332 The Modern Aspects of Physical Science. [July, 
great reward. These men became each the centre of a circle, to 
the extremity of which they diffused the influences by which they 
were themselves inspired; and as the Magnet induces in every 
neighbouring particle of iron its own powers, so the master-minds 
induced in other minds that love of truth and that desire to know 
by which they were themselves so nobly stirred. 
It is certain that this period of the awakening of the popular 
mind, which, with human pride, was spoken of as the “ March of 
Intellect” age, was of but brief duration. Hither from a want of 
reality in the professors of this intellectual religion, or from ex- 
ternal influences which are so complicated that they almost escape 
detection, the desire to learn was repressed, and in its place ap- 
peared the animal craving to enjoy. 
“And thus it has happened that in so many cases the impulse 
of intellectual activity even when given has failed of propagation. 
The ball has not been caught up at the rebound, and urged for- 
ward by emulous hands. The march of progress, in place of quick- 
ening to a race, has halted in tardy and intermitted steps, and soon 
ceased altogether.” * 
It will appear to many that the talk which we have lately heard 
respecting Technical Education, and the establishment of Science 
schools, indicates a consciousness of the value of science. It indi- 
cates that science has made itself felt as a power in the land; that 
there is an awakening to the fact that labour may be saved, and the 
result of labour improved, or, in other words, that money may be 
made out of it, but hothing more. The teachers of science may 
become many, and through even imperfect instruments a consider- 
able amount of knowledge may be diffused among the people; but 
we fear that in all this there is but little prospect of producing 
cultivators of science. Whenever there has been an increase of 
schools, there has been a decay of the sciences or arts to which they 
have been dedicated. The Past tells us this; let us hope that the 
Future will not find in the Present another example of this. Having 
indicated the condition of the Sciences (as it appears to us) as an 
element of knowledge diffused amongst the so-called thinking classes 
of Europe, we must proceed to our examination of the actual state of 
scientific knowledge amongst us. 
It ever has been, and for a long period of time it must continue 
to be, that the popular notion of things runs in grooves which have 
been cut out by some original minds. In the history of the sciences 
this is seen to have been the case from the earliest recorded period 
unto the present day. We smile now at the phlogistic theory—a 
principle of levity is regarded as the unsatisfactory dream of men 
imperfectly instructed ; yet.a careful examination of the hypotheses 
of the present day will convince the examiner that, although they 
* Herschel, ‘‘ Whewell on the Inductive Sciences :” ‘ Quarterly Review,’ No. 139. 
