1871-] Thoughts Suggested by Patent Rights. 507 



straight, or whether the simile is wrong, and we are in the 

 trunk of some tree of civilisation or in one of its small 

 branches ? There are men and societies who seek to direct 

 the line of invention, and offer prizes ; and within certain 

 limits the system answers, but it is for details. The want 

 of great results from this plan is marvellous. We may 

 well say the wind bloweth where it listeth : how little 

 can we even control our own minds. The result is not 

 exactly that which we wish when we begin a study, it is 

 sometimes far beneath our hopes and sometimes far above 

 them. A poet expressed thus the influence of the unknown 

 upon him, " Perhaps it may turn out a song, perhaps turn 

 out a sermon." And we may join to this words from a very 

 different source, " So it is with every one who is born of the 

 spirit." If the glow of genius be in him — if he be beyond the 

 range of thought given him at examinations — he will 

 go fearlessly where his sails carry him, and he will discover 

 new lands ; but if we follow him and direct him he 

 may lose the way — the inner guidance under which he is 

 may be lost, as a tune may be in a crowd of discordant 

 sounds, and the real distinctive part of the individual may 

 never be recovered. 



It seems better that in such a case a man should have 

 his own way, and a patent frequently suits well, allowing 

 him time to work and to keep himself by his work, when he 

 has a useful thought promising good to some extent at 

 once, and encouraging him to produce more. There are 

 men who imagine that honour is sufficient, and that an 

 equal number of inventions would be made if no patents 

 were allowed. They make a confusion of thought. A man 

 gives out a scientific discovery for the honour, but so 

 far from a man taking a patent for the honour, most 

 persons are ashamed of them and take them simply 

 because of the money, suffering rather a certain amount of 

 scientific obloquy. If the patents were not granted these 

 inventions would not be made. However, this is not a 

 matter of reasoning. We who have lived long among 

 scientific men and also inventors in the arts more or less scien- 

 tific know it to be true. Numerous inventions have ceased 

 to be carried to completion because of the uncertainty of 

 patents, and because of the frequent robberies committed 

 by the numerous highwaymen who especially prey on such 

 wealth. We must not forget the stimulus of honour, 

 it would be better to see it more closely allied to patents; 

 but the material- weal is so dear to man, that we err still 

 more by forgetting it. Let us forget it in the case of the 



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