130 THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE 



1769 Werner was invited to attend the newly 

 founded Bergakademie (School of Mines) at Frei- 

 berg. Three years later he went to the University 

 of Leipzig, but, true to his first enthusiasm, wrote 

 in 1774 concerning the outward characteristics of 

 minerals (Von den ciusserlichen Itennzeichen der 

 Fossilieii). The next year he was recalled to Frei- 

 berg as teacher of mineralogy and curator of collec- 

 tions. He was intent on classification, and might be 

 compared in that respect with the naturalist Buffon, 

 or the botanist Linnaeus. He knew that chemistry 

 afforded a surer, but slower, procedure ; his was a 

 practical, intuitive, field method. He observed the 

 color, the hardness, weight, fracture of minerals, and 

 experienced the joy the youthful mind feels in rapid 

 identification. He translated Cronstedt's book on 

 mineralogy descriptive of the practical blow-pipe 

 tests. After the identification of minerals, Werner 

 was interested in their discovery, the location of 

 deposits, their geographical distribution, and the rel- 

 ative positions of different kinds of rocks, especially 

 the constant juxtaposition or superposition of one 

 stratum in relation to another. 



Werner was an eloquent, systematic teacher with 

 great charm of manner. He kept in mind the prac- 

 tical purposes of mining, and soon people flocked to 

 Freiberg to hear him from all the quarters of Europe. 

 He had before long disciples in every land. He saw 

 all phenomena from the standpoint of the geologist. 

 He knew the medicinal, as well as the economic, 

 value of minerals. He knew the relation of the soil 

 to the rocks, and the effects of both on racial char- 

 acteristics. Building-stone determines style of archi- 



