2 POPULAR SCIENCE, 



the laity science has imposed a yet stronger hold. Oxford and 

 Cambridge, abandoning their ancient principle of exclusive 

 devotion to the dead languages and pure mathematics, have 

 fallen in with the sentiment of the day. Both Oxford and 

 Cambridge have established good chemical laboratories, and 

 the collateral science of geology has been studied at Cambridge 

 with a devotion and freedom from theological bias eminently 

 characteristic of the spirit of the times. Some explanation 

 may be found for the scientific tendencies of the age in practical 

 utilitarianism men being induced to study science for what 

 it may bring ; and much as it is the custom to deprecate this 

 incentive, still the concession must be granted that practical 

 utility is one not unworthy the aspiration of mankind. Some 

 confusion exists as to the meaning of this word ' utility,' and 

 a loose way of expression in respect to it has become usual ; 

 one it may be worth while to dispose of. 



If a man could bring himself to believe that any specified 

 branch of knowledge, acquired through scientific inquiry, 

 was actually useless, and ever must be then, I apprehend, 

 he would not be justified in giving time to its study. The 

 fact is, he does not believe this : he cannot believe this ; 

 the assumption would be wholly adverse to every teaching 

 of periods gone by. No words are, perhaps, more ill-applied 

 than ( practical' and c unpractical' in respect to science. The 

 history of science shows that facts, the utility of which could 

 not only not be seen at the time, but not for long ages after 

 the time in some cases, have at length been turned to the 

 most material account. No science is more rich in these 

 examples than chemistry, understanding that science, as is 

 usual in England, to comprehend electricity and certain other 

 branches of physics as well. The example of the electric 

 telegraph has been so frequently adduced in support of this, 

 that I almost hesitate to adduce it ; still, to omit that illus- 

 tration would be a mistake in such an argument as we are 

 upon. When the Danish philosopher (Ersted, in 1819, 



