11 



the earliest ages, seems only to present the greater anom- 

 aly to the mind of the enquirer. If we trace the progress 

 of what are called the physical siences, those for instance 

 of astronomy and geometry, from the early days of Egypt- 

 ian learning, or the history of navigation and commerce 

 from the Phrenicians, the tine arts from the Athenian 

 age, the art of war, Colonial conquest, and civilization, 

 from the Romans, mathematical science from the age of 

 Saracenic conquest, or follow the course of advancing 

 knowledge in Europe, from a point no further back than 

 the invention of printing it is impossible to escape the 

 unfavorable comparison exhibited by that very pursuit 

 whose universal necessity, while it affords the strongest 

 excitement to progress, might reasonably be expected to 

 have furnished the fullest development of its resources." 



He then proceeds to enumerate some of the causes 

 that " have operated to retard the accumulation of agri- 

 cultural knowledge," namely, variety of climate, variety 

 of soil, the geological structure of the earth, difference of 

 elevation, isolation of the farmer, and the length of time 

 needed for experiment, to which it seems to me should 

 be added the prevalence of war, the lack of intercourse be- 

 tween nations, the want of the "art preservative of arts," 

 printing, the comparative ignorance of geology, miner- 

 alogy, chemistry and physiology, and the non-existence 

 of the thermometer, barometer and wonder revealing 

 microscope. 



Obviously all these causes operated to prevent that 

 accumulation, analysis and comparison of facts on a 

 grand scale, by which alone great and general truths and 

 principles can be discovered and established. 



The cultivator of the rich valley of the Nile naturally 

 felt contempt for regions unfruitful when compared with 

 his own, an,d without seeking to penetrate beyond the 

 limits of his vision, was content with the knowledge and 

 skill that seemed all sufficient for him. 



The cultivator in less favored lands also plied his art 

 according to the local traditionary precepts that had been 



