394 NEWTON DENOUNCED. 



In this book, I have presented those determinations only 

 which relate to the ATOMIC WEIGHTS OF THE ELEMENTS. 



While it was not possible to make the fourth part as com- 

 plete as intended, I feel confident that no result of value or 

 importance has been omitted. 



Truth Denounced and Error Sustained. 



With regret, I must admit that I have been positively 

 "denounced" for this work* of mathematically demonstrat- 

 ing a great general scientific principle by the facts of 

 experiment and observation. 



If our scientific editors and modern authors in science 

 would learn just a little before they teach, write or denounce 

 they would not disgrace themselves before the scientific 

 public of the Future. 



An Editor of a Weekly Journal of Chemistry, published 

 in London, might be expected to know the name and the 

 character of the work of Newton sufficiently, not to rush a 

 denunciation into his editorial column against a chemist, 

 whose work he does not understand any more than the 

 method and work of Newton, which his denunciation hits 

 fully as much. 



The supposition that in these days of vaunted enlighten- 

 ment and general culture, a new scientific truth, fully dem- 

 onstrated by established facts, needs only to be published to 

 be accepted, is contrary to experience, which has proved, 

 that scientific authorities of to-day are just as rock-rooted 

 in error and just as prone to denounce and to persecute, as 

 the most notorious bigots and heretic burners of three and 

 four centuries ago. 



It is a most deplorable fact that our own once mentally 

 free country has, at public expense of many millions a year, 

 built up the most absolute and most harmful power working 

 for error and enforcing such errors by official National and 

 State authority. 



The act of the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution 

 in officially declaring the false atomic weights of Clarke to 



* Chemical News, vol. 73, p. 232 ; 1896. 



