58 A CENTURY OF SCIENCE 



National Government in the world struggle for freedom 

 in which it is taking part. But, whatever the exact con- 

 dition of the future may be, it cannot be questioned that 

 the Journal founded by Benjamin Silliman in 1818 will 

 survive and will continue to play a vital part in the sup- 

 port and further development of science. 



The present year of 1918 finds the world at large, and 

 with it the world of .science, painfully crushed beneath the 

 overwhelming weight of a world war of unprecedented 

 severity. The four terrible years now nearly finished 

 have seen a fearful destruction of life and property which 

 must have a sad influence on the progress of science for 

 many years to come. Only in certain restricted lines has 

 there been a partial compensation in the stimulating 

 influence due to the immediate necessities connected with 

 the great conflict. One hundred years ago l i the reign of 

 war" was keenly in the mind of the editor in beginning 

 his work, but for him, happily, the long period of the 

 Napoleonic wars was already in the past, as also the brief 

 conflict of 1812, in which this country was engaged and in 

 which Silliman himself played a minor part. We, too, 

 must believe, no matter how serious the outlook of the 

 present moment, that a fundamental change will come in 

 the not distant future; the nations of the world must 

 sooner or later turn once more to peaceful pursuits and 

 the scientific men of different races must become again 

 not enemies but brothers engaged in the common cause 

 of uplifting human life. The peace that we look forward 

 to to-day is not for this country alone, but a peace which 

 shall be a permanent blessing to the entire world for 

 ages to come. 



NOTE. The portrait which forms the frontispiece of 

 this volume has been reproduced from the plate in 

 volume 50 (1847). The original painting was made by 

 H. Willard in 1835, when Silliman was in Boston 

 engaged in delivering the Lowell lectures ; he was then 

 nearly fifty-six years of age. The engraving, as he 

 states elsewhere, was made from this painting for the 

 Yale Literary Magazine, and was published in the num- 

 ber for December, 1839. 



