246 MEMOIR OF Dli. DALTON, AND 



cause of its ultimate success. To discover out of place and 

 out of time is a great misfortune. To be before the age in 

 knowledge is to a man a curse, and to a generation no ad- 

 vantage ; at least it would seem so, although there may be a 

 value even for this occasional misplacement not to be lost 

 sight of in estimating man's progress towards a higher civil- 

 ization. But in such cases the individual is not appreciated, 

 the generation does not hear him, his years pass by in misery, 

 and his attempts to teach are a failure. That knowledge is 

 best rewarded which is a fit evolution of the age, and which 

 can be at once put to use for practical purposes, or for mental 

 cultivation. It behoves us then to be respectful towards new 

 opinions, and tender towards crotchets, lest we may be laugh- 

 ing, as so many have done before us, at beautiful truths. 

 The rudiments of truth are no more beautiful to us than the 

 roots of flowers, until we study them thoroughly; by for- 

 getting this men are made victims who ought to be revered. 



