224 On Practical Scientific Instruction. [April, 



constantly employ scientific men to examine their materials, processes, 

 and products, and keep them acquainted with the progress of dis- 

 covery and invention in relation to their own particular trades. 



The benefit derived by a manufacturer from a personal knowledge 

 of science is largely of an indirect kind, and cannot therefore be 

 measured in direct money value, like the profit acquired upon a 

 given sale of manufactured articles. This knowledge improves his 

 judgment in nearly all questions relating to material substances and 

 manufacturing processes. Numerous instances might be collected 

 where even a small amount of knowledge of science in a master, has 

 in this way been of great value in the prevention of accidents in his 

 manufacture or trade. It benefits the manufacturer also by improv- 

 ing his observing faculties, enabling him more readily to detect 

 imperfections in the quality of raw materials supplied to him, to 

 discern faults in the processes, and different stages of processes, 

 through which his materials have to pass, and to detect imperfections 

 in the action of the various forces, tools, machinery, and appliances 

 employed in his manufacture. It gives him the ability of intelli- 

 gently directing his workmen in their manipulations, instead of being 

 the subject of their ridicule in consequence of his ignorance of such 

 matters. It enables him to form a correct estimate of the feasibility 

 and value of suggestions of improvements in his trade, made to him 

 by his workmen or others, and prevents his being led by enthusiasts 

 and designing persons to spend his money and time upon hopeless 

 inventions. A want of knowledge of science, on the other hand, has 

 ruined many manufacturers, who have been induced to embark their 

 money in demonstrably fallacious schemes which could not possibly 

 succeed ; in proof of this we need only examine the lists of patents, 

 and we there find numerous absurd projects which have been pro- 

 moted by men of business. 



Many persons ignorant of science expect too much from a know- 

 ledge of it ; and from the remarks made to me by some manufac- 

 turers, they seem to think that a little knowledge of science would 

 almost at once enable them to make improvements in their trades. 

 Without such knowledge, undoubtedly, our trades and manufactures 

 could not have attained their present degree of excellence, and by 

 means of such knowledge improvements are also continually being 

 made ; but important improvements in trades, like other valuable 

 things, arenot so easily obtained ; for every single successful improve- 

 ment actually effected, many unsuccessful and sometimes costly 

 experiments have been tried, which are partly lost sight of by some 

 persons, and the successful results alone are noticed. Numerous in- 

 stances might be adduced of large sums of money having been lost 

 in scientific experiments made with the hope of improving various 

 arts and manufactures ; for instance, in the numerous unsuccessful 

 attempts to properly lay submarine telegraph cables. The losses 



