ARTIFICIAL OYSTER CULTIVATION. 1193 



ere he brings forth another paragon of science, who, by 



his discoveries, doth 



" blaze the comet of a season," 



and then disappears, leaving behind his shining track of 

 mind-illumined wisdom glowing in the glorious galaxy of 

 scientific fame, until some new appearing star outshines its 

 predecessor. 



Thus has it been from the earliest times to the present 

 day ; and, without marshalling the long list of men of 

 science from antiquity upwards, my purpose is served in 

 naming a few, at random, of the present generation, such 

 as Chambers, Lyell, Darwin, Wallace, Jeffreys, Huxley, 

 Mobius, Brooks, and Winslow. 



Science is essentially progressive, and to each of her 

 master-minds is given the task of revealing but a portion of 

 her powers for the good of mankind ; for never yet has 

 science had a Shakspeare. And, as each apostle preaches 

 her all-potent, mind-expanding, soul-exalting gospel of 

 man's place in nature, so petty factions of opposing 

 thought liliputian copies of the power of intellect, and 

 animated abridged editions of common sense, that think 

 not as he thinks, nor speak as he speaks spring up, mush- 

 room-like, of which each pedagogue in his turn airs his 

 dissent in such a manner 



" as who shall say 

 I am Sir Oracle, and when I speak 

 Let no dog bark." 



Man is an inconsistent and disputatious creature a 

 warring animal ; and whether his wars be political, social, 

 or scientific, " the survival of the fittest >: is a law of 

 necessity in his nature as irrefutable as Euclid. The war 



j 



of opinion political, social, or scientific goes on for 

 ever ; and, varied in its causes and changes, which range 



