MERIT OF DISCOVERY, TO WHOM DUE? 13 



Creator, he sooner or later becomes a follower in the camp 

 of science. If he makes assertions which will not bear 

 the light of scientific evidence, philosophic investigators 

 know that mental acquiescence in such cases is only a ques- 

 tion of time. That professors of religion are gradually 

 falling into the ranks of science, is conspicuously mani- 

 fested in many ways. It might easily be shown that not 

 only these, but all other classes of persons, are compelled 

 by the great laws which determine human progress to 

 promote indirectly the discovery of new truth. 



' To whom are we to ascribe the chief merit of a suc- 

 cessful and practical invention ? Is it to the philosopher 

 who suggested in a misty future some visionary project ? 

 Is it to the engineer who renders the abstract concrete 

 the dream a reality ? Is it to the financier or commercial 

 man who risks his fortune on his foresight, and on his 

 estimate of the value of the philosophical idea and of the 

 engineer's skill and practice ? In all these applications of 

 science to practice these three characters are involved. 

 Take, for instance, telegraphy. We have here the dream 

 of Sommering, of Schilling ; we have the genius of Wheat- 

 stone and of Steinheil. On the other hand, we have the 

 practical enterprise of Cooke, of Morse, and Siemens. We 

 have again the financial foresight of men who are little 

 known Kicardo, Bidder, Weber, of the great railway 

 companies of this country, of the Grovernment, and of the 

 Governments of Europe all of whom have lent their 

 assistance in establishing telegraphy on its present great 

 basis. Take, again, one of the greatest branches of tele- 

 graphy submarine telegraphy.' ' The great genius, 

 Wheatstone, as early as the year 1839, I think, formed 

 the idea of a cable connecting England with France. The 

 genius of Faraday and the skill of Siemens succeeded in 

 making submarine cables practicable ; but it was the fore- 



