PLEASURES CONNECTED WITH SCIENCE. 



the animal and vegetable kingdoms, are com 

 posed of a very few simple substances, many of 

 which are invisible- gases that water is chiefly 

 composed of an inflammable principle that the 

 acids, such as aquafortis and oil of vitriol, are 

 formed of different kinds of air that an invisi 

 ble fluid, one of the ingredients of the air we 

 breathe, will cause a rod of iron to burn with 

 brilliancy, and phosphorus to produce a splen 

 dour which dazzles the eyes of every beholder 

 that the diamond, notwithstanding its value 

 and brilliancy, is composed of the same materials 

 as coal that oxymuriatic acid, or the bleaching 

 gas, discharges all vegetable colours, and, in the 

 course of a few minutes, will change a piece of 

 printed calico into a pure white ; and likewise 

 burns all the metals, dissolves gold and platina, 

 and suffocates all animals that breathe it, after 

 one or two inspirations that there are metals 

 much lighter than water, which swim in that 

 fluid and burn spontaneously with a bright red 

 light, and when thrown into the mineral acids, 

 inflame and burn on the surface, and in oxygen 

 and oxymuriatic acid gas, produce a white flame, 

 and throw out numerous bright sparks and scin 

 tillations, that a certain kind of air, called the 

 nitrous oxide, when inhaled into the lungs, pro 

 duces an extraordinary elevation of the animal 

 spirits, an irresistible propensity to laughter, a 

 rapid flow of vivid ideas, and a thousand de- 

 .ightful emotions, without any subsequent feel 

 ings of debility or exhaustion and, that it is not 

 altogether improbable, according to the deduc 

 tions of some modern chymists, that &quot; oxygen 

 and hydrogen, with the assistance of the solar 

 light, are the only elementary substances em 

 ployed in the constitution of the whole universe ;&quot; 

 so that Nature, in all her operations, works tho 

 most infinitely diversified effects, by the slightest 

 modifications in the means she employs. 



Such are only a few specimens of the curious 

 and interesting subjects which the physical sci 

 ences present to the reflecting mind. And is it 

 conceivable that a rational being can make such 

 objects as those I have now specified the subject 

 of his frequent study and contemplation, and not 

 feel pleasures and enjoyments far superior to 

 those of the mass of mankind, who are either 

 immersed in sensuality, or enveloped with the 

 mists of ignorance ? The man who has such 

 subjects to study and investigate, and such ob 

 jects to contemplate, can never be destitute of 

 enjoymeit. If happiness depends on the activity 

 of the mind, and the range of objects presented 

 before it, wherever he is placed, whether at 

 home or abroad, in the city or in the country, he 

 can never be at a loss for means of mental grati 

 fication, and of increasing his stock of intellectual 

 wealth. He needs not envy the rich and the noble, 

 on account of the elegance of their mansions and 

 the splendour of their equipage ; for the magnifi 



cence and glories of the universe, and all the 

 beauties of terrestrial nature lie before him, and 

 are at all times ready to minister to his enjoy 

 ment. In investigating the admirable arrange 

 ments which appear in the economy of creation, 

 in tracing throughout that economy the perfec 

 tions of his Creator, and in looking forward to a 

 nobler state of existence where his views of the 

 divine empire shall be expanded, he can enjoy a 

 satisfaction and delight which the wealth of this 

 world cannot bestow, and which its frowns and 

 calamities cannot destroy. 



Besides the pleasures derived from a contem 

 plation of the doctrines and the facts of science, 

 there is a positive gratification in tracing the, 

 steps by which the discoveries of science have been 

 jnade, the reasonings and demonstrations by 

 which its doctrines are supported, and the experi 

 ments by which they are proved and illustrated. 

 In this point of view, the study of several 

 branches of mathematical science, however ab 

 struse they may at first sight appear, will afford 

 a high degree of gratification to the mind. 

 When it is announced as a proposition in geo 

 metry, &quot; that the square described on the hypo- 

 thenuse, or longest side of a right angled tri 

 angle, is equal to the sum of the squares de 

 scribed on the other side,&quot;* it is pleasing to 



* The following figure will convey an idea to the 

 unlearned reader of the meanirj? of this proposi 

 tion. 



A B C is a riaht angled triangle, having the right 

 angle at C, and A B is the hypothenuse, or longest 

 side. By geometrical reasoning it can be- demon 

 strated, that the square D, described on the longest 

 side A B, is exactlj &quot; to the sum of the squares 

 E and F, described on tne other two sides. One of 

 the uses of this proposition will appear from the 

 following example. Suppose A C the height of a 

 wall = 24 feet, B C the width of a trench = 18 feet; 

 it is required to find the length of a ladder B A which 

 will reach from the outside of the trench to the top 

 of the wall. Ihe square of 18 is 324 ; the square of 

 24 is 576, which added together make 900, equal to 

 the square D ; the square root of which is 30 =a the 

 length of the ladder. On this principle we cun find 



