788 Prof. H. E. Armstrong on Low-Temperature Research 



" Life and Letters of Faraday," these discoveries are not directly 

 indexed in the vohime. 



Again, by his immortal electrolytic studies, the full philosophical 

 value of which is only now being made apparent, as well as by those 

 on the liquefaction of gases, Faraday laid the foundations of other 

 great chemical industries. 



No one else has done so much to establish the inseparability of 

 chemistry and physics. Chemistry has ever since recognized the 

 existence and strength of the bond of union ; physics unfortunately 

 has not reached the same breadth of development and physicists 

 have paid but slight attention to the constitution of molecules grosser 

 than atoms and to chemical properties ; none has yet displayed any 

 feel.ing for the higher walks of chemistry — for the organic side ; 

 latterly, however, physicists have taken the atoms under their charge 

 and have made their dissection, the study of atomic constitution, their 

 concern — though mainly in the mind's eye : it is possible, therefore, 

 that there may be an approach of the two disciplines, although over a 

 bridge of transcendentalism. It will always be a noteworthy fact, 

 that Faraday gained his scientific training through self-education and 

 through chemical work, in the first place ; but Faraday was not a 

 mathematician and his mind, if mathematical, was never under the 

 constraint of formulae ; he was ever free to amend his views. Early 

 in his life he defined his own attitude and character unconsciously in 

 saying:— 



"The philosopher should be a man willing to listen to every 

 suggestion but determined to judge for himself. He should not be 

 biassed by appearances ; have no favourite hypothesis ; be of no 

 school ; and in doctrine have no master. He should not be a 

 respector of persons but of things. Truth should be his primary 

 object. If to these qualities be added industry, he may indeed hope 

 to walk within the veil of the temple of nature." 



If such be the attributes of the philosopher, the development of 

 science must ever remain in the hands of an aristocracy ; Science 

 proper cannot well be made a democratic occupation, any more than 

 can Music or Art ; at most we shall be able to enlarge the circle of 

 admirers and of those who can find pleasure in contemplating its 

 wonders ; the scientific discoverer, in point of fact, is to be reckoned 

 among artists. The value of an Aristocracy of Talent has been dwelt 



not only prepared a great variety of salts of the acid but analysed and 

 established the composition of the barium salt correctly ; he also showed that 

 "half the sulphuric acid was neutralised by the hydrocarbon.'' He closes by 

 stating that " Mr. Hennell, of Apothecaries' Hall, had made known to him, 

 before he had completed the analysis of the acid and its salt, this very curious 

 and interesting fact in chemical affinity as occurring in some other compounds 

 of sulphuric acid and hydrocarbon." We must clearly credit Faraday with 

 the discovery of the sulphonic acids, a class of compounds of extraordinary 

 technical importance. 



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