106 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of 

 weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the 

 armies of the aliens." I shall make it my task to show, hy a not too 

 literal application of the text, that similar effects may be produced 

 through science. The more practical and prosaic Apostle James, on 

 the other hand, in a chapter somewhat disparaging faith, exalts works, 

 and issues the challenge, " Shew me thy faith without thy works, and 

 I will shew thee my faith by my works." It is no doubt easier in the 

 case of science to play the role of James than that of Paul. The works 

 of science are abundant, and are appreciated of all. To catalogue them 

 is an easy and somewhat commonplace task. But in order to better 

 appreciate them let us take a brief glance at the world before it was 

 under the influence of science as it is to-day. 



If we consider the differences between ourselves and the ancients, 

 we are at once struck by the fact that the chief dissimilarity is that they 

 had little or nothing that can properly be called science. Deep thinkers 

 they had, poets that have never been surpassed for lofty imagination 

 and noble diction, teachers who devoted their lives to the attempt to 

 solve the mysteries of existence, but the systematic study of the work- 

 ings of nature is essentially modern. The great Hebrew nation, to 

 whom we are indebted for so much that is fundamental in our religion 

 and morals, brought the laws of conduct and the purity of life to an 

 extent never equalled by the other nations of antiquity. Being essen- 

 tially a race of simple shepherds and agriculturists, although in close 

 contact with nature they produced no art, graphic or architectural, and 

 left no engineering works to arouse our admiration for their resource- 

 fulness. The sacred writings of the Hebrews are full of allusions to 

 nature, in both its kind and terrible aspects. " Canst thou bind the 

 sweet influences of the Pleiades? or loose the bands of Orion? Hast 

 thou an arm like God? or canst thou thunder with a voice like him? 

 Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves 

 and thy billows are gone over me. The heavens declare the glory of 

 God, and the firmament sheweth his handiwork." These are specimens 

 of the Hebrews' attitude toward nature, one of deep awe and reverence 

 for its mighty Creator rather than of admiration for nature itself. The 

 idea of studying into the workings of nature would, no doubt, have 

 seemed preposterous and irreverent to such minds. The bow in the 

 cloud was naturally accepted as a pledge made by God to men, while 

 its circular form and unvarying arrangement of colors led to no curi- 

 osity to know why. The Egyptians, who so long were masters of the 

 Hebrews, surpassed them in their interference with nature, and carried 

 on engineering operations on an extensive scale, though of a simple 

 character. They devised simple engines for raising the water of the 

 Nile, and developed great irrigation systems, while the pyramids still 



