232 HERMANN VON HELMHOLTZ: 



liquids, the question as to the motion of sound at the 

 open ends of organ pipes, &c. &c. But the pride 

 which I might have felt about the final result in these 

 cases was considerably lowered by my consciousness 

 that I had only succeeded in solving such problems 

 after many devious ways, by the gradually increasing 

 generalisation of favourable examples, and by a series 

 of fortunate guesses. I had to compare myself with 

 an Alpine climber, who, not knowing the way, ascends 

 slowly and with toil, and is often compelled to retrace 

 his steps because his progress is stopped ; sometimes 

 by reasoning, and sometimes by accident, he hits upon 

 traces of a fresh path, which again leads him a little 

 further; and finally, when he has reached the goal, be 

 finds to his annoyance a royal road on which he might 

 have ridden up if he had been clever enough to find 

 the right starting-point at the outset. In my memoirs 

 I have, of course, not given the reader an account of 

 my wanderings, but I have described the beaten path 

 on which he can now reach the summit without 

 trouble. 



There are many people of narrow views, who greatly 

 admire themselves, if once in a way, they have had a 

 happy idea, or believe they have had one. An investi- 

 gator, or an artist, who is continually having a great 

 number of happy ideas, is undoubtedly a privileged 

 being, and is recognised as a benefactor of humanity. 



