HINDRANCES AND HELPS 



too busy and shrewd a man to controvert a 

 statement of which he has only vague and 

 muddy comprehension. His dignity is saved, 

 by bowing acquiescence, and passing it unchal- 

 lenged. Thus, — if the Professor, talking in 

 the interests of agriculture, says: "Gypsum is 

 very serviceable in fixing the ammonia which 

 is brought down from the atmosphere by show- 

 ers," the common-sense farm listener is dis- 

 posed to admit so airy a truth. But if the Pro- 

 fessor, meeting him over the fence, says : "Plas- 

 ter is an excellent manure," the common-sense 

 man retorts : 



"Waal — d' n' know ; depends a leetle upon the 

 sile, in my opinion." 



But as the scientific man confines himself 

 mostly to the language of the desk, and meets 

 with an admiring assent, he is apt, I think, to 

 generalize somewhat too loosely and rashly in 

 his theories of applied science. Naturally 

 enough, confident in the results of his own 

 investigation, he entertains a certain contempt 

 for a merely empirical art ; he undervalues the 

 experience and practices of its patrons, and 

 proposes to lay down a law for them, which, 

 having scientific truth for its basis, may work 

 unvarying results. I do not know how I can 

 better illustrate this, than by noticing some of 



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