﻿402 
  Roioland 
  — 
  The 
  Highest 
  Aim 
  of 
  the 
  Physicist 
  

  

  intellect 
  and 
  of 
  ideals, 
  holding 
  him 
  in 
  the 
  highest 
  respect 
  who 
  

   adds 
  the 
  most 
  to 
  our 
  knowledge 
  or 
  who 
  strives 
  after 
  it 
  as 
  the 
  

   highest 
  good. 
  

  

  Thus 
  w^e 
  meet 
  together 
  for 
  mutual 
  symjDathy 
  and 
  the 
  inter- 
  

   change 
  of 
  knowledge, 
  and 
  may 
  we 
  do 
  so 
  ever 
  with 
  appreciation 
  

   of 
  the 
  benelits 
  to 
  ourselves 
  and 
  possibly 
  to 
  our 
  science. 
  Above 
  

   all, 
  let 
  us 
  cultivate 
  the 
  idea 
  of 
  the 
  dignity 
  of 
  our 
  pursuit 
  so 
  

   that 
  this 
  feeling 
  may 
  sustain 
  us 
  in 
  the 
  midst 
  of 
  a 
  world 
  which 
  

   gives 
  its 
  highest 
  praise, 
  not 
  to 
  the 
  investigation 
  in 
  the 
  pure 
  

   etherial 
  physics 
  which 
  our 
  society 
  is 
  formed 
  to 
  cultivate, 
  but 
  

   to 
  the 
  one 
  who 
  uses 
  it 
  for 
  satisfying 
  the 
  physical 
  rather 
  than 
  

   the 
  intellectual 
  needs 
  of 
  mankind. 
  He 
  who 
  makes 
  two 
  blades 
  

   of 
  grass 
  grow 
  where 
  one 
  grew 
  before 
  is 
  the 
  benefactor 
  of 
  man- 
  

   kind 
  ; 
  but 
  he 
  who 
  obscurely 
  worked 
  to 
  find 
  the 
  laws 
  of 
  sucli 
  

   growth 
  is 
  the 
  intellectual 
  superior 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  greater 
  bene- 
  

   factor 
  of 
  the 
  two. 
  

  

  How 
  stands 
  our 
  country, 
  then, 
  in 
  this 
  respect? 
  My 
  answer 
  

   must 
  still 
  be 
  now 
  as 
  it 
  was 
  iifteen 
  years 
  ago, 
  that 
  much 
  

   of 
  the 
  intellect 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  is 
  still 
  wasted 
  in 
  the 
  pursuit 
  

   of 
  so-called 
  practical 
  science 
  which 
  ministers 
  to 
  our 
  physical 
  

   needs 
  and 
  but 
  little 
  thought 
  and 
  money 
  is 
  given 
  to 
  the 
  grander 
  

   portion 
  of 
  the 
  subject 
  which 
  appeals 
  to 
  our 
  intellect 
  alone. 
  

   But 
  your 
  presence 
  here 
  gives 
  evidence 
  that 
  such 
  a 
  condition 
  

   is 
  not 
  to 
  last 
  forever. 
  

  

  Even 
  in 
  the 
  past 
  we 
  have 
  a 
  few 
  names 
  whom 
  scientists 
  

   throughout 
  the 
  world 
  delight 
  to 
  honor. 
  Franklin, 
  who 
  almost 
  

   revolutionized 
  the 
  science 
  of 
  electricity 
  by 
  a 
  few 
  simple 
  but 
  

   profound 
  experiments. 
  Count 
  Rumford, 
  whose 
  experiments 
  

   almost 
  demonstrated 
  the 
  nature 
  of 
  heat. 
  Henry, 
  who 
  might 
  

   have 
  done 
  much 
  for 
  the 
  progress 
  of 
  physics 
  had 
  he 
  published 
  

   more 
  fully 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  his 
  investigations. 
  Mayer, 
  whose 
  

   simple 
  and 
  ingenious 
  experiments 
  have 
  been 
  a 
  source 
  of 
  

   pleasure 
  and 
  profit 
  to 
  many. 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  meager 
  list 
  of 
  those 
  

   whom 
  death 
  allows 
  me 
  to 
  speak 
  of 
  and 
  who 
  have 
  earned 
  men- 
  

   tion 
  here 
  by 
  doing 
  something 
  for 
  the 
  progress 
  of 
  our 
  science. 
  

   And 
  yet 
  the 
  record 
  has 
  been 
  searched 
  for 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  hundred 
  

   years. 
  How 
  different 
  had 
  1 
  started 
  to 
  record 
  those 
  who 
  have 
  

   made 
  useful 
  and 
  beneficial 
  inventions! 
  

  

  But 
  I 
  know, 
  when 
  I 
  look 
  in 
  the 
  faces 
  of 
  those 
  before 
  me^ 
  

   where 
  the 
  eager 
  intellect 
  and 
  high 
  purpose 
  sit 
  enthroned 
  on 
  

   bodies 
  possessing 
  the 
  vigor 
  and 
  strength 
  of 
  youth, 
  that 
  the 
  

   writer 
  of 
  a 
  hundred 
  years 
  hence 
  can 
  no 
  longer 
  throw 
  such 
  a 
  

   reproach 
  upon 
  our 
  country. 
  Nor 
  can 
  we 
  blame 
  those 
  who 
  

   have 
  gone 
  before 
  us. 
  The 
  procuress 
  of 
  every 
  science 
  shows 
  us 
  

   the 
  condition 
  of 
  its 
  growth. 
  Yery 
  few 
  persons, 
  if 
  isolated 
  in 
  

   a 
  semi-civilized 
  land, 
  have 
  either 
  the 
  desire 
  or 
  the 
  opportunity 
  

   of 
  pursuing 
  the 
  higher 
  branches 
  of 
  science. 
  Even 
  if 
  they 
  

  

  