EDITOR'S TABLE. 



701 



large, looks like a deficiency of ob- 

 servation. In such cases as these 

 the mind that is absent here is pres- 

 ent elsewhere; and what it is doing 

 there the world will in due time find 

 out. It is impossible, we hold, for 

 any one man to be observant in all 

 directions; if he is, it is certain he 

 will not have a colossal intellect. 

 Still, the truth which should be borne 

 in upon every student's mind is that 

 if he would make independent prog- 

 ress he must be an independent ob- 

 server. He must take in once for all 

 the truth that the materials needed 

 for scientific construction lie afield, 

 and that he must keep his eyes open 

 in order to see and distinguish them. 

 At every moment the man of science 

 may say, "There are more things in 

 heaven and earth than are dreamt 

 of" in any philosophy yet formu- 

 lated; and some of those things he 

 should aim at discovering for him- 

 self. Any mind that is once thor- 

 oughly interested in any branch of 

 study will be observant, and con- 

 versely a certain practice in observa- 

 tion may create an interest not be- 

 fore felt in a certain department of 

 study. It may also be remarked that 

 the dividing line between observa- 

 tion and deduction is very narrow 

 and more or less shadowy ; and there- 

 fore to cultivate the logical faculty 

 is to create an appetite for observa- 

 tions, or at least for facts. The logi- 

 cal mind sees where facts are want- 

 ing, and will not be happy till it gets 

 them. 



As might be expected, Sir Archi- 

 bald Geikie makes a special applica- 

 tion of what he has to say on the 

 need of observation to his own sci- 

 ence of geology — a study which is a 

 constant challenge to the observing 

 eye and the constructive intellect. 

 He dwells impressively on the de- 

 light which the rational contempla- 

 tion of Nature imparts to the stu- 

 dent whose higher faculties have 



been awakened, and who has been 

 taught what to see and how to con- 

 sider it. "The movements of the 

 clouds, the fall of rain, the flow of 

 brook and river, the changes of the 

 seasons, the succession of calm and 

 storm, do not pass before your eyes 

 now as once they did. "While they 

 minister to the joy of life, they speak 

 to you of that all-embracing system 

 of process and law that governs the 

 world." Certainly this capacity for 

 the higher enjoyment of Nature is 

 the happiest result of scientific cul- 

 ture; and were it an invariable or 

 even a very general result, there could 

 never be any question as to the hu- 

 manizing and liberalizing effect of 

 devotion to scientific studies. If the 

 result in question is not always at- 

 tained, it is simply because the study 

 of science has not been approached 

 in a right spirit. It is not science 

 that is at fault. 



Sir Archibald dwells finally on 

 the need for accuracy, thoroughness, 

 breadth, and patience on the part of 

 those who would worthily pursue a 

 scientific career. If his words were 

 duly heeded we should have more of 

 generous co-operation and sympathy 

 among scientific investigators, and 

 less of selfish petty rivalry and 

 clamorous contention in regard to 

 questions of priority. The eminent 

 author has nobly conceived the char- 

 acter and function of the man of 

 science in the present age; and we 

 can not but hope that his sage and 

 earnest counsels to the rising genera- 

 tion of scientific workers will bear 

 abundant fruit in days to come. 



FADS AND FRAUDS. 



We notice that a magistrate in 

 a Canadian city has inflicted fines, 

 under a " vagrant " act, upon two 

 individuals who had been practic- 

 ing the alleged art of palmistry. 

 Both of these parties were proved 10 



