12 A NEW THEORY 



the nations of the earth kneeling before him; yes, 

 he is far more worthy of renown than was Napoleon, 

 though thrones trembled and crowns crumbled at his 

 approach. Alas, that the benefactors of mankind 

 should so often have met the cold indifference of the 

 world, and have been left to pine in penury, and per- 

 ish unnoticed and disregarded. To the warrior who 

 destroys thousands of his fellow beings, and makes 

 so many mothers mourn, the marble monument is 

 erected, and his renown is recorded on the imperish- 

 able pages of history. To him who invents a many 

 chambered rifle to destroy the human race by the 

 wholesale, thousands of money are given, and his 

 name recorded in the temple of fame. But how did 

 poor Whitney, the inventer of the Cotton Gin, live 

 and die? Alas ! though his invention has given mil- 

 lions to the Southern States, yet he died a beggar, af- 

 ter 'crawling through existence in the most abject 

 poverty. / 



In presenting novel views, upon a subject which 

 has elicited the profoundest attention of the Geolo- 

 gist, we well know that we must subject ourselves to 

 the cavils of the ignorant, as well as the prejudices of 

 the inexperienced. Relying, however, on the patient 

 observation and experience of threescore years, we 

 fearlessly present our views, having seen the practi- 

 cal effects growing out of what others will term a 

 dangerous innovation, or novel theory. There is evi- 

 dently a strong tendency in the human mind to start at 



