NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



From the National JEgif. 



MINERALOGICAL No. V. 



That Science which renders no assistance to 

 he industry of man, is unworthy of its associa- 

 ion with the circle of those which multiply the 

 nenns of human happiness, and that art which 

 esls not on the broad foundation of scientific 

 ■ rinciple can never approach the limit of perfec- 

 iou. Constant practice, continued efforts, nnin- 

 errupted toil will work wonders. They give 

 llieir products, a polish, a neatness and an ele- 

 jance which no other method can supply. But 

 labit is always servile. It follows some esam- 

 )le, it copies from some prototype, it pursues 

 aithority. Without the boldness of originality, 

 r the darina^ of itivention, it seldom strikes out 

 or itself the path of improvement. The artist 

 nay be taught to unite the parts of complicated 

 nachinery, but his manual dexterity can never 

 n.able him to bring new powers into action, or 

 ivail himself of new mechanical agents. When 

 he precepts of the master fail him, he is with- 

 lut a guide and at a stand. An acquaintance 

 vith nature and its laws, added to skill in imita- 

 ion, would enable him to advance with ccrtain- 

 y; and with the inducements to experiment, 

 vould give the assurances of success. From 

 his connexion between the arts and sciences this 

 autual interchange of support, the advantage 

 if theory is easily deduced. Not that false theor}'. 

 »hich is the visionary fabric of the imagination, 

 •ut the more substantial structure erected upon 

 he ficm basis of fact and observations. Insula 

 ed particulars divide and distract attention when 

 xisting separately; when collected undrr gen- 

 ral head?,thoy form land marks to determine the 

 irogress already made, and to point out the 

 curse ill which to advance. He who records 

 he experience of others, and goes through the 

 irocess of generalizing, contributes more to the 

 mprovement of the earth, than one who holds 

 he plough, or wields the sickle, without know- 

 ng a reason for his operations. Agriculture 

 will not assume the rank to which it is so just- 

 y entitled, at the head of other professions, till 

 t shall lean more upon science, and become less 

 dependant upon imitation and precedent. 



In an age when the acquisition of wealth is 

 made the end of living, and profit adopted as the 

 standard of utility, when the question what 

 oenefit is this, meets us at every step, it is nec- 

 essary, in recommendation of any pursuit, to 

 iemonstrate its application to the common pur- 

 poses of life. That this should be so, is but rea- 

 ionable. Society has a claim upon all its mem- 

 bers, to recompense the protection and the se- 

 curity which it extends. The existence which 

 is spent in listless inactivity, is like the waveless 

 calm of waters when no winds ruffle the surface. 

 The expanse is clear and beautiful, but the sails 

 of Commerce are not swelled, and the vessel is 

 not wafted to the harbor. Selfishness may claim 

 indulgence in following those objects which have 

 solitary gratification in view, but men more 

 liberal, will contribute to the good of others. 

 Much satisfaction there may be in tracing the 

 time worn letters of some mouldering coin, and 

 taking ingenuity to supply those which the eye 



cannot discover, but there is more pleasure in 

 natching the changes in the retort or the cruci- 

 ble, with the intention of aiding the cultivator 

 of the earth, and lightening the burden of labor 

 by the application of science. lie that employs 

 whole years in decyphering an inscription which 

 perhaps has no local habitation but in his own 

 fancy, and no name other than that his entliu- 

 siasm beslows, is less valuable in society than 

 the mineralogist who pores upon the angles ol' 

 a cryst.il or contemplates the structure of rocks, 

 and examines the formation of the globe, tliat 

 he may communirato the secret of its treasures 

 or unfold tiiG nature of its soils. 



Yet Mineralogy has much tliat can interest 

 him, who seeks only the em[doyment of the 

 hoiirs of leisure. The beauty, tiie richness and 

 the extent of its objects cannot be exceeded by 

 the subjects of any other department of science. 

 The flowers which open in the beams of morn- 

 ing, fade in the noon day heat. The Oak, which 

 outlives whole generations falls and decays. But 

 the rocks, the hills, the mountains endure. The 

 footsteps of Men, were printed upon them long 

 before we had our existence, and they will be 

 traced there long after we are gone to our silent 

 homes. Standing as they do, unmoved by the 

 storms of ages, while the finest monuments of 

 art are crushed to the dust, they present to the 

 observer, a page of that great volume, where 

 there is grandeur of causes, sublimity in effects, 

 and harmonious order. It is not for the gratifi- 

 cation of that indolence which seeks relief from 

 tlie burden of existence in the chase of frivoli- 

 ties, that the scholar interests himself in such 

 studies. In following his own inclinations, he 

 ailds to the existing stock of knowledge, and 

 wipes the sweat from the brow of toil. The 

 lover of nature finds new sources of instruction 

 and amusement at every step. Other branches of 

 inquiry may render him wiser, but this makes 

 him both wiser and better. Restraining the 

 violence of passion it draws closer the ties which 

 bind him to his fellow men, and promotes indi- 

 vidual happiness by increasing the general 

 good. 



To those who cherish the desire of acquiring 

 reputation, Blineralogy holds forth numerous al- 

 lurements. From whatever source that feeling 

 derives its origin, which forces us to revolt at 

 the idea of being lost in the darkness of oblivion, 

 to be as though xvt had never been, it is an 

 honorable sentiment. To identity our exist- 

 ence with the monument which marks the spot 

 where our remains shall rest, to be read only 

 in inscriptions and to live only in name, shows 

 but a poor conception of the value of fame. To 

 subsi-st in lasting memorials, to survive in mem- 

 ory of the benefits conferred, is a laudable am- 

 bition. Ours is a countr}-, where all is new, 

 where discovery has not yet explored the ex- 

 tensive regions of its territory, and gathered up 

 all that was worthy of notice. Placed as it 

 were on the verge of the wilderness, at that 

 point where cultivation ends, and the forest be- 

 gins, the fair fields that lay behind us, show the 

 improvement of which those which are yet un- 

 subdued are capable. The adventurer whom 

 fortune has favored with the opportunities and 



advantages requisite for such occupations ha* 

 only to go i'orwanl and he will prosper. 



That the strong features of natural characler, 

 depend upon the outlines of geological struc- 

 ture, is true to a certain extent. The discussion 

 of the influences of temperature, scenery, or 

 climate, upon the mind, is the province of the 

 metapliysic.Tl. No one who has felt the warmth 

 of spring succeeding the cold of winter, will 

 deny that there is much efiicacy in such means. 

 Though genius may rise superiour to the de- 

 pression of a foggy almosphcic, yet its highest 

 upward aspirations have been where the heav- 

 ens are faire-st, and the face of nature most love- 

 Iv. In the genial regions of the South, paint- 

 ing and sculpture have arrived nearer to perfec- 

 tion, and poetry which is the representative of 

 the feelings of' a people, has breathed in softer 

 numbers than in tiie ruder districts of the Nortli. 

 In those wild countries its notes have had mon; 

 boldness and orginality, and have given expres- 

 sion to those high toned sentiments and patriotic 

 feelings so congenial to the land of forests, rocks 

 and precipices. It is not unphilosophic-il to 

 ascribe these differences to the effects of varied 

 circumstances in the geographical situation or 

 the surface of a land. If observation confirm 

 the position, that regions like Switzerland and 

 America, whose mountains lift themselves to 

 vast elevations above the sea, are those places 

 where independence of thought and action ex- 

 ist, we have only to ascertain whether the lof- 

 ty ridges of a primitive section, rise into abrupt 

 and craggy sunirails, or whether the surface is 

 diversified hy tlic gentle swellings and undula- 

 tions of' a less marked formation, to determine 

 whether p nation possess the hardy s])irit of 

 freedom or are sunk in the degradation of slave- 

 rv. Without venturing the extravagant length 

 oV asserting that Q,uartz or Feldspar, or any oth- 

 er mineral are esential to human prosperity, or 

 that genius and virtue must be circumscribed 

 by the boundries of Limestone or Granite, ue 

 niay safely venture to say that the prominent 

 charactcristicks of a people may depend upon 

 the structuie of the country they inhabit. 



A single remark more upon the satisfaction 

 resulting from the study to which we have ad- 

 verted, and we have done. He who has accus- 

 tomed himself to minute observations on the 

 various products of the earth, if he does not 

 possess himself of wealth, yet opens numerous 

 stores of amusement. In every rock he recog- 

 nizes the rugged face of an old acquaintance, in 

 every stone beneath his feet he renews his inti- 

 macy with a friend. To select where all is 

 beautiful, to give a decisive preference where 

 all is inviting, is injustice. Renouncing that 

 limited prejudice, which seeks to exalt a favor- 

 ite, by disparaging every other object, he who 

 contemplates nature will delight to survey all 

 her works. He will find 



" tongues in Irses, books in the running; brooks, 



SeimoDs iu itones, and good in every thing." 



Selfishness is the hydra we should be per- 

 petually combating; lor the monster has so 

 much vitality, that new heads spring up as fast 

 as the old ones are cut off. 



