44 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



might be true for a man on a desert island, whose error would influ- 

 ence only himself. But when he opens his lips to instruct others, or 

 even when he signifies his opinions by his daily life, then he is directly 

 responsible for all his errors of judgment or fact. He has no right to 

 think a mole-hill as big as a mountain, nor to teach it, any more than 

 he has to think the world flat, and teach that it is so. The facts and 

 laws of our science have not equal importance, neither have the men 

 who cultivate the science achieved equal results. One thing is greater 

 than another, and we have no right to neglect the order. Thus shall 

 our minds be guided aright, and our efforts be toward that which is 

 the highest. 



Then shall we see that no physicist of the first class has ever 

 existed in this country, that we must look to other countries for our 

 leaders in that subject, and that the few excellent workers in our 

 country must receive many accessions from without before they can 

 constitute an American science, or do their share in the world's 

 work. . . . 



We call this a free country, and yet it is the only one where there 

 is a direct tax upon the pursuit of science. The low state of pure 

 science in our country may possibly be attributed to the youth of the 

 country ; but a direct tax, to prevent the growth of our country in 

 that subject, can not be looked upon as other than a deep disgrace. I 

 refer to the duty upon foreign books and periodicals. In our science, 

 no books above elementary ones have ever been published, or are 

 likely to be published, in this country ; aud yet every teacher in 

 physics must have them, not only in the college-library, but on his 

 own shelves, and must pay the Government of this country to allow 

 him to use a portion of his small salary to buy that which is to do 

 good to the whole country. All freedom of intercourse which is 

 necessary to foster our growing science is thus broken off ; and that 

 which might, in time, relieve our country of its mediocrity is nipped 

 in the bud by our Government, which is most liberal when appealed to 

 directly on scientific subjects. One would think that books in foreign 

 languages might be admitted free ; but, to please the half-dozen or so 

 workmen who reprint German books, not scientific, our free inter- 

 course with that country is cut off. Our scientific associations and 

 societies must make themselves heard in this matter, and show those 

 in authority how the matter stands. . . . 



