THE YOUNG SCIENTIST. 
91 
, may be obtained. It very rarely happens 
that designs of true excellence are evolved 
by the artist from the "depths of his 
inner consciousness." Almost all the 
best designs are combinations of existing 
forms, and hence the importance of ex- 
tended and careful study. 
Those who desire to acquire skill in the 
art of free-hand drawing, should devote 
their attention to it before commencing 
the study of mechanical drawing. In the 
latter dependence is placed wholly upon 
instruments ; the eye and the judgment 
are never consulted in regard to the length 
of a line or the position of a point, and 
consequently, in those who depend wholly 
upon instruments, the power to lay down 
figures by the hand and eye alone becomes 
gradually weakened, or at least it ceases 
to acquire strength. If this weakening 
should take place before the faculties 
have been developed by practice and cul- 
ture, it will be very difficult to restore 
them, therefore the student who desires 
to become an expert both in free-hand 
and instrumental drawing should always 
study free-hand drawing first. We have 
known many who became skilful me- 
chanical draughtsmen after they had 
studied free-hand drawing, but we have 
never known a case of one who, after a 
prolonged dependence upon the aid of 
instruments, ever acquired that boldness 
of touch which constitutes the perfection 
of free-hand drawing. 
4. Instrumental Drawing. In this branch 
the draughtsman depends entirely upon 
the aid of mathematical instruments for 
laying down lines and points with the 
necessary accuracy. The simpler branches 
of this kind of drawing demand no great 
natural ability ; care, neatness, and such 
a knowledge of elementary principles as 
may be easily acquired by almost anyone, 
are quite sufficient, and the ability to ap- 
ply, these, forms one of the most valuable 
acquirements which a young man can 
possess. Mechanical drawing may be 
said to be the written language of the 
constructor, and it is far more clear, ex- 
pressive, and unmistakable than any mere 
combination of words. Every man who 
at any time requires the services of 
the blacksmith, the machinist, the car- 
penter, the builder, or even the tinker, 
will find that the ability to give his ideas 
shape in the form of a working drawing 
will save him much time, trouble and ex- 
pense, while to the young man who is 
learning a mechanical trade the art of 
drawing is as necessary as the art of 
writing. 
PRELIMINARY STUDIES. 
Drawing, like all other arts, requires 
for its successful practice a combination 
of science and art — of science that we may 
know what to do, and of art that we may 
have the necessary skill to apply our 
knowledge. The knowledge required by 
the student of drawing consists chiefly of 
a familiarity with straight and curved 
lines and their relations to each other, 
and with the phenomena of light and 
shade, for it is by the proper laying down 
of lines and putting in of shades and 
shadows that all the effects of drawing 
are produced. 
Therefore, those who desire to become 
proficient in drawing of any kind should 
by all means first take up the study of 
elementary geometry, and make them- 
selves thoroughly master of at least so 
much as is covered by the first four books 
of Euclid. The slight knowledge which 
is obtained by the study of what is knovjn 
as Practical Geometry, is not enough ; the 
student must not only know how to erect 
a perpendicular by means of a certain 
formula, but he must understand the 
geometrical laws by which the formula 
gives him the desired result. If he has 
not this knowledge, he will be continually 
floundering in the dark, liable to commit 
mistakes at every step, and making, at 
best, but slow and uncertain progress. 
On the other hand, those who have even 
an elementery knowledge of geometry, are 
always sure of their ground ; they know 
that certain lines must have such and 
such relations to each other as regards 
parallelism, length, etc., and they are not 
at a loss to know just what the results of 
a certain method of construction will be. 
They waste no time in applying super- 
abundant and useless tests of accuracy, 
and they do not commit the fatal mistake 
of relying upon false tests. 
We are the more emphatic upon this 
