185 



and thought, even in the humblest depaitmeuts of work, ever be united. 

 This is the true condition of man. But as the field of knowledge be- 

 came more and more surveyed, as its subjects multiphed, as its discove- 

 ries increased, as the possibilities of its advance became more and more 

 apparent, as its applications to the useful arts and to all human works 

 stood forth more palpably, as it grew into systems that requhed time 

 and labor for their acquisition, and method and skill for their diffusion, 

 and unfolded the great idea of education, — a class of scientific men and 

 philosophers could not but be called into existence. 



These gave themselves up exclusively to thought, and to scientific ob- 

 servation and experiment. In their labors, the second form of industry 

 became fully developed. Could we write a perfect history of the de- 

 velopment of thought, we should have in that, a perfect histoiy of in- 

 dusfa-ial progress under both forms. Kay, even the biographies of phi- 

 losophers and scientific men must comprise the main points of this his- 

 tory. Astronomy is the parent of navigation and of commerce: the 

 science of mechanics, the parent of all our machinery: j,he science of 

 chemistry, the parent of agriculture and manufactures : metaphysics is 

 the parent of ethics and jurisprudence. The great thinkei^s, the acute 

 obiiervers and experimenters have gained for us all the laws and princi- 

 ples which have directed and ripened our material industry ; and all the 

 laws and principles on which the great social fabric is constructed. Are 

 not the names of Watt and Fulton identified with all the wonders of 

 the steam engine ? Are not the names of Davy, Faraday and Liebig 

 identified with the useful arts, and with agricultural science ? Is not the 

 name of Morse identified with the Electric Telegraph ? One such man 

 introduces a new era of progress. One such man aftects the whole in- 

 dustrial activity of the world. The solitary student — the recluse schol- 

 ar becomes the great benefactor of mankind. The busy world — the 

 moving wheels of human activity are everywhere seen ; let it not be 

 forgotten that the moving power is the silent thoughts of the man who 

 lives only to think. The comparative condition of different 'nations in 

 respect to the industrial arts goes to illustrate the same tmth : — indus- 

 trial prosperity keeps pace with intellectual development. It was so 

 amons: the modern nations. 



Those nations which give the greatest attention to science, literature 

 and the arts are the very nations where the mechanic arts, agriculture 



24 



