3*9 



SCIENCE AND ART, DEPARTMENT OF. 



SCIENCE AND ART, DEPARTMENT OP. 



360 



the 16th century the word science had begun to appear as denoting 

 connected and demonstrated knowledge, in opposition to art, which 

 signified digested rules of operation not connected with each other by 

 deduction from common first principles. Thus Tartaglia, a writer on 

 algebra (which was then, and most properly, called only an art ; ars 

 magna. or arte maggiore), styles Euclid, in the preface to his edition of 

 the Elements, " the sole guide to the mathematical sciences." By the 

 middle of the 17th century, the term science was freely used in the 

 sense which it has never since lost, namely, that in which it is opposed 

 to literature. But the old distinction of science as opposed to art has 

 still remained, though the two terms, in this sense, have been in great 

 measure superseded by theory and practice ; but improperly, for the 

 distinction between science and art is one thing, and that between 

 theory and practice another. [THEORY.] 



A science, as distinguished from an art, is a body of truths, the 

 common first principles of which are supposed to be known and sepa- 

 rated, so that the individual truths, even though some or all may be 

 clear in themselves, have a guarantee that they could have been dis- 

 covered and known, either with certainty or with such probability as 

 the subject admits of, by other means than their own evidence. It 

 is not necessary that these truths should have been discovered by a 

 scientific process; it is enough that they admit of such treatment 

 subsequently. The telescope, for instance, may have been discovered 

 accidentally ; but it can now be demonstrated beforehand that such an 

 instrument must produce the effect which it is known to produce, and 

 the rales for its construction may be deduced from the simple funda- 

 mental properties of light. In the sense of the word above used, 

 the number of perfect sciences is not so great as is commonly sup- 

 posed ; for many branches of knowledge which bear the name are not 

 perfect sciences, such as medicine, zoology, and geology ; in all of 

 these, Urge classifications have been made, many principles have been 

 deduced which seem to be of universal application, and much has 

 been done to make these known principles point out the direction of 

 inquiry ; but it would be idle to say that either of them is a science in 

 the sense in which astronomy is a science. 



Science, as opposed to literature, means any branch of knowledge in 

 which the affections of mind or matter are to be made the subject of 

 reasoning, with a view to discover and apply first principles. The dis- 

 tinctions of mental and physical sciences, the subdivision of the former 

 into ethical and psychological, &c., whatever terms may be employed, 

 are real and useful. But as it is not the object here to classify human 

 knowledge, but only to give a slight account of the mode of using a 

 word, we may pass on to ite common signification. 



By science, in popular language, is meant simply mathematical, 

 physical, or natural science, not with reference to principles, but to 

 results. Calculation, collection of natural objects, construction of 

 models, use of philosophical instruments, any or either, is science, or 

 part of science ; and a man of science (man of a science, or man of 

 the art which in built upon a science, would frequently be a correct 

 description) may be either a mathematician, mechanist, engineer, 

 .1 practitioner, astronomer, geologist, electrician, zoologist, orni- 

 thologist, 4c. To this sort of designation there can be no objection in 

 it.-:i-lf, and it is convenient as distinguishing followers of science, or of 

 a science, from those of literature. But it is not sufficiently precise 

 in itself to distinguish the followers of different sciences from one 

 Another. When a literary man is named, his pursuit is generally 

 indicated ; the historian, the antiquary, the poet, the novelist, the 

 polit '.'' 'in. the scholar, and the linguist, are not confounded by means 

 i if a general term: insomuch that " literary man," by itself, generally 

 implies one of information, but not of distinguished depth in any one 

 (articular branch. But the inquirer into the sciences of electricity 

 and magnetism, for example, has no name to distinguish him from the 

 observer and classifier of insects ; that is to say, the proper technical 

 names are not familiar to the world at large. But this is the least 

 . \\ in 11 the word science comes to be used in its high 

 and |iro]*r sense, indicative of truth discovered, error prevented, 

 inquiry organised, judicious habits formed, and mental energy 

 strengthened, it must be difficult for those who are used to the 

 ion seme of the word to imagine the truth of many things which 

 are said about it. " All we require in, that he will hold his former 

 opinions and judgment* without bigotry, retain till he shall see reason 

 to question thrm, be ready to resign them when fairly proved untena- 

 ble, and 1 1. doubt them when the weight of probability is shown to 

 lie against them. If he refuse this, he is incapable of iriencc." Now 

 'hough the word of a good authority, and perfectly true, is never- 

 tbelem notoriously false in the common sense of the word science : 

 a man may be incapable of the preceding state of mind, and may 

 be a man of teienet. There is no remedy for this confusion of 

 terms, except tliat which every one must make for himself, by 

 attention to the different senses of the word, the higher and the 



AND ART, DEPARTMENT OF. This department of 

 the Committee of Privy Council on Education owes ite origin to the 

 frnggestions contained in the Second Report of the Commissioners for 

 the Exhibition of 1851. After urging the necessity of the industrial 

 dames of this country receiving more systematic instruction in science 

 and art in order to enable them to maintain their pre-eminence in the 

 mutral markets of the world, the Commissioners impressed on the 



government the advantages which would result from bringing the 

 -arious institutions connected with Science and Art that were supported 

 >y the public funds, into alose connection with each other, instead of 

 heir remaining under different departments of the government. The 

 jovernment took a favourable view of the suggestion ; and, as a part 

 of the " comprehensive scheme for the advancement of the fine arts 

 and of practical science," announced from the throne at the opening of 

 ,he session of 1852-53, the Lords of the Treasury, in March, 1853, s*ave 

 ,heir formal concurrence to the proposed arrangement of the Privy 

 Council to " unite in one department, under the Board of Trade, with 

 ;he Departments of Practical Art and Science, the kindred and analogous 

 natitutions of the Government School of Mines and Science, the 

 Museum of Practical Geology, the Geological Survey, the Museum 

 Irish Industry, and the Royal Dublin Society, all of which are in part 

 supported by parliamentary grants ; " and, the Treasury minute proceeds, 

 ' my Lords have given directions that the estimates for all these insti- 

 ;utions shall be brought together under the general head of ' Board of 

 Trade Department of Science and Art.' " The immediate purpose of 

 ;his amalgamation, it was declared, was to bring the whole of these 

 institutions under one common superintendence, to establish a Central 

 Metropolitan School of Practical Science as well as of Art, and to en- 

 courage and extend the formation of minor local institutions which 

 should be in connection with, and assisted by, the central institutions, 

 L>ut as far as possible self-supporting and under the 1 management of the 

 local authorities. 



As was said above, the institutions thus brought together under one 

 department, were all in part supported by parliamentary grants. The 

 sums voted for each in the year previous to the amalgamation were : 

 Government School of Mines and Science, 800?. ; Museum of Practical 

 Geology, 5272?. ; Geological Survey, 5500?. ; Museum of Irish Industry, 

 3348?. ; Royal Dublin Society, 6340?. ; Department of Practical Art, 

 including the provincial Schools of Design, 17,920?. ; in all, 39,181?. : 

 but the sum actually granted was 41,586?. ; additions having been 

 sanctioned of 150?. to the School of Mines, and 2255?. to the Depart- 

 ment of Practical Art. 



Of these institutions the character may be briefly indicated. The 

 Government School of Mines and of Science applied to the Arts was 

 founded in 1851, in consequence of memorials addressed to government 

 by the mining districts of the United Kingdom, in which it was shown 

 that the schools for the instruction of persons engaged in mining 

 pursuits by various Continental governments had much increased the 

 economy, efficiency, and safety of mining operations in the countries in 

 which they had been established, and that the want of similar schools 

 had long been felt in the mining districts of this kingdom. The 

 Government School of Mines was accordingly opened in connection 

 with the Museum of Practical Geology in 1851. It is now merged in 

 the Metropolitan School f Science applied to Mining and the Arts, 

 which forms one of the two great branches of the department which is 

 the subject of this article. The Museum of Practical Geology, which 

 will be noticed more fully presently, was in 1850 removed to the 

 building erected for its reception in Jermyn Street, St. James's. Ever 

 since the establishment of the Museum, the Geological Survey of the 

 United Kingdom has been carried on in connection with it. To these 

 institutions we may add the Royal College of Chemistry, founded in 

 1845, it having been, in 1853, transferred to the Department of Science 

 and Art. 



The Department of Practical Art was a development, or rather 

 reconstitution, of the central Schools of Design, originally founded in 

 1837, in accordance with the recommendations of a committee of the 

 House of Commons. The Department of Practical Art was created 

 but a short time before its amalgamation with the other institutions 

 in the Department of Science and Art, and before it had come into full 

 operation as a separate institution. 



The Royal Dublin Society for the improvement of husbandry, manu- 

 factures, and other useful arts and sciences, was founded in 1731, and 

 incorporated by royal charter in 1 749. It possesses a valuable museum 

 of natural history ; an agricultural museum ; an excellent library ; a 

 museum of sculpture, casts, 4c. From its establishment, we believe, 

 it has had its schools of painting, sculpture, and the fine arts, from 

 which many of the best native artists have proceeded. It has also a 

 good chemical laboratory ; and a convenient theatre for the delivery of 

 lectures. The Botanic Gardens at Glasncvin belong to the Society, 

 .ind the Zoological Gardens, Phoenix Park, are in connection with it. 

 Though amalgamated with the Department of Science and Art, the 

 Society is conducted wholly by ite own council, the duties of the 

 department being confined to supervision and suggestion. 



The Museum of Irish Industry was established by the government 

 in 1845, and placed under the direction of Sir Robert Kane, so honour- 

 ably distinguished for investigations in connection with the industrial 

 pursuits of Ireland. In object, the Museum of Irish Industry resembles 

 pretty closely the London Museum of Practical Geology, but takes a 

 BOinewhat wider and more diversified range. It has a staff of professors 

 who lecture in the theatre of the Royal Dublin Society ; the professors, 

 since the union with the Department of Science and Art. being common 

 to the two institutions. The system of lectures, which has some pecu- 

 liarities, is an extension of that previously adopted by the Royal Dublin 

 Society. Short courses are given during the day, chiefly to the upper 

 classes; and other courses are given in the evenings, chiefly to the sons 



