48 THE JUST CLAIMS OF NATURAL SCIENCE. 



misconceptions in this regard that this department of 

 human thought has never yet been assigned to its full, 

 proportionate share in the scholastic upbuilding of mind 

 and character. I ask your indulgence while I develop 

 this point a little further. 



There are lying on the very surface of human action 

 and history, certain, and not a few, conspicuously useful 

 achievements of science which have won for her universal 

 applause. Men have not needed to look beneath this 

 brilliant surface of results to adjudge to science a use- 

 ful career. But because this superficial observation 

 seemed sufficient for the purpose, the judgment has been 

 generally a superficial one ; there has been a popular 

 failure to search out and appreciate the underlying, 

 deeper, subtler and grander work which science has been 

 doing in the interests of the human mind. Hence, it fol- 

 lows that in the majority of cases the man who assents 

 most cheerfully to the usefulness of the study of natural 

 science knows the least about its real work and worth. 

 Could his eyes have been shaded from the dazzling bril- 

 liancy of these material achievements, which are ever 

 coming to the surface of things, so that he might have 

 been in some doubt as to the question — so that he would 

 have been constrained to look deeper into true scientific 

 work — he would have come into a far more adequate 

 comprehension of its value. 



The truth is, that these conspicuous achievements are 

 for the most part its material successes, which it values 

 the least. They lie along that portion of the vast cir- 

 cumference of its action where it touches the material 

 interests of men so beneficently that mankind rises up 

 and calls it blessed ; but its deeper, nobler, more lasting 

 and comprehensive work, only one who looks into the 

 philosophy of its methods can see. It follows, also, that 

 to an ordinary observer, the failures of science in at- 

 tempting certain material successes, seem real failures ; 



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