ON THE STUDY OF PHYSICS. 295 



material necessities. And so it is with scientific re- 

 search. While the love of science is a sufficient incen- 

 tive to the pursuit of science, and the investigator, in 

 the prosecution of his enquiries, is raised above all 

 material considerations, the results of his labours may 

 exercise a potent influence upon the physical condition 

 of the community. This is the arrangement of Nature, 

 and not that of the scientific investigator himself; for 

 he usually pursues his object without regard to its 

 practical applications. 



And let him who is dazzled by such applications 

 who sees in the steam-engine and the electric telegraph 

 the highest embodiment of human genius and the only 

 legitimate object of scientific research, beware of pre- 

 scribing conditions to the investigator. Let him be- 

 ware of attempting to substitute for that simple love 

 with which the votary of science pursues his task, the 

 calculations of what he is pleased to call utility. The 

 professed utilitarian is unfortunately, in most cases, 

 the very last man to see the occult sources from which 

 useful results are derived. He admires the flower, but 

 is ignorant of the conditions of its growth. The scien- 

 tific man must approach Nature in his own way; for 

 if you invade his freedom by your so-called practical 

 considerations, it may be at the expense of those quali- 

 ties on which his success as a discoverer depends. Let 

 the self-styled practical man look to those from the 

 fecundity of whose thought he, and thousands like 

 him, have sprung into existence. Were they inspired 

 in their first enquiries by the calculations of utility? 

 Not one of them. They were often forced to live low 

 and lie hard, and to seek compensation for their pen- 

 ury in the delight which their favourite pursuits af- 

 forded them. In the words of one well qualified to 

 speak upon this subject, * I say not merely look at the 



