﻿410 
  Rowland 
  — 
  The 
  Highest 
  Aim 
  of 
  the 
  Physicist. 
  

  

  guide 
  our 
  life 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  approach 
  to 
  knowledge 
  that 
  we 
  

   possess. 
  Nature 
  is 
  inexorable 
  ; 
  it 
  punishes 
  the 
  child 
  who 
  

   unknowingly 
  steps 
  off 
  a 
  precipice 
  quite 
  as 
  severely 
  as 
  the 
  

   grown 
  scientist 
  who 
  steps 
  over, 
  with 
  full 
  knowledge 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  

   laws 
  of 
  falling 
  bodies 
  and 
  the 
  chances 
  of 
  their 
  being 
  correct. 
  

   Both 
  fall 
  to 
  the 
  bottom 
  and 
  in 
  their 
  fall 
  obey 
  the 
  gravitational 
  

   laws 
  of 
  inorganic 
  matter, 
  slightly 
  modified 
  by 
  the 
  muscular 
  

   contortions 
  of 
  the 
  falling 
  object 
  but 
  not 
  in 
  any 
  degree 
  changed 
  

   by 
  the 
  previous 
  belief 
  of 
  the 
  person. 
  N"atural 
  laws 
  there 
  prob- 
  

   ably 
  are, 
  rigid 
  and 
  unchanging 
  ones 
  at 
  that. 
  Understand 
  them 
  

   and 
  they 
  are 
  beneficent 
  : 
  we 
  can 
  use 
  them 
  for 
  our 
  purposes 
  

   and 
  naake 
  them 
  the 
  slaves 
  of 
  our 
  desires. 
  Misunderstand 
  them 
  

   and 
  they 
  are 
  monsters 
  who 
  may 
  grind 
  us 
  to 
  powder 
  or 
  crush 
  

   us 
  in 
  the 
  dust. 
  Nothing 
  is 
  asked 
  of 
  us 
  as 
  to 
  our 
  belief 
  : 
  they 
  

   act 
  unswervingly 
  and 
  we 
  must 
  understand 
  them 
  or 
  suffer 
  the 
  

   consequences. 
  Our 
  only 
  course, 
  then, 
  is 
  to 
  act 
  according 
  to 
  

   the 
  chances 
  of 
  our 
  knowing 
  the 
  right 
  laws. 
  If 
  we 
  act 
  cor- 
  

   rectly, 
  right 
  ; 
  if 
  we 
  act 
  incorrectly, 
  we 
  suffer. 
  If 
  we 
  are 
  

   ignorant 
  we 
  die. 
  What 
  greater 
  fool, 
  then, 
  than 
  he 
  who 
  states 
  

   tbat 
  belief 
  is 
  of 
  no 
  consequence 
  provided 
  it 
  is 
  sincere. 
  

  

  An 
  only 
  child, 
  a 
  beloved 
  wife, 
  lies 
  on 
  a 
  bed 
  of 
  illness. 
  The 
  

   physician 
  says 
  that 
  the 
  disease 
  is 
  mortal 
  ; 
  a 
  minute 
  plant 
  called 
  

   a 
  microbe 
  has 
  obtained 
  entrance 
  into 
  the 
  body 
  and 
  is 
  growing 
  

   at 
  the 
  expense 
  of 
  its 
  tissues, 
  forming 
  deadly 
  poisons 
  in 
  the 
  

   blood 
  or 
  destroying 
  some 
  vital 
  organ. 
  The 
  physician 
  looks 
  on 
  

   without 
  being 
  able 
  to 
  do 
  anything. 
  Daily 
  he 
  comes 
  and 
  notes 
  

   the 
  failing 
  strength 
  of 
  his 
  patient 
  and 
  daily 
  the 
  patient 
  goes 
  

   downward 
  until 
  he 
  rests 
  in 
  his 
  grave. 
  But 
  why 
  has 
  the 
  

   physician 
  allowed 
  this 
  ? 
  Can 
  we 
  doubt 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  remedy 
  

   which 
  shall 
  kill 
  the 
  microbe 
  or 
  neutralize 
  its 
  poison 
  ? 
  Why, 
  

   then, 
  has 
  he 
  not 
  used 
  it 
  ? 
  He 
  is 
  employed 
  to 
  cure 
  but 
  has 
  

   failed. 
  His 
  bill 
  we 
  cheerfully 
  pay 
  because 
  he 
  has 
  done 
  his 
  

   best 
  and 
  given 
  a 
  chance 
  of 
  cure. 
  The 
  answer 
  is 
  ignorance. 
  

   The 
  remedy 
  is 
  yet 
  unknown. 
  The 
  physician 
  is 
  waiting 
  for 
  

   others 
  to 
  discover 
  it 
  or 
  perhaps 
  is 
  experimenting 
  in 
  a 
  crude 
  

   and 
  unscientific 
  manner 
  to 
  find 
  it. 
  Is 
  not 
  the 
  inference 
  correct, 
  

   then, 
  that 
  the 
  world 
  has 
  been 
  paying 
  the 
  wrong 
  class 
  of 
  

   men 
  ? 
  Would 
  not 
  this 
  ignorance 
  have 
  been 
  dispelled 
  had 
  the 
  

   proper 
  money 
  been 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  past 
  to 
  dispel 
  it 
  ? 
  Such 
  

   deaths 
  some 
  people 
  consider 
  an 
  act 
  of 
  God. 
  What 
  blasphemy 
  

   to 
  attribute 
  to 
  God 
  that 
  which 
  is 
  due 
  to 
  our 
  own 
  and 
  our 
  

   ancestors' 
  selfishness 
  in 
  not 
  founding 
  institutions 
  for 
  medical 
  

   research 
  in 
  sufficient 
  number 
  and 
  with 
  sufficient 
  means 
  to 
  dis- 
  

   cover 
  the 
  truth. 
  Such 
  deaths 
  are 
  murder. 
  Thus 
  the 
  present 
  

   generation 
  suffers 
  for 
  the 
  sins 
  of 
  the 
  past 
  and 
  we 
  die 
  because 
  

   our 
  ancestors 
  dissipated 
  their 
  wealth 
  in 
  armies 
  and 
  navies, 
  in 
  

   the 
  foolish 
  pomp 
  and 
  circumstance 
  of 
  society, 
  and 
  neglected 
  to 
  

  

  