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THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



produced any thing to continue the 

 philosophical researches of Franklin. 

 . . . Until Henry commenced his expe- 

 riments there was not an electrical in- 

 vestigation published in the country, 

 which the present time has any object 

 in remembering." 



" We have described and illustrated 

 the generally low state of American 

 science during the first forty years of 

 the present century a state which may 

 be described as one of general lethargy 

 broken now and then by the activity 

 of some first-class man, which, how- 

 ever, commonly ceased to be directed 

 into purely scientific channels. Since 

 1840 there has been a great and gen- 

 eral increase of activity in some direc- 

 tions, which, from some points of view, 

 would seem to have inaugurated an 

 entirely new state of things, and to 

 promise well for the future. But there 

 are also many features of the case 

 which strongly suggest the backward 

 state of things from which the present 

 condition sprung." 



After reviewing a large mass of 

 facts. Prof. Newcomb says : " We must 

 not conclude, fi-om all this, that no in- 

 terest in science is taken by the Amer- 

 ican people, but only that that inter- 

 est does not manifest itself in such a 

 way as to promote scientific research." 

 And his general conclusion is that, " on 

 the whole, we have not been able to 

 present the first century in roseate 

 colors; and, while we can well con- 

 template the future with hope, we can- 

 not do so with entire confidence." 



Prof. Dunbar's delineation of a cen- 

 tury of economic science is clear and 

 cogent, but no more flattering than that 

 of his predecessor. He gives an in- 

 teresting account of the varioiis writ- 

 ings that have been contributed by 

 prominent men to this question, and, 

 although it would at first seem that 

 the practical genius of our people would 

 here find its legitimate field, and that 

 what they loved dearest and thought 

 of most money, currency, property, 

 trade they would be the ones to ex- 



plore to the utmost depths ; yet such is 

 far from having been the case. The 

 tracing out of unknown laws and the 

 original discovery of principles are the 

 same in all spheres of phenomena. 

 Prof. Dunbar concludes: " Tlie general 

 result, then, to which, as we believe, a 

 sober examination of tlie case must 

 lead any candid inquirer, is that the 

 United States have thus far done noth- 

 ing toward developing the theory of po- 

 litical economy, notwithstanding their 

 vast and immediate interest in its prac- 

 tical applications." He shows how it is 

 that our politicians are interested in 

 bemuddling economical questions, and 

 spreading the notion that nothing is 

 here settled, because the interests are 

 to be manipulated for selfish ends. 

 "In the case of the currency question, 

 then, it appears that the subject, from 

 the first, came before our public men 

 in a form which seemed to make its 

 political bearings too important to be 

 subordinated to any scientific treat- 

 ment. The same might be said of the 

 taritf discussion, which, apart from its 

 inevitable complication with individual 

 interests, has never failed also to pre- 

 sent itself in such sectional or party 

 relations as to make its settlement turn 

 largely upon far other considerations 

 than those of general principles." It is 

 further shown how the great prosperity 

 of the country has blinded men to the 

 injurious influence of economic blun- 

 dei-s. " The idea that the management 

 of our resources is of little account so 

 long as we find ourselves sweeping 

 along with the current of growth has 

 for years been the habitual consolation 

 of our public men, if not an article of 

 their faith. That it easily leads to in- 

 difterence, as to the monitions of eco- 

 nomic law, is sufficiently obvious." 



Mr. G. T. Bispham treats of the prog- 

 ress of American jurisprudence dur- 

 ing the past century. He first consid- 

 ers those deviations from English law 

 which originated in the contrast of phy- 

 sical features between this country and 

 England. That country is a compact, 



