288 Proceedings of Royal Society of Edinlurgh. [april 2, 
example given by this great philosopher in the conscientionsness of 
his work, in the multiplicity and precision of his observations, and 
in the wise caution which he observed in forming his hypotheses. 
His theory appears as the matured fruit of a long and laborious life, 
passed in the closest connection with nature and all her phenomena 
— a life full of the most patient observations, of most carefully 
planned experiments, and of the most sagacious intellectual 
operations. 
The course of development followed by most of our great scientific 
men has been, with more or less difference, a similar one. Issuing 
from the pure contemplation of natural things, one begins to observe, 
and to give oneself to the careful study of a certain branch of 
research. The more the observer denies himself in his work, the 
more he will be rewarded by unexpected revelations. He will be 
overwhelmed by the harmony of all natural things, comprehensive 
views will be opened to him, but he will also meet many questions 
which he is unable to solve. These open questions accompany him 
for weeks and years, perhaps through a large part of his life, until 
at last a felicitous observation or a sudden idea disperses all the 
clouds, and clears up a large number of facts which had till then 
resisted every attempt at intellectual domination. It is the personal 
intimacy with nature, the penetration into all her delicate pecu- 
liarities, which characterises the true philosopher, and gives him 
that fine feeling by which he is enabled to get at the very founda- 
tion of natural laws. 
In our scientific development we have not all travelled the same 
way. Many scientific men follow what we may call the dogmatic 
or scholastic way. Owing to the mode of education at present pre- 
valent, young men are apparently more compelled to take this way 
than any other. The feeling for the logical connection of all our 
perceptions is a primitive faculty of the mind. This feeling, on the 
one hand, and the exercise of memory, on the other, are developed 
during the whole of our school life ; while another mental faculty, 
namely, that of observation, though generally well marked in 
children, is more and more neglected, or even suppressed, by the 
usual school education. Dogmatic lectures on science may, perhaps, 
do the rest ; and the young man, being at last placed personally 
before nature, will fight with the logical weapons which he has been 
