Science byways: a series of familiar dissertations on life in other worlds; comets and the sun; the North pole; rain; danger from lightning; growth and decay of mind; the brain and mental feats; automata; &c

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I. I f I

A SERIES OP FAMILIAB DISSERTATIONS ON LIFE IN OTHER

WORLDS; COMETS AND THE ST7N ; THE NORTH POLE;

RAIN; DANGER FROM LIGHTNING; GROWTH

AND DECAY OF MIND ; THE BRAIN AND

MENTAL FEATS; AUTOMATA; &c.

TO WHICH IS APPENDED AN BSSA7 JBNTITLBD

BY

EicHAED a;;^ peoctoe,

AUTHOR OF 'SATURN,* *THB SUN,' * THE MOON,' *THE UNIYERSB,' BTC,

CuriouBly I roam As through a wide maseum, — from whose Bt<nres A casual rarity is singled out And has its brief i)erusal, then gives way To others, all supplanted in tiieir turn.

WOSDfiWORTH.

WITH A PHOTOGRAPHIC PORTRAIT OF THE AUTHOR.

LONDON : SMITH, ELDER, & CO., 15 WATERLOO PLACE.

[All rights reserved,]

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PEEFACE.

As the title of my * Borderland of Science ' was misunderstood by some, it may be well perhaps for me to explain in wbat sense I apply tbe term ' Science Byways * to the essays of the present volume. In the study of science there are three chief departments : — (1) original research, which may be compared to the pioneering of new roads ; (2) the thorough study of a branch of science, in all its details, with such observations, experiments, and calculations as may be necessary to give a complete mastery of it, — sucli study being comparable to travel on the high road, and providing the only trustworthy approach to the lines on which new roads are to be pioneered ; and thirdly, the study of scientific facts without the mastery of the methods or processes by which they have been ascertained, — a form of study which may be compared to wandering on pleasant by-paths beside the regular roadway. And, as there can be no reason why the voyager viii PREFACE.

who leaves the beaten traspk, having perhaps no special reason for parsning it, should not obtain trae views of the country through which the highway runs, so there can be no reason why the student of science who has no time or inclination: for the mastery of special departments of research, should not obtain exact ideas about scientific discoveries. False views and fanciful illustrations are no more needed to render the study of science attractive, than rose-tinted glasses to make the varying landscape please the eye of one who wanders through meadow or lane, by the bed of rivulet or under the green shade of trees, in pleasant valleys or over upland slopes, instead of plodding (as the business-traveller must) along the highway's dusty level. It is necessary, indeed, to have a guide along the byways of science, who not only knows the true highway, but has surveyed the country around. For otherwise the views obtained from various points along the pleasant ways will give false ideas of the country through which the pathways run, even if the voyager does not wholly lose his way. But granting such a guide, as true views of scientific discovery may be obtained in science byways as along the beaten path ; though as I have said, everyone who desires to pursue original researches must himself follow the regular highway.

Many, also, who are themselves scientific investigators

' PREFAQE, IX

must be content to follow science byways in other subjects than those specially their own. For such, quite as much as for the general reader, the so-called popular treatises on science are written, and by such are popular treatises read. Nor can anyone write really usefal popular treatises on science who has not himself undertaken scientific researches. I do not say that no man can write usefully on a scientific subject which he has not himself thoroughly mastered. The student of science can readily grasp the significance of facts in other depart* m'ents than his own : and thus a Humboldt may write effective . popular essays on astronomical subjects, a Herschel on meteorological subjects, a Tyndall on geological subjects, an Agassiz on physical subjects, a Carpenter on oceanic circulation, though their several branches of research were other than those thus occasionally dealt with. In such cases the scientific habit of mind ensures accuracy in the mode of treatment.

A vague objection exists in some minds against popular treatises, as though the popular treatment of a subject necessarily involved inaccuracy. This is doubtless due in great part to the fact that many who know little of science have undertaken to write such treatises. But in reality a popular treatise may be as rigidly exact in all statements of fact as a work too technical to find any readers save among special students of its subject. It

X PREFACE.

is as accurate to say that 'the earth, seen from the sun, would appear no larger than a one-inch ball seen from a distance of 320 yards/ as to say that ' the horizontal solar parallax amounts to 8*9 seconds of arc ' ; but whereas every intelligent person sees the significance of the first statement, the second, which has the same real meaning, will be understood only by the student of astronomy.

Some also imagine that there may be a tendency to sensationalism in popular works on science. But the writer who is familiar with the true nature of modem scientific researches needs no help of that kind. He must indeed be -a man of dull and heavy mind under whose pen the marvels of modem science become unattractive. The real lover of science should indeed be ashamed to attempt fine writing, even as one who desired to exhibit the real beauties of a noble work of art should be ashamed to deck it with gaudy ornaments.

Nevertheless, a certain freedom may be permitted, in treatises like the present, for the introduction of matters which in a text-book or exposition of scientific principles would be out of place. Thoughts suggested by scientific discoveries may be touched on, even though fanciful, so only that they are not presented as scientific realities. Speculations, more or less based on evidence, may be suggested for consideration. Theories may be discussed, and the probabilities for and against them may be weighed,

PREFACE, XI

even thougli as yet the eiddence may be insufficient to decide between tbem. And, a fortiori, where the evidence is really strong in favour of particular theories, these may be advocated with advantage. So long as the true position of such fancies, speculations, and theories, is indicated, the interest they excite is useful. Indeed, the enunciation of such ideas and theories can be as readily employed to indicate the limits of the known, as to suggest thoughts of the unknown.

A word now as to some points which have been touched on by reviewers of such works of mine as the present. On the whole, I have had every reason to be more than satisfied with the treatment I have received at the hands of critics, not only of such works, but of my set treatises. But one or two journals in which livehness appears to be preferred to fairness, have been somewhat perverse in their comments. For instance, when my * Light Science ' appeared, a writer in one of these journals commented on the conceit which could alone lead me to publish in a collected form all the essays I had written. To show the injustice of this charge, I mentioned in the preface to my next work of the kind, the fact, that in reality I have published but a small proportion of my essays. On this, the same journal charged me with boasting of the quantity of matter I had written. As the reviewer affirmed the accuracy of xil PREFACE.

jBy writings on popular science, I cannot suppose that there was any* personal feeling in either charge. But it is not right, for the mere sake of saying something sprightly and sarcastic, to prefer unjust charges ; and of two inconsistent charges one must be unjust. Having mentioned their nature, I may simply leavq, these charges to negative each other.

A more serious (or at least a more seriously expressed) charge, is brought against me by a reviewer in the * Atlantic Monthly,* — ^the study of whose agreeable criticisms probably suggested to Wendell Holmes (one of the ablest contributors to that magazine,) the remarks quoted at page 279 of the present work. With that knowledge of personal history which surprises us in some American publications, this reviewer has discovered that having gained a large sum of money by the sale of my treatise on Saturn, I determined forthwith to trade on what he calls my * scientific reputation/ by writing * trash ' like my * Other Worlds Than Ours,' ' Other Suns Than Ours,' and so forth. He even pictures me as presenting these volumes to the public much as a highwayman presents a pistol at some unfortunate traveller. I should have supposed this scarcely an experiment to be successfully tried; certainly not one which could be repeated * more than twenty ' times (as my critic asserts) in the course of five or six years. I know no way of

PREFACE. xiii

forcing' the Britisli public to take books, and I have seen nothing in America to suggest that authors there use revolvers and double-barrelled shot-guns to aid the circulation of their works. In fact, but that my reviewer clearly knows much more about my affairs than I do myself, I should have said that in the last five or six years I had not produced *more than twenty,' but only six or seven books of the kind described; that my * Saturn ' had not brought me in, but had cost me, a large sum of money ; ^ that the work * Other Suns than Ours,' which he so definitely reviles, is as yet in my desk in MS. and not half finished; while the other book named above, instead of being, written because ' Saturn ' had succeeded, was my first successful work, and was long kept back because ^ Saturn ' had failed. But in any case I cannot understand my reviewer's objection to an author's gaining money, if he can, ,by writing about science or on any other subject. Surely my reviewer was paid for his two pages of criticism upon my books. If he does not object to receiving money for reading and reviewing scientific works, or, (as when they chance to be unwritten)

^ As a mere matter of fact I may mention that an edition of 1,000 copies of * Saturn' was printed early in 1865, of which about 100 copies have been given away. Considering that the edition is not yet sold off, it will be easily understood that I have not been very sorely tempted by the success of that particular work. I shall certainly never try the experiment of a second edition.

XIV PREFACE.

for reviling them without reading them, why should he be angry with me when the works I offer to the public chance to do more than clear their expenses? Sach virtue, I must confess, is above my comprehension. Even as respects the progress of iscience aind the spread of scientific knowledge, I should have thought a popular book read by thousands must be more useful than a more profound book read only by a few students. And how have I offended, that I should be condemned to write books of the latter kind only, at a loss of hundreds on each ? It is in fact only by writing popular books, that anyone who cannot afford heavy losses is able to provide for the expense of less attractive books, intended for persons entering thoroughly on the study of his subject. In each way, I think, science gains — so that both lines of work are carefally and zealously pursued.

In the essay entitled * Money for Science,' I deal with another and (I conceive) less satisfactory way of making science — regarded as a vocation — remunerative to science-workers. In a few weeks a little book will appear in which the wants of scientific men in this respect are more fully dealt with, and experiences of my own touched on which may perhaps be of tise to some who desire to enter upon scientific pursuits.

RICHARD A. PROCTOR.

London: October IS7 6.