﻿Rowland 
  — 
  The 
  Highest 
  Aim 
  of 
  the 
  Physicist. 
  403 
  

  

  should 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  do 
  so, 
  their 
  influence 
  on 
  their 
  science 
  depends 
  

   upon 
  what 
  thej 
  publish 
  and 
  make 
  known 
  to 
  the 
  world. 
  A 
  

   hermit 
  philosopher 
  we 
  can 
  imagine 
  might 
  make 
  many 
  useful 
  

   discoveries. 
  Yet, 
  if 
  he 
  keeps 
  them 
  to 
  himself, 
  he 
  can 
  never 
  

   claim 
  to 
  have 
  benefited 
  the 
  world 
  in 
  any 
  degree. 
  His 
  unpub- 
  

   lished 
  results 
  are 
  his 
  private 
  gain, 
  but 
  the 
  world 
  is 
  no 
  better 
  off 
  

   until 
  he 
  has 
  made 
  them 
  known 
  in 
  language 
  strong 
  enough 
  to 
  

   call 
  attention 
  to 
  them 
  and 
  to 
  convince 
  the 
  world 
  of 
  their 
  

   truth. 
  Thus, 
  to 
  encourage 
  the 
  growth 
  of 
  any 
  science, 
  the 
  best 
  

   thing 
  we 
  can 
  do 
  is 
  to 
  meet 
  together 
  in 
  its 
  interest, 
  to 
  discuss 
  

   its 
  problems, 
  to 
  criticise 
  each 
  other's 
  work 
  and, 
  best 
  of 
  all, 
  to 
  

   provide 
  means 
  by 
  which 
  the 
  better 
  portion 
  of 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  made 
  

   known 
  to 
  the 
  world. 
  Furthermore, 
  let 
  us 
  encourage 
  discrimi- 
  

   nation 
  in 
  our 
  thoughts 
  and 
  work. 
  Let 
  us 
  recognize 
  the 
  eras 
  

   when 
  great 
  thoughts 
  have 
  been 
  introduced 
  into 
  our 
  subject 
  

   and 
  let 
  us 
  honor 
  the 
  great 
  men 
  who 
  introduced 
  and 
  proved 
  

   them 
  correct. 
  Let 
  us 
  forever 
  reject 
  such 
  foolish 
  ideas 
  as 
  the 
  

   equality 
  of 
  mankind 
  and 
  carefully 
  give 
  the 
  greater 
  credit 
  to 
  

   the 
  greater 
  man. 
  So, 
  in 
  choosing 
  the 
  subjects 
  for 
  our 
  investi- 
  

   gation, 
  let 
  us, 
  if 
  possible, 
  work 
  upon 
  those 
  subjects 
  which 
  will 
  

   finally 
  give 
  us 
  an 
  advanced 
  knowledge 
  of 
  some 
  great 
  subject. 
  

   I 
  am 
  aware 
  that 
  we 
  cannot 
  always 
  do 
  this 
  : 
  our 
  ideas 
  will 
  often 
  

   flow 
  in 
  side 
  channels 
  : 
  but, 
  with 
  the 
  great 
  problems 
  of 
  the 
  

   Universe 
  before 
  us, 
  we 
  may 
  sometime 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  do 
  our 
  share 
  

   toward 
  the 
  greater 
  end. 
  

  

  What 
  is 
  matter; 
  what 
  is 
  gravitation 
  ; 
  what 
  is 
  ether 
  and 
  the 
  

   radiation 
  through 
  it 
  ; 
  what 
  is 
  electricity 
  and 
  magnetism 
  ; 
  how 
  

   are 
  these 
  connected 
  together 
  and 
  what 
  is 
  their 
  relation 
  to 
  heat 
  ? 
  

   These 
  are 
  the 
  greater 
  problems 
  of 
  the 
  universe. 
  But 
  many 
  

   infinitely 
  smaller 
  problems 
  we 
  must 
  attack 
  and 
  solve 
  before 
  

   we 
  can 
  even 
  guess 
  at 
  the 
  solution 
  of 
  the 
  greater 
  ones. 
  

  

  In 
  our 
  attitude 
  toward 
  these 
  greater 
  problems 
  how 
  do 
  we 
  

   stand 
  and 
  what 
  is 
  the 
  foiindation 
  of 
  our 
  knowledge 
  % 
  

  

  J^ewton 
  and 
  the 
  great 
  array 
  of 
  astronomers 
  who 
  have 
  suc- 
  

   ceeded 
  him 
  have 
  proved 
  that, 
  within 
  planetary 
  distances, 
  mat- 
  

   ter 
  attracts 
  all 
  others 
  with 
  a 
  force 
  varying 
  inversely 
  as 
  the 
  

   square 
  of 
  the 
  distance. 
  But 
  what 
  sort 
  of 
  proof 
  have 
  we 
  of 
  

   this 
  law 
  \ 
  It 
  is 
  derived 
  from 
  astronomical 
  observations 
  on 
  the 
  

   planetary 
  orbits. 
  It 
  agrees 
  very 
  well 
  within 
  these 
  immense 
  

   spaces 
  ; 
  but 
  where 
  "is 
  the 
  evidence 
  that 
  the 
  law 
  holds 
  for 
  

   smaller 
  distances? 
  We 
  measure 
  the 
  lunar 
  distance 
  and 
  the 
  

   size 
  of 
  the 
  earth 
  and 
  compare 
  the 
  force 
  at 
  that 
  distance 
  with 
  

   the 
  force 
  of 
  gravitation 
  on 
  the 
  earth's 
  surface. 
  But 
  to 
  do 
  this 
  

   we 
  must 
  compare 
  the 
  matter 
  in 
  the 
  earth 
  with 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  sun. 
  

   This 
  we 
  can 
  only 
  do 
  by 
  assuming 
  the 
  law 
  to 
  be 
  proved. 
  

   Again, 
  in 
  descending 
  from 
  the 
  earth's 
  gravitation 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  

   two 
  small 
  bodies, 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  Cavendish 
  experiment, 
  we 
  assume 
  

  

  