Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1881-03-28
COMMUNICATED.
A. MILFORD E5sil-Problcm of Euman
life, &c,

Like, GU.
| an atq laiuted With ihs Messrs. Stansbury,
aud believe them to be reliable stove 6eaers
and to be COED ju 'Ges Of the relative merits of
suoh articles IS srpsrtain to that trade.
As between than aud Professor TSndall.
however, 90 a question OF comparative oompe-
tcrce to retfarn delicate experiment in phya
sizes, 10 perform it skilifully. 10 manner which
should exclude tho operation of all but known
nnd apprec'abIe CAUSES. the decision, l think,
should DO adverse to "Messrs. SALISBURY &
BIO. IMcBurnty's Buileiog. |"
Tho specially OF the latter is, brofessadly,
s;oves; the specially CT The fc,msr is tho very
nstter in judgm,nt.
Equal honesy beog supposed, that the pre-.
sumption Is 10 favor of the Professor, as The
more re liolc cZ2er!men.er, is but modest at
Gfmatiou.
| may DO parioDed. therefore, if l am somt~
what scepicsl as to whether tho apparatus dc.
vis:d and operated BY the Messrs. Stansbury
and which they Will take pleasure in show
ing" ought to be held sufficient. as tho Rev.
Mr.. Dina idde maiotains, to EXPOSE Tyudsll
to the deriSion of al! thinking meo."
l might be even pardoned fer believing, that
the an!hinking meo, those whose opinions
have been received and s!eraogped 10 advance
of SOY serious thought upon tho sui iac.s to
which they relate, would stand most ready to
dtr.de, 90 the showing of tho Messr5. STAINS.
bury.
Tho assertions of A. Wilford Hall even
when supported by tho "actusl test furnished
by the apparatus Of "Mes:rl. S!ansbury g.
Bro. MoBurocy's BuildingI' will scarcely
avail with those wac have spy acquaintance at
all with Professor Tyndsl to convilt the latter
ell her ct d:llbsrato imposition or of gross inca.
pacitY.
Yet the e.i!icisms Of A. Wilfotd Hall seem
"deslructlVe.' only upon the assumption that
ono or the other Of these charges is tree.
The assumption Of Mr.. Hall is indeed he, 10
etfsot, dirtc ~ evers. that both are true.
The extracts furnished from his bock repro
sent the Pfofes)r IS deliberately imposing upon
bis sudiencs theory of sound which he knew
to be itdsfensibe and absurd, and SO support
log it by experiments which be himself must
have seen. AID which any average intelligence
could not tsll TO see We're transparent cheateries
aud tricks.
Possibly the views ard theories Of Tyndal
abound 10 orrtr-this much, however, no one
cu'i led to hold 90 opinion on tho point will
de0y, to Wit, that be is thoroughly imbued With
tho genuine spirit Of philosophy, tho essence of
Ehlch consl1ts IL earG(s, desire for truth, will
lnenes5 to accept it from whatever qusrer the
eVld, no, ct it may come. patient, impartial at
tcntion to every asoertaine biz fscs and argu
maut which mak:s against opinions already
held. aad readiness at al times to yield or re-
form them, % the light Of advancing Knowledge
| CAV require.
Problems. sach as thosg Si,h which he deals
aad when enter 81 largely into the" Problem Of
Human Life" demand for .r profitable in
v:s;iGatiou the temper of nj: d which this phil.
osophiu spirit implies.
Inexpensive rhetoric and s,coudc!ass ssr
cam, freely iGtefspersed with notes of ezcla.
m,tion, are nat 10 good keeping with slch u-
VS.. Igalions-they tend n,i,hsT to solve diff, ul
Ties nor TO tortify conclusions.
Tho process Of h5lding one's Judgment in
suspense over complicated problem, of pa
tiensl5 gltheliog and Vii ching the egidsuoo on
either side, of SUI js,tiug ones own FIRST formed
! hypothesis to repeated velGoltiou, of clearly
oomprebeLdiog and fairly Stating opposing
views would saem process too plodding fer
an lnpulslVc rtarrc suoh az Mr.. Halls appears
to DO aud ORG not practically familiar to bin.
Ills apparent want Of familiarity With this
prccssi abstts. very much tho oon6deuc, with
which L could accept him as gude-might be
not prove seo,nd Joseph Cook?
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