THE 



POPULAR SCIENCE 



MONTHLY. 



FEBRUARY, 1910 



SCIENTIFIC FAITH AND WOKKS 1 



By Peofessoe ARTHUR GORDON WEBSTER 



CLAEK UNITEESITT 



THE ancient poets, at the beginning of their great epics, invoke the 

 muse, and forthwith proclaim their subjects: 



.Arma virumque cano, I sing of arms and the man, says Virgil, 

 MjJvw dei'Se 6zd — Achilles' baleful wrath, Goddess, sing, are the words 

 with which Homer begins the Iliad. A modern poet, full of sympathy 

 with the changed times of to-day, Rudyard Kipling, makes one of his 

 most attractive characters, the old Scotch engineer, exclaim, 



I'm sick of all their quirks an' turns — the loves an' doves they dream — 

 Lord, send a man like Robbie Burns to sing the Song o' Steam! 



In undertaking to do my part in the dedication of this splendid temple 

 of science, I can but echo McAndrew's prayer, and wish that I had the 

 words of a poet to sing the song of science. For what true devotee 

 of science does not look upon her as a star-eyed goddess, and feel within 

 himself at times feelings akin to those of the poet when breathing the 

 divine afflatus? For the chief characteristic of both the poet and the 

 scientist is the creative spirit, the poet creates beauty, or the apprecia- 

 tion of it, the scientist creates truth, or if he does not create truth, he 

 at least creates the appreciation of it and of its results. I have chosen 

 for my subject " Scientific Faith and Works." According to the 

 Apostle Paul, " faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence 

 of things not seen." In an eloquent panegyric, he recounts to us the 

 deeds of the Hebrew patriarchs, "who by faith subdued kingdoms, 

 wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 



'An address delivered at the dedication of the Laboratory of Physics, 

 University of Illinois, November 26, 1909. 



VOL. LXXVI. — 9. 



