THE HAMILTON ASSOCIATION. ^9 



" clarified by their passage through great minds, twined to shape, 

 " and incorporated in the consciousness of the race by the pen of 

 " poet and philosopher. Firmly centered in the present we can 

 " reach out a hand both to the past and to the future, and become 

 " the heirs of all the ages. But we must bear in mind that science 

 " is not to be degraded to a machine for grinding general laws out 

 " of large collections of facts. We must guard especially against the 

 " error of assuming scientific arrogance whilst in search of evolving 

 " a true scientific spirit, and of becoming overbearing whilst discuss- 

 " ing with those who differ from our views." 



Science is no longer looked upon as dangerous to those who 

 follow it ; faith is never weakened by its attainment. The materials 

 of the universe by which we are surrounded are full of the evidences 

 of a Creator; they crowd upon us from every side, wherever we turn 

 our eyes we read them. Their evidences are inscribed on the blue 

 dome of Heaven and on the gorgeous cloud turrets of the western 

 sky, on the rocky cliffs which record the iTiemories of long buried 

 ages and on the green sods which cover the last new made grave. 

 The material with which the Eternal writes His name, and the style 

 of His handiwork, are evermore the same, whether He writes it in 

 the golden characters of the mine or the metallic lustre of the hills, 

 science recognizes its great Author's hand and admires with reverence 

 His matchless autograph. 



Science and art are constantly coupled together, but they really 

 move in very different planes and touch different parts of human 

 nature. When science comes in at the door, art flies out at the win- 

 dow, for the former appeals to the intellect, art to the emotions, and 

 man is so constituted that when intellect is in the ascendant the 

 emotions sink out of sight The sympathizing spirit of art is opposed 

 to the critical spirit of science. The artist seeks beauty, finds like- 

 nesses and discerns the ideal through the real. The votary of science 

 seeks facts, draws distinctions, strips the real to the skin and bone. 

 Poetry is the art of arts, but what would science do with the finest 

 poem ? The revels and play of poetic fancy would wither and shrivel 

 under the hard realism of science. And this is why science needs 

 to be cautiously handled and taught. It must not be roughly thrust 

 on the student, but gradually instilled. Its teaching must be popu- 

 larized, placed before the people in an easy and familiar way, devoid 



