EULOGY ON ARTHUR AUGUSTE DE LA RIVE. 191 



assumed sboulcl be maintained. Tbis simple incident uiigbt bave 

 made but little impression upon Faraday, bad it not brougbt into strong 

 contrast tbe pride of Davy and tbe affable cordiality of Gaspard De 

 La Eive. 



Even genius does not excuse pride or pardon exclusiveness. Davy, 

 satiated witb praise and loaded witb bonors, but lacking tbe sympatby 

 of bis countrymen, passed tbe last years of bis life on tbe continent, 

 and came to Geneva, to terminate sorrowfully, in a foreign country, bis 

 days of lassitude and ennui ; wbile, on tbe otber band, wben Faraday, 

 endowed witb tbe modesty wbicb cbarms and tbe kindness wbicb 

 attracts, approacbed bis end, tbe savants of tbe entire world evinced 

 their affection for bim ; tbe most eminent personages of England testi- 

 fied tbeir respect ; bis death was a source of universal regret, and bis 

 memory, cherished in all hearts, is still honored at tbe Eoyal Institution 

 of London, in the amphitheater, tbe scene of bis triumphs, by an annual 

 and imposing ceremony presided over by tbe Prince of Wales. What 

 a contrast is tbis ! 



As tbe scientific career of Gaspard De La Eive ended and that of his 

 son commenced, a new era commenced, fraught witb ideas to enlighten, 

 agitate, and even trouble the world. The father bad witnessed only 

 tbe prelude to the great changes which were to take i^lace, but wel- 

 comed with joy the new dawn. The son, after laboring with ardor and 

 success in the unveiling of truth, at the close of his life contemplated, 

 with sadness as well as pleasure, tbe unexpected consequences of the 

 discoveries in which he had taken an active part. 



A half a century ago science, although full of promise to those who 

 sought to penetrate its mysteries, did not appeal to the common mind. 

 Its language was little understood even by those who held the destinies 

 of nations in their bands. Its demonstrations and discoveries were 

 regarded by the public witb a careless eye and considered of no impor- 

 tance. Soon, however, under its influence, rapid vessels, impelled by 

 steam, traversed the sea; railroads crossed the continents ; thought cir- 

 culated from one hemisphere to another through the electric telegraph ; 

 the beet-root of tbe frozen regions rivaled the sugar-cane of tbe south; 

 gas lighted the streets ; fossil remains fertilized arid ground, and the 

 colors from coaloil vied with the fresh tints of the flowers ; while the sail- 

 ing-vessels lying idle in the ports, the forsaken stage-coach, the deserted 

 roads, tbe laborer deprived of employment, were otber but equally forci- 

 ble witnesses to the irresistible power of tbe practical application of the 

 principles which govern the universe. At the same time iron and steel 

 were perfected and produced in abundance ; powder and other fulmi- 

 nating substances were rendered manageable ; rude and inefficient 

 weapons of' war were converted into large and powerful engines of 

 destruction ; and in view of houses in ruins, crops destroyed, and the 

 multiplied graves of the dead, it was impossible longer to question the 



