THE END 301 



He had been engaged from early youth onward in 

 pursuits of his own choosing, and at every step he 

 enjoyed the satisfaction of knowing that in these pur- 

 suits he was achieving something, that he was, in fact, 

 on the path of discovery. It is only those who have 

 joined in serious attempts to solve the problems pre- 

 sented by nature, or what is called " scientific research," 

 who can understand the exultation which fills the heart 

 at the moment of success. Honours or rewards which 

 may follow are not thought of. And the triumph 

 belongs not only to the " watcher of the skies," but is 

 shared by the humblest discoverer of things on the earth. 



Testimony to this feeling is not wanting in the utter- 

 ances of men of science. In the Memorial Lecture 

 given by Ramsay himself to the Chemical Society in 

 1912, after the death of his friend Moissan, he quoted 

 the following words from the preface by Moissan to his 

 book on the Electric Furnace : 



" But what I cannot convey in the following pages is the keen 

 pleasure which I have experienced in the pursuit of these dis- 

 coveries. To plough a new furrow ; to have full scope to follow 

 my own inclination ; to see on all sides new subjects of study 

 bursting upon me, that awakens a true joy which only those can 

 experience who have themselves tasted the delights of research." 



Ramsay was ever filled with that divine curiosity 

 which in spite of obstacles impels the discoverer forward. 

 None of the common impediments stood in his way ; 

 there was neither poverty, nor ill-health, nor discourage- 

 ment from friends, nor family cares. He was in due time 



