208 



THE AMERICAN MONTHLY 



[November, 



some as a false analogy ; and that ap- 

 peal will be made to the prevalent 

 idea — far too prevalent in my judg- 

 ment, since it is largely responsible 

 for that diffusion of energy whose 

 practical exponent is the fact that the 

 number of microscopes sold yearly in 

 this country is in proportion to the 

 number of valuable original contri- 

 butions on microscopic subjects annu- 

 ally produced as over fifty to one 

 — that the skilful microscopist is he 

 who, having a good stand and a 

 number of good objectives which 

 he can handle dexterously, has 

 also a large cabinet of objects, 

 mostly of his own preparation, illus- 

 trating as many of the various ap- 

 plications of his instrument as poss- 

 ible ; one who, not specially a botan- 

 ist, is at home with diatoms and 

 algse ; not calling himself a zoologist, 

 has a certain familiarity with Infuso- 

 ria, Entomostraca and Rotifera ; not 

 claiming to be an histologist, has cut 

 arid stained numerous sections of 

 both plants and animals ; neither a 

 geologist nor a mineralogist, has 

 ground, polished, and mounted many 

 sections of rocks and corals ; not a 

 chemist, — but why extend the catego- 

 ry ? one, in fine, who, in accordance 

 with a tradition whose history would 

 be full of interest had we but time to 

 trace it, has acquired skill enough 

 and expended brains and labor 

 enough in a dozen fields to have made 

 himself a master workman in any one 

 of them. I confess that I cannot but 

 regard this idea as an idol of the tribe ; 

 to my mind the skilful microscopist 

 is he whose hand has learned all nec- 

 essary manipulations, whose eye has 

 been trained to nice and quick distinc- 

 tions, and whose judgment, resting 

 on accumulated experiences can in- 

 terpret rightly the appearances pre- 

 sented to his eye : and he is most suc- 

 cessful who, having chosen a definite 

 field of labor, has worked most dili- 

 gently there into increase his oAvn or 

 the world's stock of knowledge. 



I would not be unmindful of the fact 

 that there are those who, working with 



the raicroscope, have entered many 

 fields, and gleaned, nay, reaped richly 

 in them all ; but they are few : neither 

 would I pass unkindly criticism on 

 those who, using the microscope 

 avowedly only as a recreation find 

 pleasure and substantial profit in 

 passing from time to time to fresh 

 fields and pastures new ; I take it how- 

 ever, that the Sections of this Associ- 

 ation are organized primarily, if not 

 solely, with the view of bringing to- 

 gether most closely those Avhose la- 

 bors have most in common ; and 

 however it maybe with objectives, we 

 may be sure that for Sections of this 

 Association not only penetration but 

 definition also is in inverse ratio to. 

 angular aperture. 



It was therefore the judgment of 

 the Standing Committee (and this 

 judgment was ratified by the vote of 

 the Association at large) that this Sec- 

 tion should be established not purely 

 nor indeed chiefly for that technique 

 which the word microscopy implies ; 

 neither should that name stand as 

 the label for a receptacle for commu- 

 nications having only this in common 

 that the objects of investigation are 

 too minute or of too fine a structure 

 to be examined by the naked eye. 



They have, instead, established a 

 Section devoted to that department 

 of science whose investigations must 

 be wholly carried on by the aid of 

 the microscope, and to the technique 

 of the instrument as auxiliary to it. 



As in the Section of Chemistry 

 papers discussing appliances and me- 

 thods wereby a more accurate analy- - 

 sis, or a more complex synthesis, may 

 be obtained find place and welcome, 

 or in the Section of Physics discus- 

 sions of means as well as of results of 

 investigation are gladly received, so 

 here the presentation and description 

 of new apparatus, the discussion of 

 new methods of preparation, of mani- 

 pulation, or of demonstration find ap- 

 propriate and ready audience ; but I 

 present as my opinion, which I hope 

 will find echo in your judgment, that 

 papers on subjects pertaining to Mi- 



