274 LIGHT SCIENCE FOR LEISURE HOURS. 



to indicate his wish to change the accepted views of 

 the universe, for does not Liddell and Scott's Lexicon 

 give, as the meaning of the verb TrapaXkacro-w, ' to 

 change or alter a little, esp. for the worse,' or else, as 

 indicative of the ingenuity of the man in avoiding any 

 argument which appeared irresistible (for the verb 

 means also to slip aside, escape, or dodge). His skill 

 in this respect was remarkable. He would reason at 

 any length with those who had a smattering of astro- 

 nomical knowledge, and he would only occasionally, by 

 some reference to Scripture, exchange what resembled 

 argument for an ' appeal to the gallery ; ' but when a 

 really unanswerable argument was brought against him, 

 he had a simple but effective formula, which always 

 afforded a loophole for escape. * Come, sir,' he would 

 reply, * you have said your say ; others wish to speak as 

 well as you.' It is probable that De Morgan had very 

 little conception of the real position of this worthy, 

 whom he regarded as an ingenious simpleton ; but his 

 remarks are worth quoting, especially as they give a 

 very good idea of De Morgan's style : 



* August 28, 1865. The Zetetic Astronomy has 

 come into my hands. When, in 1851, I went to see 

 the Great Exhibition, I heard an organ played by a per- 

 former who seemed very desirous to exhibit one parti- 

 cular stop. " What do you think of that stop ? " I was 

 asked. " That depends on the name of it," said I. 

 " Oh ! what can the name have to do with the sound ? 

 That which we call a rose,' " &c. " The name has 

 everything to do with it ; if it be a flute-stop, I think 



