Discouragement to research in England. 185 



obliged to abandon research at a period of life when 

 their faculties were in the most perfect state for con- 

 tinuing it. 



Where one young beginner in science meets with 

 the fortunate circumstance of a helping hand, as 

 Scheele did in Bergmann, and Faraday in Davy, 

 many are crushed out. The want of encouragement 

 to scientific discovery in this country is so very great 

 that extremely few men are able to struggle through 

 it, and this is one reason why we have had so few 

 discoveries. Some persons have argued that the very 

 difficulties and discouragements offered are an advan- 

 tage to science by producing only men of the very 

 highest eminence in discovery; but it is manifest that 

 however great the amount of ability may be that is 

 developed by discouragement, that amount would 

 probably be still greater by judicious assistance. 

 Moreover, progress in the developement of the 

 national scientific intellect is not so much to be 

 reckoned by the few great successes which have 

 occurred in spite of all obstacles, but rather by the 

 much more numerous ones which would have resulted 

 from proper encouragement. The advocates of such 

 an argument can have no idea of the heart-sickening 

 feeling of long deferred hope experienced by the 

 young beginner in science ; or the disgust gradually 

 engendered in his mind at the injustice of other men 

 taking all the profits of his labours and leaving him 

 without means of support ; or they would never 

 adduce it. In this country the success of the few em- 



