Chap. IX.—B. S.] 
POPULAR SCIENCE. 
141 
in the “bridal chamber” (without the bride though) 
of the steamer ‘ Guatemala,’ and in company, with my 
friend Captain Dow, who, more fortunate than I, was 
in possession of a goodly supply of European and 
American periodicals devoted to science, some of them 
containing descriptions of the many new discoveries 
he had made on the Central American coast. A per¬ 
son living away from the great centres of science, 
where he becomes master, almost without being aware 
of it, of what has been expressively called “floating 
knowledge,” is always very glad to skim over these 
magazines whenever he has a chance, not rejecting 
even the most humble of the numerous class which 
endeavour to spread scientific information by clothing 
it in language intelligible to the masses. I know the 
danger I am running in the eyes of some savants by 
saying a good word for popular science, which they 
regard as but another term for slovenly scientific 
writing; and it is perfectly true, that many authors 
who supply articles for popular scientific magazines 
are not properly conversant with the subjects with 
which they endeavour to familiarize the public. 
Hence they teach many things which have to be un¬ 
learned afterwards. This should not be. Make it 
a point in all popular scientific writings to have your 
facts strictly correct, and you need, in my opinion, not 
be ashamed of whatever form you may choose to em¬ 
ploy in placing them before those whom you have 
undertaken to instruct. Humboldt, the father of this 
branch of literature, always upheld this principle, and 
in the various editions of his popular writings, he 
