PREFACE. 5 



acquire that habit of mind by which alone lie can 

 judge fairly and wisely of facts of any kind whatsoever. 



I say facts of any kind whatsoever. If any of 

 my readers should be inclined to say to themselves : 

 Geology may be a very pleasant study, but I have no 

 special fancy for it. I had rather learn something of 

 botany, astronomy, chemistry, or what not I shall 

 answer : By all means. Learn any branch of Natural 

 Science you will. It matters little to me which you 

 learn, provided you learn one at least. But bear in 

 mind, and settle it in your hearts, that you will learn 

 no branch of science soundly, so as to master it, and 

 be able to make use of it, unless you acquire that 

 habit and method of mind which I am trying to teach 

 you in this book. I have tried to teach it you by 

 geology, because geology is, perhaps, the simplest and 

 the easiest of all physical sciences. It appeals more 

 than any to mere common sense. It requires fewer 

 difficult experiments, and expensive apparatus. It 

 requires less previous knowledge of other sciences, 

 whether pure or mixed; at least in its rudimentary 

 stages. It is more free from long and puzzling Greek 

 and Latin words. It is specially, the poor man's 

 science. But if you do not like it, study something 

 else. Only study that as you must study geology; 

 proceeding from the known to the unknown by 

 observation and experiment. 



But here some of my readers may ask, as they have 

 a perfect right to ask, why I wish young men to learn 

 Natural Science at all ? What good will the right 

 understanding of geology, or of astronomy, or of 

 chemistry, or of the plants or animals which they 

 meet what good, I say, will that do them ? 



