WILLIAM B. D WIGHT. 55 



And this not only because she is looking upon the past 

 with a glow of honest pride, but because she knows that 

 the greatest works are } r et before her. 



During the intense application of scientific workers in 

 the last three or four decades, there has been a ponder- 

 ous accumulation of facts. No thoughtful scientist ex- 

 pects these to remain as dry statistics on shelves of record. 

 They will be digested as the work goes on — will serve as 

 the basis of new hypotheses and new laws. These, in 

 turn, shall prove new lines of scientific railways around 

 the globe, along which shall travel to all communities 

 treasures of practical discovery and invention. 



I would also deem it right to claim that science deserves 

 to rank very high as a means of mental discipline ; proba- 

 bly as high as any department of study. The demands 

 which it makes upon the mind for careful observation — 

 nice discriminations of judgment, good memory of com- 

 parative facts, ability to reason well, and in framing of 

 theories and hypotheses — its demands on the imagina- 

 tive and inventive faculties — all these and other con 

 siderations make it a good disciplinary medium. That 

 it does not yet hold its rightful share of influence in this 

 capacity is probably due largely to two causes : First, 

 that while classical and literary studies long ago reached 

 sufficient maturity to gain a well-established position in 

 academic culture, natural science has only, in more re- 

 cent years, become sufficiently well organized for the 

 purpose. Hence other departments have a superior 

 foothold which it is hard to displace. The other reason 

 is that, from the very nature of scientific studies, the 

 question of the proper methods to be used to make them 

 efficient in general culture, is an exceedingly difficult 

 one, not yet fully solved. 



Again, it may be truthfully claimed that science is not 

 necessarily either hostile or even cold towards religion ; 

 nay more, that in the main her attitude is not one of 



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