34 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



est, he deserves well of science. If an application capable of furnish- 

 ing tin.' country a new source of wealth arises out of his labors, it is 

 a glory to him ; but the man of science finds his highest recompense 

 when la- has succeeded in spreading a comfort through the nation, 

 and procuring for those who are disinherited of this world's goods a 

 little of the luxury which it had seemed could only be obtained with 

 wealth. Master, experimenter, philosophei', Monsieur Chevreul, you 



Chevreul at the Age of Fifty. 



have known all of these triumphs. Again I tell you, nothing is want- 

 ing to the fullness of your life. By your stories of remote events of 

 which you have been a witness, you have charmed those who in age 

 might be your sons, and those, still more numerous, who might be 

 your grandsons. Your memory, yet in its freshness, permits you still 

 to instruct those who might be your great-grandchildren. After to- 

 morrow, you will count the days, weeks, and years of your new cent- 

 ury. That the years may be many is the wish of your fellows and 

 admirers." M. Chevreul in reply cited as a proof that a man's repu- 

 tation depends greatly upon the trial of time, the examples of New- 

 ton and Leibnitz, the latter of whom said, "Seek first the demonstra- 

 tion of causes." " Newton preferred the more fruitful idea, 'Seek 

 the cause of phenomena, and when you have found it inquire what is 

 the cause of that cause.' There is a wide gulf between the two 

 formulas. To my mind Newton is greater than Leibnitz. Time has 

 proved it." Representative scientific men of other countries, com- 



