EDITORIAL OBSERVATIONS. 
213 
criticising. But we claim for ourselves what we allow to 
others—liberty. And although editors are not infallible in 
their judgments any more than other men, we nevertheless 
feel convinced, knowing the abilities of the revisors, that 
had original works been undertaken by them instead, the 
profession would have been much more benefited. It is 
gratifying to perceive that some of our friends are of the same 
opinion as ourselves, and have lately acted in consonance 
with these views. Surely no one will attach any blame to 
them for altering their opinion, since it is only saying that 
experience has made them wiser: they know better now 
than they did before, and have determined to act in agree¬ 
ment with this acquired knowledge ; to move on with the 
times, and to advance with the advance of mind. 
It may be true that at present there is but little hope of 
reward for the purely scientific work in connexion with our 
profession; for as yet all its members do not appreciate the 
true worth thereof, but there will be by-and-bye. With 
“ empty honour ” for a little time its author possibly must 
be contented. Something better, however, is in store for him, 
and this will be a sufficient incentive for his continued 
exertion. Before him lies a field for valuable observation; 
and by careful culture he may obtain from it most useful 
results. 
We are told that Bacon once made a collection of all the 
works on agriculture, and, after perusing them, burned 
them in disgust, asserting they were worthless because they 
contained no principles. The same might without any loss 
be done with nearly all the older works on farriery. In 
truth, the old farriers never developed a principle. If 
successful in the treatment of disease it was the result of 
chance, or at best was a repetition of what had been done 
before by others ; and if a useful recipe was acquired by 
them it was kept as a profound secret, and handed down 
as a heir-loom in their families from generation to genera¬ 
tion. Full oft, too, the formulae they employed owed not 
their activity to the agent they supposed, since numerous 
substances were commonly blended together—rivalling 
the famous theriaca of Andromaclms—and one conn- 
