The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1879-11-12
SCIENCE.
ITS Relations to Human Progress.

NO. VII.
Written for The Florida Agriculturist, by Profess
sor ]. H. Fowler.
According to the distinguished phi
losophical historian, Buckle, "the pro-
gress of science, without which there
could be no history,is coincident with
the advance in civilization; but the
action begins with science, and the
reaction only comes from external
causes" The reaction comes also
from an internal tendency to imita-
ton or repetition, producing persist.
ent habits of thought and action.
This automatic activity tends to
intellectual death, just as in the
physical world, the force which sets
in motion the pendulum, uniting
with gravitation produces tendency
to reverberate in the same arc. But
the arc is constantly shortened by
external resistance, until the pendu-
lum comes to rest unless the original
impulse be renewed. So, when the
human intellect receives q new i'm.
pulse, to make original research and
lengthen the arc OF knowledge the
conservative force which is, SO to
speak, intellectual gravitation, or
attraction towards the center of the
sum of previous knowledge, unites
with this original impulse and pro.
duces perpetual repetition or re-
verberation and thus establishes
custom, in blind obedience to which
the original impulse becomes lost or
more properly speaking is overcome
by the inertia of resisting media,
such as the animal appetltes and pas
sions tending to luxury and sensual
ism OF every sort.
Again, in the organic world, there
is everywhere tendency to exhaust
in the process of growth or multiple
cation, the. potential, reproductive
/ vitality of the individual consequent
ly the original generative impulse is
perpetually required to keep up a
succession of individuals or contir-
uance of the species.
Hume, who mingles much sound
philosophy, in his excellent "History
| VI
"The rise, progress, perfection and
decline of art and science are curious
objects of contemplation, and inti-
mately connected with narration of
civil transactions. The events of
no particular period can be account
ed for, but by considering the de-
grees of advancement which men
have reached in these particulars" :"
There is a point of depression as
we'll as OF exaltation from which hu.
man affairs naturally return in con.
trary direction and beyond which
they seldom pass either in their ad.
vancement or decline.
DIR. Draper, another distinguished
philosophic historian and scientist,
says:
"The history of science is not a
mere record of isolated discoveries,
it is narrative OF the two contend
ing powers the expansive force of
the human intellect on one side and
the compression arising from tradi.
tionary faith and human interests on
the other"
This "traditionary faith" is really
that blind confidence in authority
and custom generated by the contin-
ued repetition of pronounced ideas
and acts; and which increases the
desire or tendency to still continue
the repetition. 1t is the momentum
of habit, and to this, human interests
necessarily become united, present
ing the most powerful resistance to
Innovation.
In the light OF these principles we
turn to history. Here we find
elimination of intellectual expansion
coincident with the supremacy OF
the Roman Empire about the COM
mencement of the Christian era. We
find also an epoch of greatest intellect
ual compression and ignorance, CO.
eval with the exaltation of the Ro-
man Pontiff above all the civil
authorities of Europe in the time Of
Pope Alexander II and of the Nor
man Conquest about the middle OF
the eleventh century.
Hume Hist. Eng.) says: