Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1881-02-12

= tt&t y ~CN7ft ~ Att1 past otaA W.
| might be Ia the future, the scienti
I has nothing to do; content 10 woI
: ia his appointed field. fhe prese,.
} and 10 study his appropriate tex
book, the existing order Of Natur
Third--Another principle Of gre.
practical bearing, the failure to pc
ceive which in earlier ages sadI
retarded the progress Of natural SC
ence, and which even in our ow
day is NOT always faithfully kept
view, is this; that true science {
Nature f0unds alone upon the evi
dences of Nature herself. The re
iterated appeal to Nature can alon
supply the basis of fact upon whicl
! the .superstructure must be reared
Natures laws are not the result 0
the legislation of the assembled con
4 gress of the scientists Of all ages, no
is it the fruit Of q priori reasoning
The inductive method can alone
meet the demand, and this necessi
tates the frequent reference to Ma
tnre In proof or disproof Of assumed
theories. Whatever falls short o
such verification, while it may bs
useful as a working hypothesis, il
not and cannot be considered die
tum of science. The effort to war;
the testimony of Nature, for per
sonal ends, to establish preconceived
opinions, is as unworthy as it is lille
gitimate. Truth must be the su.
preme object, the guiding star Of the
student of Nature. Noaim short ol
this will give passport within her
sacred precincts.
Fourth-The last principle to be
presented is that Nature is a unit,
one and indivisible in space as in
time. Her domain is limitless-it
extends upwards and downwards,
forwards and backwards. The laws
of to-day were the laws OF. yesterday
and of bygone ages, and will be the
laws of tomorrow, and of the ages
to come. She stretches out herarm,
through the track of time, to touch
the eternity of the past she reaches
forth in the depths of the dim, dark
future, in search of the infinite be-
yond. And so, too, the present and
tangible in space is the type and
index of all the distant cosmical
realms, The mechanics and phys
les and chemistry of the earth viii
hold true for all the planets and ali
the worlds to the remotest bounds
of the stellar universe. Thus the
peopIing stars of space are all bound
as bg a golden boud of love into one
kingdom and under one rule. Truly
Nature is sublime, both in its plan
and its proportions!
In eoncIusion--and to render as
practical as 4 may these desultory
remarks-let me say that 1 have
endeavored to present the subject of
Nature and its study in a pleasing
and attractive light, in order to en-
courage everyone to devote a certain
amount of attention to itAthe pa
rent, that he might be himself able
to guide and direct his child the
teacher, that with discriminating
Judgment he may select from the
wide range of natural objects and
phenomena those which shall be
b3st adapted to awake into health
ful exercise the latent energies of
the young mind. Experience proves
that this department affords abund-
ant mental stimulus and produces
excellent fruits i'm the intellectual
Vigor of youth, while to the scientist
himself it is the basis of a grand
and absorbing life-work. The prin-
ciple of curiosity developed will be
followed by the putting forth of an
energy for its qualification and satis-
faction; the eye will be ever open
and watching forsomething in earth,
air, sea or sky; the finding of a fos-
sill or a sparkling mineral will be
the cause of intensed delight, while the
growth of a plant and the develop
ment of an insect will be eagerly
and carefully watched. Thus atten-
tion and accurate observation will
be favored, even in q very young
child, which in after years, no mat
ter what his calling may be, will
prove of inestimable value. think
that child ofsix or eight years of
age, the youngest child in our pub
lie schools, may have his mind
turned with advantage i'm the direc-
tion indicated. The separating of a
flower into its various parts in his
presence may produce a lasting inn
preston and the suggestion, kindly
and winningly made to him, to take
notice of the clouds and the dew,
the rain and the snow, may be the
means of producing in time a worthy
Chief Signal Officer u. s. A. The
and mechanical needs
of the country demand skilled and
scientific labor. That labor will
receive its first lessons in
the public schools of the country.
The elements of physics, mechanics
and chemistry, general and applied,
should be given in these schools.
And If the principle of public schools
be correct one at all-if the state,
for purposes of policy or for any
other, is really called upon to furn-
ish an education to all her sons,
think it may be shown that il is
her duty to supply a COM
pLete education when and where de
manded. If chemistry and phys
les are taught at all, the means
be furnished by the state for
those studiesas far as the
is able to go. Now, this is
not impracticable. The number Of
scholars who woald show them
selves worthy of such advantages or
able to appreciate them, would Of