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While, therefore, the study of the sciences should be of the greatest 

 practical value to all, there are certain forms of thought or study which 

 are by many supposed to be possessed of more elevating tendencies as 

 regards the development of the mind than others. Yet it seems scarcely 

 fair to make any such invidious distinction in the value of scientific 

 knowledge itself, but if any such peculiar tendency is appar-ent among 

 the mass of mankind in general, to attribute such peculiarity rather to 

 the particular bias of the individual himself, since it is a well recognized 

 fact that the tendency of the human mind in different individuals is 

 exceedingly diverse, so that to some the study of the most intricate 

 problems pertaining to the sciences of pure mathematics or meta- 

 physics is capable of affording the highest type of mental delectation, 

 while to others such studies are conducive only of weariness and even 

 of disgust itself. 



It is evident, I trust, from what has already been said, that there 

 is nothing in the study of the natural sciences which is not of a charac- 

 ter to elevate both the physical and moral condition of mankind, and 

 yet, in regard to some of these, there is a certain feeling of hostility 

 displayed which occasionally finds expression, but which is due appar- 

 ently rather to a lack of conception of the principles involved in their 

 study than to any other cause ; so hard is it even among those 

 who are generally considered as enjoying the advantages of a liberal 

 education to cut entirely free from the old leaven of mediaeval supersti- 

 tion, belief in which very often proves stronger than the exercise of the 

 strongest conmon sense. As an illustration I may merely mention the 

 fact that, not many year's ago, one of the most popular lecturers of this 

 city, at that time, assured me that he had read everything which he 

 thought had a bearing upon the subject of the creation of the world and 

 on the doctrine of evolution, and yet retained the impression that all 

 the phenomena which have taken place since the period of chaos down 

 to the beginning of the seventh day, could be easily included within the 

 space of six literal days of twenty-four hours each, from which we may 

 realize in what exceedingly narrow grooves some minds, excellent in 

 other respects, are cast. We may be disposed to regard this as a some- 

 what exceptional case, and wonder how any one, possessed of even a 

 moderate share of common sense, can prefer to cling to the exploded and 



