﻿ACADEMY 
  OF 
  SCIENCES. 
  233 
  

  

  organic 
  science. 
  This 
  must 
  ever 
  remain 
  the 
  chiefest 
  glory 
  of 
  Agassiz. 
  Yes, 
  

   far 
  greater 
  than 
  all 
  his 
  great 
  works 
  in 
  zoology 
  — 
  as 
  great 
  as 
  these 
  are, 
  a 
  monu- 
  

   ment 
  of 
  in 
  Just 
  ry 
  and 
  genius 
  — 
  far 
  greater 
  than 
  these 
  is 
  the 
  method 
  which 
  under- 
  

   lies 
  them, 
  anrl 
  which 
  has 
  impregnateJ 
  all 
  modern 
  zoology. 
  

  

  Let 
  me 
  pause 
  a 
  moment, 
  in 
  deference 
  to 
  the 
  intelligent 
  but 
  unscientific 
  of 
  this 
  

   audience, 
  to 
  explain 
  the 
  meaning 
  and 
  show 
  the 
  power 
  oi' 
  soientiSc 
  methods. 
  

   Scientific 
  methods 
  bear 
  the 
  same 
  relation 
  to 
  intellectual 
  progress 
  which 
  ma- 
  

   chines, 
  instruments, 
  tools, 
  do 
  to 
  material 
  progress. 
  The 
  civilized 
  man 
  is 
  not 
  

   superior 
  to 
  the 
  savage 
  in 
  physical 
  strength. 
  The 
  wonderful 
  mechanical 
  results 
  

   achieved 
  by 
  civilized 
  man 
  are 
  possible 
  only 
  by 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  mechanical 
  contriv- 
  

   ances. 
  So, 
  also, 
  the 
  scientists 
  differ 
  from 
  the 
  unscientific 
  not 
  by 
  any 
  superior 
  

   intellectual 
  power. 
  The 
  astounding 
  intellectual 
  results 
  achieved 
  by 
  science 
  have 
  

   been 
  attained 
  wholly 
  by 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  intellectual 
  contrivances, 
  called 
  methods. 
  As 
  

   in 
  the 
  lower 
  sphere 
  of 
  material 
  progress, 
  the 
  greatest 
  benefactors 
  of 
  our 
  race 
  

   are 
  the 
  inventors 
  or 
  perfecters 
  of 
  new 
  mechanical 
  contrivances 
  or 
  machines 
  ; 
  

   so 
  in 
  the 
  higher 
  sphere 
  of 
  intellectual 
  progress 
  the 
  greatest 
  benefactors 
  of 
  our 
  

   race 
  are 
  the 
  inventors 
  or 
  perfecters 
  of 
  new 
  intellectual 
  contrivances, 
  or 
  methods. 
  

  

  To 
  illustrate 
  the 
  necessity 
  and 
  power 
  of 
  method, 
  take, 
  for 
  example, 
  the 
  

   method 
  of 
  notation, 
  characteristic 
  of 
  mathematics. 
  How 
  simple 
  the 
  contriv- 
  

   ance, 
  and 
  yet 
  how 
  powerful 
  ! 
  Nine 
  numeral 
  figures, 
  having 
  each 
  a 
  value 
  of 
  

   its 
  own, 
  and 
  also 
  a 
  value 
  depending 
  upon 
  its 
  position 
  : 
  a 
  few 
  letters 
  — 
  a 
  and 
  b, 
  

   X 
  and 
  y, 
  connected 
  by 
  the 
  symbols 
  + 
  and 
  — 
  : 
  that 
  is 
  all. 
  And 
  yet 
  by 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  

   this 
  simple 
  contrivance 
  the 
  dullest 
  boy 
  in 
  your 
  public 
  schools 
  may 
  accomplish 
  

   intellectual 
  results 
  which 
  the 
  greatest 
  philosophic 
  genius 
  could 
  not 
  otherwise 
  at- 
  

   tain. 
  As 
  soon 
  as 
  we 
  leave 
  the 
  field 
  of 
  abstract 
  thought 
  and 
  rise 
  into 
  the 
  field 
  

   of 
  phenomena, 
  observation 
  commences. 
  But 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  field 
  of 
  pure 
  thought, 
  

   thought 
  can 
  accomplish 
  little 
  without 
  method 
  ; 
  so 
  in 
  the 
  field 
  of 
  phenomena, 
  

   observation 
  can 
  accomplish 
  little 
  without 
  the 
  assistance 
  of 
  method. 
  The 
  phe- 
  

   nomena 
  of 
  the 
  external 
  world 
  are 
  so 
  complex, 
  so 
  affected 
  by 
  disturbing 
  forces 
  

   and 
  conditions, 
  that 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  be 
  understood, 
  they 
  must 
  first 
  be 
  simplified. 
  

   The 
  scientist, 
  therefore, 
  by 
  experiment, 
  removes 
  one 
  condition 
  after 
  another, 
  

   and 
  one 
  disturbing 
  force 
  after 
  another, 
  until 
  the 
  true 
  cause 
  and 
  necessary 
  con- 
  

   dition 
  is 
  perceived. 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  great 
  method 
  of 
  experiment, 
  "apou 
  which 
  rests 
  

   the 
  whole 
  fabric 
  of 
  physics 
  and 
  chemistry. 
  But 
  when 
  we 
  rise 
  still 
  higher 
  into 
  

   the 
  field 
  of 
  organized 
  bodies, 
  the 
  phenomena 
  become 
  infinitely 
  more 
  complex 
  

   and 
  infinitely 
  more 
  difficult 
  to 
  understand 
  without 
  the 
  assistance 
  of 
  method, 
  

   and 
  yet, 
  just 
  here, 
  the 
  method 
  of 
  experiment 
  fails 
  us, 
  or, 
  at 
  least, 
  can 
  be 
  used 
  

   only 
  to 
  a 
  very 
  limited 
  extent. 
  The 
  conditions 
  of 
  life 
  are 
  so 
  complex, 
  so 
  nicely 
  

   adjusted, 
  so 
  delicately 
  balanced, 
  that 
  when 
  we 
  attempt 
  to 
  introduce 
  our 
  rude 
  

   hands 
  in 
  the 
  way 
  of 
  experiment, 
  we 
  overthrow 
  the 
  equilibrium, 
  we 
  destroy 
  the 
  

   very 
  conditions 
  of 
  our 
  experiment, 
  viz 
  : 
  life. 
  In 
  this 
  dilemma 
  what 
  shall 
  we 
  

   do? 
  Fortunately, 
  nature 
  herself 
  prepares 
  for 
  us 
  a 
  most 
  elaborate 
  series 
  of 
  ex- 
  

   periments. 
  The 
  phenomena 
  of 
  life 
  in 
  the 
  higher 
  animals 
  and 
  plants 
  are 
  indeed 
  

   far 
  too 
  complex 
  to 
  be 
  understood 
  ; 
  but 
  if 
  commencing 
  with 
  these 
  we 
  go 
  down 
  

   the 
  scale, 
  we 
  find 
  these 
  phenomena 
  becoming 
  simpler 
  and 
  simpler 
  until 
  they 
  

  

  