106 Mv. A. S. Couper on a New Chemical Theory. 



of the type is, that in itself it should afford at least an instance 

 of that which it is meant to represent. Now the part "n" of the 



type represents the notion of indefinite multiples of tj. But not 



a single instance of a multiple of tt has been proved to exist; 



u.iuch less has it been proved that there exists, or can exist, 

 multiples of this body iu an indefinite series. The perfection or 

 imperfection of the type meant to represent the generalized notion, 

 is, however, a matter of comparatively inferior moment. It is 

 the i)rinciple involved in this generalization which is essentially 

 pernicious. 



Should the principle which is therein adopted be applied to 

 the common events of life, it will be found that it is simply 

 a,bsurd. Suppose that some one were to systematize the forma- 

 tion of letters into words that formed the contents of a book. 

 Were he to begin by saying that he had discovered a certain 

 word which would serve as a type, and from which by substitution 

 and double decomposition all the others are to be derived, — that he 

 by this means not only could form new words, but new books, 

 and books almost ad infinitum, — that this word also formed an 

 admirable point of comparison with all the others, — that in all 

 this theve were only a few difiiculties, but that these might be 

 ingeniously ovei'come, — he would state certainly an empirical 

 truth. At the same time, however, his method would, judged 

 by the light of common sense, be an absui'dity. But a principle 

 which common sense brands with absurdity, is philosophically 

 false and a scientific blunder. 



Suppose the book that had formed the basis of this system 

 were a German one, where all the words were found to be com- 

 posed at least of two letters, still even iu this language the 

 viewing and systematizing of words as a series of double decom- 

 positions would be no less ridiculous. 



The sure and invincible method of arriving at every truth 

 which the mind is capable of discovering is always one and the 

 sj^me. It is that, namely, of throwing away all generalization, of 

 going back to first principles, and of letting the mind be guided 

 by these alone. It is the same in common matters. It is the 

 S^me in science. To reach the structure of words we must go 

 back, seek out the undecomposable elements, viz. the letters, and 

 study carefully their powers and bearing. Having ascertained 

 these, the composition and structure of every possible word is 

 revealed. It would be well to call to recollection the parallelism 

 of chemical research with that of every other search after truth; 

 foi' it has been in overlooking this that in chemistry false and 

 vacillating theories have been advocated and a wrong route so 



