168 MALUS. 
“As we cannot give children the idea of good, we 
ought to give them the habit of it.” | 
“ Even when we stifle reason, conscience comes as a 
corps de reserve to oppose a barrier to irregularity.” 
“T do not like men who weigh their own good deeds.” 
I find also in the papers from which the preceding 
forms a very short extract, a thought expressed in the 
following terms :— 
“ One becomes the slave of any man, if injustice on his 
part can offend.and grieve us.” 
This last precept is full of wisdom ; but did the author 
himself always strictly conform to it? On questions of 
scientific priority has he not sometimes, to use his own 
expression, become the slave of his opponents? See and 
judge for yourselves. 
Malus suspected a member of the Institute of Egypt 
of having wished to invade his rights on the occasion of 
an analytical calculation being communicated to that 
learned’ body. He was so preoccupied with this idea 
that in a letter addressed to his colleague he omitted to 
write before his signature, “I am, with consideration, 
your humble servant.” The meaning of this suppres- 
sion of a customary form of politeness is indicated in 
positive terms in a letter which I have before me from 
the officer of engineers to his friend Lancret. 
A great geometer conceived the idea of a means of 
reconciling the phenomena of double refraction with the 
principle of “ least action,” and published on this subject — 
a note which every one may read in our scientific jour- 
nals. Ki 
Malus was convinced that he had himself first con- 
ceived the possibility of this investigation, and that he 
had spoken of it publicly before the publication of that 
