XCIX 



the surrounding darkness ; but this only serves to reveal to us the immen- 

 sity of the region of darkness which still lies beyond. The work so far 

 done is hardly a beginning, compared with what remains undone. Even 

 if it were true that the main features of the field of science had been ex- 

 plored, so that the work yet to be done consisted merely in the filling in 

 of intermediate details, this work alone would be too vast for completion 

 within the lifetime of humanity. 



It was once recommended that a systematic examination of all alloys 

 of metals be made, beginning with binary ones, and then proceeding to 

 ternary and quaternary ones. If we take the number of available metals 

 at 30, the number of binary alloys possible would be 435, and this with- 

 out regarding the proportions of the metals, but regarding only the 

 kind of metal. To examine these alloys as to hardness, tenacity, elas- 

 ticity, conducting and radiating power, thermal capacity, frictional 

 properties, etc., varying the proportions of the metals say by one per cent., 

 would probably require at the very least ten thousand years of work. The 

 number of ternary alloys possible without regard to proportion is 4,060, 

 and by varying the proportions by one per cent, the number increases to 

 over eleven millions. Prof. Thurston has made a partial examination as 

 regards the tenacity of the zinc-copper-tin alloy, and has shown that, in 

 order to gain a complete knowledge of its behavior, it is necessary to varv 

 the proportions by very small amounts. Now it is hardly necessary to 

 say that if all the scientists on the earth should give their attention to the 

 examination of metallic alloys for the next twenty thousand years, the 

 knowledge gained on this subject would be merely fragmentary ; and it 

 hardly admits of doubt that many of these alloys would turn out to be of 

 great value for special uses. 



If we come now to chemical compounds, the number of possible sub- 

 stances becomes too vast for human comprehension. The city of St. Louis 

 does not contain houses enough to hold the books which would contain 

 only the names of the compounds which it is possible to form from the 

 known elements; and how many of these compounds like aniline, or 

 chloroform, or nitro-glycerine, may prove to be of the greatest value when 

 they come to be studied.? 



When we come to physical and mechanical combinations, the same 

 thing is true. Long before the time of Faraday, all of the mechanical ele- 

 ments of the telephone and the dynamo machine were known, and in 1830 

 the electrical principles involved were known. The mechanical skill 

 necessary to produce these machines was not wanting. It was simply 

 necessary to know what was wanted, and then to discover the proper com- 

 binations for the mechanical elements. 



The experience of the last century shows that it pays society to have 

 scientific work done. The dividends are not declared at once, and although 

 the benefits arising from scientific work may not be realized at once, they 

 are sure to come sometime. The support of scientific work is to be under- 

 taken with the same feeling that prompts the founding of schools, or any 



