522 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



Cicero, Shakespeare, or Newton, because we live in a later period of 

 the -world's history ; when, througli science, the world has become 

 richer in great ideas. It is, I repeat, the great thought which ennobles, 

 and it ennobles because it raises to a higher plane that which is im- 

 mortal in our manhood. 



If I have made my meaning clear, and if you sympathize with my 

 feelings, you will understand why I regard culture as so important to 

 the individual and to the nation. The works of Shakespeare and of 

 Bacon are of more value to England to-day than tlie memories of 

 Blenheim or Trafalgar; and those great minds will still be living 

 powers in the world when Marlborough and Nelson are only remem- 

 bered as historical names. I therefore believe that it is the first duty 

 of a country to foster the highest culture, and that it should be the 

 aim of every scholar to promote this culture both by his own efforts 

 and his active influence. A nation can become really great in no 

 other way. TVe live in a country of great possibilities ; and the dan- 

 ger is that, as with many men I have known in college, of great 

 potential abilities, the greatness will end where it begins. The 

 scholars of the country should have but one voice in this matter, and 

 urge upon the government and upon individuals the duty of encour- 

 aging and supj^orting mental culture for its own sake. The time has 

 passed when we can afford to limit the work of our higher institutions 

 of learning to teaching knowledge already acquired. Henceforth the 

 investigation of unsolved problems, and the discovery of new truth, 

 should be one of the main objects at our American universities, and 

 no cost grudged, which is required to maintain at them the most 

 active minds, in every branch of knowledge which the country can 

 be stimulated to produce. I could urge this on the self-interest 

 of the nation as an obvious dictate of political economy. I could 

 say, and say truly, that the culture of science will help us to de- 

 velop those latent resources of which we are so j^roud; will enable 

 us to grow two blades of grass where one grew before ; to extract 

 a larger per cent, of metal from our ores ; to economize our coal, 

 and in general to direct our waiting energies so that they may pro- 

 duce a more abundant pecuniary reward. I could tell of Galvani 

 studying for twenty long years to no apparent purpose the twitching 

 of frogs' hind-legs and thus sowing the seed from which has sprung the 

 greatest invention of modern times. Or, if our Yankee impatience 

 would be unwilling to wait half a century for the fruit to ripen, I 

 could point to the purely theoretical investigations of organic chemis- 

 try, which in less than five years have revolutionized one of the great 

 industries of Europe, and liberated thousands of acres for a more be- 

 neficent agriculture. This is all true, and may be urged properly if 

 higher considerations will not prevail. It is an argument I have used 

 in other places, but I will not use it here; although I gladly acknowl- 

 edge the Providence which bringrs at last even material fruits to re- 



