen short of completeness. | still should
have been open the accusation of not having done
Have those who gloat over the shortcomings of
American science examined the coast survey
reports those Of the Naval Observatory, the Smith.
ton for the Advancement of Science, the proceed
ings 81 the American Academy Of Arts and Science,
those OF tlt American IUlioAopilt1l Cuclctg, tuo
Lyceum Of Natural History, and our leading sclen-
tIiic periodicalsi Have they ever looked at the
Inerous reports Published by the authority of Con-
press on geographical geological, engineering, and
other subjecIs-repOrts often IN imposing quarters
magniliccntly illustrated.
Not without interest may we explore the origin OF
the depreciation of which complain. In other
counties il is commonly the case that each claims
for itself all that it can, and often moro than is its
due. Each labors to bring ITS conspicuous men and
is public acts INTO the most favorable point of view;
each the maxim that man
is usually valued at the value. he puts upon
himself. But how. is 1t with usf Can an
impartial person read without pain the characters
which we SO often attribute to our most hiustrons
citizens in political, and what is worse, in social
lief Can complain il strangers accept as at our
own depreciation, whether of men or thingsl
We need 20 far 20 detect the origin OF all this
1t in our political condition. Here wealth, power,
prefermont-preferment even TO The highest position
i'm the naton-arc seemingly within the reach OF au,
and in the intemecine struggle THAI takes place
every man il occupied in pushing some other man
into the background. 1 fear that IA poiitIIea ne 10
The connection, so great the prizes at stake.
But in the loss turbulent domain of science and let
teTs we may hope for better things. Ana those VINO
make il their practice 10 decTy the contributions OF
their own country to the stock of knowledge may
perhaps stand rcbuked by the expressions that
sometimes fall from her generous rivals How can
they read without bushing at their own eonduct
such declarations rs that recently uttered by the
great organ of English opinion, the foremost OF Tn
glish journals The Tines which no one viii accuse
OF Partially in this instance, says In the natural
distribution of subjects, the history of enterprise,
discovery and conquest and the growth Of republics
fell TO America and she has dealt nobly with them
In the wider and multfarious provinces Of art aud
science she runs neck and neck with the mother
country and is never left bchlndF
ENCOURAGEMENT FOR MEN OF SCIENCE,
There are among us some persons who deprecate
science merely through ilterato arrogance there
are seme who. melted by superfeiality. dislike it;
there are some who regard it with an evil eye be-
cause they think it is undermining the placid tran
guilty they find in lifelong cherished opinions.