686 KANSAS CITY REVIEW OF SCIENCE 



the history of electricity and magnetism for two thousand years, during which 

 these facts stood alone, like isolated mountain peaks, with summits touched and 

 made visible by the morning sun, while the region surrounding and connecting 

 them lay hidden and unexplored. 



In fact it is only in more recent times that men could be found possessing 

 the necessary mental qualities to insure success in physical investigation. Some 

 of the ancients were acute observers, and made valuable observations in descrip- 

 tive natural history. They also observed and described phenomena which they 

 saw around them, although often in vague and mystical terms. 



They, however, were greatly lacking in power to discriminate between the 

 possible and the absurd, and so old wives' tales, acute speculations and truthful 

 observations are strangely jumbled together. With rare exceptions they did net 

 contrive new conditions to bring about phenomena which Nature did not spon- 

 taneously exhibit — they did not experiment. They attempted to solve the uni- 

 verse in their heads, and made little progress. 



In mediaeval times intellectual men were busy in trying to set each other 

 right, and in disputing and arguing with those who believed themselves to be 

 right. It was an era of intellectual pugilism, and nothing was done in physics. 

 In fact, this frame of mind is imcompatible with any marked success in scientific 

 work. 



The physical investigator cannot take up his work in the spirit of contro- 

 versy; for the phenomena and laws of Nature will not argue with him. He must 

 come as a learner, and tiie true man of science is content to learn, is content to 

 lay his results before his fellows, and is willing to profit by their criticisms. In 

 so far as he permits himself to assume the mental attitude of one who defends a 

 position, in so far does he reveal a grave disqualification for the most useful 

 scientific work. Scientific truth needs no man's defense, but our individual state- 

 ments of what we believe to be truth frequently need criticism. It is hardly 

 necessary to remark also, that critics are of various degrees of excellence, and it 

 seems that those in whom the habit of criticism has become chronic, are of com- 

 paratively little service to the world. 



The great harbinger of the new era was Galileo. There had been prophets 

 before him, and after him came a greater one — Newton. They did nothing of 

 note in electricity and magnetism, but they were filled with the true spirit of 

 science, they introduced proper and reasonable methods of investigation, and by 

 their great ability and distinguished success, they have produced a revolution in 

 the intellectual world. Other great men had also appeared, such as Leibnitz and 

 Huyghens ; and it became very clear that the methods of investigation which had 

 borne such fruit in the days of Galileo, were not disposed of completely by his 

 unwilling recantation; it became very clear that the new civilization which was 

 dawning upon Europe, was not destined to the rude fate which had overwhelmed 

 the brilliant scientific achievements of the Spanish Moors of a half century before. 



Already in 1580, about the time when Galileo entered Pisa as a student, 

 Borroughs had determined the variation of the magnetic needle at London, and 



