162 Dr. A. Schuster on 



" reject such precautions of safety, being cowards only in 

 " one sense, that of fearing to be thought afraid" 



Finally I give a few quotations which will illustrate his 

 lines of thought on general topics, and shew the quiet 

 humour with which he could occasionally put his thoughts 

 into words. 

 " Experiments" page 62. 1 



" Nor is it of much importance to us, to know the manner 

 " in which nature executes her laws ; 'tis enough if we know 

 "the laws themselves. 'Tis of real use to know that china 

 " left in the air unsupported will fall and break ; but how it 

 " comes to fall, and why it breaks, are matters of speculation. 

 "'Tis a pleasure indeed to know them, but we can preserve 

 " our china without it." 



To a lady who asked him the reason for a certain 

 alleged fact, he answers : — 



" Experiments" page 449. 



" Your first question, What is the reason the water at 

 " this place, though cold at the spring, becomes warm by 

 "pumping? It will be most prudent in me to forbear 

 " attempting to answer, till, by a more circumstantial 

 " account, you assure me of the fact. I own I should 

 " expect that operation to warm, not so much the water 

 " pumped, as the person pumping. — The rubbing of dry 

 " solids together, has been long observed to produce heat ; 

 " but the like effect has never yet, that I have heard, been 

 " produced by the mere agitation of fluids, or friction of 

 " fluids with solids. 



" This prudence of not attempting to give reasons before 

 " one is sure of facts, I learnt from one of your sex, who, as 

 " Seldon tells us, being in company with some gentlemen 

 " that were viewing, and considering something which they 

 " called a Chinese shoe, and disputing earnestly about the 

 " manner of wearing it, and how it could possibly be put on ; 

 " put in her word, and said modestly, Gentlemen, are you 



