Essays and addresses / by professors and lectures of the Owens College, Manchester.

Date:
1874
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Essays and addresses / by professors and lectures of the Owens College, Manchester. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    54/584 page 33
    п.] А MEANS OF EDUCATION. 33 cult, it must quickly seize upon the occurrence of phenomena which he does not expect to see ; his mind, working, perhaps, with a leading thought—for without this, original work is almost impossible—must be free in its power to grasp any new combination of ideas to which the phenomena may suddenly and unexpectedly give rise, and be willing at once to relinquish a favourite and cherished hypothesis if the results of experiment prove that hypothesis to be erroneous. This dexterity of hand, quickness and keenness of sight, and pliability of mind, must in greater or lesser degree be possessed by all who would undertake original scientific work. I do not mention as a preliminary necessity a competent theo¬ retical knowledge of the phenomena and laws of the particular science, because, though this is a matter of course, many having this knowledge will altogether fail, owing to their not possessing the other requisites. In carrying out, then, even the simplest original investigation, some or all of these requirements are needed. In addition, other faculties are called into play by the very fact of the phenomena being, in part at least, new. Not only do we ourselves not know what to expect, but nobody can tell us what will happen. We are exploring new country, and our outlook must, therefore, be doubly keen ; we must be prepared for every possible event, and ready to meet every change of fortune. We must, like a traveller, not be discouraged by reverses, but patiently persevere in our course, feeling convinced that the path, which for a long time may be a thorny one, must in due course lead us to a point from which we shall enjoy an D
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