44 



ON THE GENERAL DIFFUSION OF KNOWLEDGE. 



nomena, and chiefly confined to a small portion 

 &amp;gt;f Europe, were thousands and ten thousands 

 3f telescopes daily directed to the sky from every 

 region of the earth, and were distinct portions 

 of the heavens allotted to distinct classes of ob 

 servers, as the object of their more immediate 

 research, every portion of that vast concave, 

 with the numerous globes which roll within its 

 wide circumference, as far as human vision as 

 sisted by art can penetrate, would ere long be 

 thoroughly explored, and its hidden worlds dis 

 closed to view. No comet could pass within the 

 orbit of Jupiter without being detected, the 

 undiscovered planets belonging to our system, 

 if any still remain, would be brought to view, 

 the periodica.1 changes on the surfaces and in 

 the atmospheres of the planets already disco 

 vered, with all their diversified phenomena, 

 would be more accurately ascertained and deli 

 neated, the path of the solar system in abso 

 lute space, the velocity of its motion, the dis 

 tant centre about which it revolves, and the 

 centre of gravity of the nebula to which it be 

 longs, might be determined, the changes arid 

 revolutions that are taking place among the 

 fixed stars, the undiscovered strata of nebulas, 

 the old systems that are going into decay, 

 the new creations that may be emerging into 

 existence, and many other sublime objects 

 which at present lie concealed in the unex 

 plored regions of space, might be brought within 

 the range of human contemplation, and astro 

 nomy, the sublimest of all the sciences, ap 

 proximate towards perfection. 



For making the observations now supposed, 

 a profound knowledge of the physical and ma 

 thematical principles of astronomy is not abso 

 lutely necessary. All the qualifications essen 

 tially requisite are, a general knowledge of the 

 elements of the science, of the celestial pheno 

 mena which have already been explored, and of 

 the method of determining the right ascension 

 and declination of any observed phenomenon, 

 qualifications, which every person of common 

 understanding can easily acquire. 



I might next have illustrated the general po 

 sition laid down in the beginning of this section 

 from the science of chymistry. This science, 

 having for its object to ascertain the ingredients 

 that enter into the composition of bodies, the 

 nature of those ingredients, the manner in which 

 they combine, and the properties resulting from 

 their combination ; or, in other words, an analy 

 tical examination of the material world, and the 

 principles which concur to produce its diversi 

 fied phenomena; it is apparent, at first view, 

 that an immense number and variety of experi 

 ments are indispensably requisite for accom 

 plishing sucn objects; and, consequently, that 

 Us progress towards perfection cannot be acce- 

 erated, unless multitudes of experimenters con 

 cur in observing the phenomena of nature, and 



the processes of the arts, in instituting analy 

 tical experiments, and in prosecuting every in 

 quiry which has a tendency to promote its im 

 provement. It is chiefly in consequence of the 

 increased number of its cultivators that this sci 

 ence lias risen to the distinguished rank it now 

 holds among the useful departments of human 

 knowledge, and that so many brilliant disco 

 veries have rewarded the investigations of its 

 votaries. Wrenched from the grasp of empi 

 rics and alchymists, and no longer confined to 

 the paltry object of searching for the philoso- 

 pliers stone, it extends its range over every ob 

 ject in the material world, and sheds its influ 

 ence over all the other departments of physical 

 science ; and as its votaries increase in numbers 

 and in perseverance, it will doubtless bring to 

 light scenes and discoveries still more interest 

 ing and brilliant than those which have hitherto 

 been disclosed. Illustrations of the same de 

 scription might also have been taken from op 

 tics, electricity, magnetism, galvanism, pneuma 

 tics, and other departments of natural science , 

 but having protracted this section to a dispro 

 portionate length, the instances already stated 

 will, I presume, be sufficient to prove the truth 

 of the position, &quot; that a general diffusion of 

 knowledge would have a powerful influence on the 

 progress of science.&quot; 



From the few hints now given, arid from many 

 others that might have been suggested, had my 

 limits permitted, it will appear, that much still 

 remains to be accomplished till any science, 

 even those which are farthest advanced, arrive 

 at perfection. The reason is obvious ; the 

 scene of universal nature has never yet been 

 thoroughly surveyed, and never will be, till the 

 eyes and the intellects of millions be fixed in the 

 contemplation of its multifarious and diversified 

 objects and relations. Till the universe, in all 

 its aspects, so far as it lies within the range of 

 human inspection, be more particularly explored, 

 clouus and darkness will continue to rest op 

 many interesting departments of knowledge, and 

 many of our most specious theories in the sci 

 ences must be considered as reposing on slendei 

 and unstable foundations. Prior to the intro 

 duction of the inductive method of philosophiz 

 ing, men of science were extremely prone to the 

 framing of hypotheses, before they had atten 

 tively surveyed and collected the requisite facts, 

 and when only a few scattered fragments of 

 nature were present to their view. Theory was 

 reared upon theory, and system upon system ; 

 each of them obtained its admirers and its pe 

 riod of applause, but, in consequence of modern 

 researches, they have now passed away like a 

 dream or a vision of the night. The crystal 

 line spheres with which Ptolemy had enclosed 

 the heavens are now dashed to pieces ; the vor 

 tices of Des Cartes have long since ceased their 

 whirling; the terraqueous globe which Tycta 



