A Century of Science 37 



centuries, this is a permanent acquisition. We 

 can no more revert to the statical conception than 

 we can turn back the sun in his course. Whatever 

 else the philosophy of future generations may be, 

 it must be some kind of a philosophy of evolution. 



Such is the scientific conquest achieved by the 

 nineteenth century, a marvellous story without any 

 parallel in the history of human achievement. The 

 swiftness of the advance has been due partly to 

 the removal of the ancient legal and social tram 

 mels that beset free thinking in every conceivable 

 direction. It is largely due also to the use of cor 

 rect methods of research. The waste of intellec 

 tual effort has been less than in former ages. The 

 substitution of Lavoisier s balance for Stahl s a 

 priori reasoning is one among countless instances 

 of this. Sound scientific method is a slow acquisi 

 tion of the human mind, and for its more rapid 

 introduction, in Priestley s time and since, we have 

 largely to thank the example set by those giants of 

 a former age, Galileo and Kepler, Descartes and 

 Newton. 



The lessons that might be derived from our story 

 are many. But one that we may especially empha 

 size is the dignity of Man whose persistent seeking 

 for truth is rewarded by such fruits. We may be 

 sure that the creature whose intelligence measures 



