PREFACE. 



ANOTHER swing of the Pendulum of Life ! Only three-score 

 years and ten — not that, according to the statistics of the 

 Registrar-General, if we take the average life of the humanity 

 introduced upon our planet. One feels inclined to modify the well- 

 known lines of the Latin Poet, popularly set forth by Longfellow, 

 about Art being long, and Life being fleeting. Instead of Art, read 

 Science. Art was evolved to please people — Science to instruct them. 

 Art has played to the most foolish, most extravagant, most lascivious 

 peoples of the world. Art is glorious : it is the Revelation of genius. 

 But Science is Democratic — it is the possession of all. Men like 

 Robert Dick of Thurso, and Thomas Edwards, are the apostles of 

 this new democratic possession of a scientific intellectual power 

 which is neither aristocratic nor oligarchic, but which belongs to the 

 " Commonweal." 



This is the present Editor's "coming of age." For twenty-one 

 years he has enjoyed the delightful responsibility of addressing and 

 interesting thousands (perhaps scores of thousands) of readers of 

 Science-Gossip every month. The responsibility is great — greater 

 than few are aware of. The correspondence entailed is enormous ; 

 so the Editor has to appeal to the Christian patience of his readers. 

 He is always open to receive any suggestions from readers that 

 will influence the commercial success of his journal — a success the 

 Editor would derive no advantage from, but which he would be 

 delighted to see the Publishers thereof should, if only as an expression 

 of their generous and trusting confidence in himself. 



