Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1886-09-25
SCIENTISTS IN CONVENTION.
BY THE REV. GEORGE b. HALL, D. D.
RrrrALo. II. x.

our city, much to our pfoht aoa oe-
light The American Association
for the Advancement Of Science
closes an interesting session to-day.
The attendance has been unusually
large and the papers read gave proof
Of patient research, careful analysis,
iudicious classification, and profound
deductions. Prof. Il. S. Morse, OF
Salem, Mass, presided and enriched
the occasion with remarks sprightly
and learned. He spoke kindly OF
every class of educated mind, and
hopefully of future achievements in
science and its effects upon civil ana
religious institution and the people
generally. He said that cities
which had more clergymen than
lawyers were the most prosperous
and the best place in which to live;
that the proyince of scientists was
to search for truth, collect and clas-
sify facts, and leave theologians and
statesmen to apply them and deduce
theories in political economy and re-
ligion. The papers read reached the
hundreds and presented most var
led feast of instruction, suggestion,
and curious inquiry. Surely the at
tacks on magazines of nature are
sufficiently varied, ingenious, persis-
tent and vigorous to force disclos
ure of its secrets and rendering up
ofits treasures. Scientists work not
in vain. Points great and small,
general and minute, are subjected to
sharp examination and accurate es-
innate. BY this means only is science
perfected and forces successfully
utilized. Here is I. Burkitt Webb
carefully working on second differ
entails and equicrescent variables";
Thomas Hill disclosing new curve;
David T.. Todd doing hard work on
"some mechanical attachments for
facilitating the astronomers work
with the cqatorial." VIM. A. Rog- |
ers, J. A. Brashear, Benz, f. Thorn
as and others attack hard problems
in Physics; Chemistry engages the
attention Of an army of bright-eyed
men and some women Hardness,
Webb. Thurston and others do good
work in the realm of Engineering,
and Geology is handled by stalwart
men who have heads, hands and
hammers of their own; and so on to |
the end of a long list of subjects.
Each paper is first examined and
commended by committee of the
section to which it properly-belongs,
before it can be read. The precau-
ton is necessary, for science, llkere-
ligior, is afflicted by swarm OF
cranks who ride hobbies and talk
nonsense. One fellow belonging to
this class, somehow, got his paper
on the list. He had q wild theory
of "criminal correction" cut and
slashed about in anarchistic style,
and when his TRADE ended, was
frankly told by the committee that
his paper was fraud and had been
commended through deceptive re-
presentations. Aside from this the
papers were chaste, respectful to re-
ligion and worthy of the Association
and the occasion.
Biology and Geology were repre-
sented by the ablest men and at
tracted the largest attention. Some
suggestions on the origin of language
were peculiar One speaker claim
ed that there are dozens OF original,
stock languages, very many more
than has been generally supposed,
and he went into a labored specula-
ton to show how they originated.
His data was curious. Somewhere
twins were born marvelously alike
and with surprising nfinities. As
they grew up they refused to speak
the language Of their parents and
invented one of their own. 1t was
not claimed that every language ori-
einated with twins, but that what
the twins did had been done else