416 STUDY OF NATURAL HISTORY. 
from the influence of one of the ruling passions of 
our nature—ambition. That such men can derive 
no personal gratification from such marks and tokens 
as at once show to the world the gratitude of their 
country, the esteem of its ministers, or the favour 
of its sovereign; that they are quite indifferent to 
the public acknowledgment of their merit ; that they 
are well content to be received in society on the 
same footing as the most illiterate citizen ; and that, 
in the “ pride of place,’ they have not the least sense 
of humiliation in being jostied in the crowd, and 
ordered to make way for a city alderman, carrying up 
an address for which he is to be knighted. Now all 
these are the inevitable consequences of withholding 
national honours from men of science. What are 
such honours made for, but to be given to those 
who deserve them? Why are they created, but that 
the nation should know to whom it is indebted for 
its glory? If such honours cannot confer higher 
dignity, in a worldly sense, than genius or talent, of 
what possible use do they become? they are alto- 
gether as worthless to the warrior, the statesman, or 
the nobleman by birth, as to the philosopher. What, 
it has been asked, “ could a blue riband or a collar 
do for a Newton? would they make his name more 
hallowed, his family more durable ?” — What, let us 
in turn demand, can a multitude of ribands, and 
crosses, and collars, do for a Wellington; will they 
make fis name more famous, Ais family more en- 
durable? The answer to both has been already 
given, “ No, certainly not.” What, then, is the 
use of such things? —baubles though they be. 
The answer is obvious—they evince the gratitude of 
