Michael Faraday: Third Edition, with PortraitGladstone, J. H. (John Hall)
Science
Michael Faraday: Third Edition, with Portrait
Gladstone, J. H. (John Hall)
Faraday, Michael, 1791-1867
This section may be summed up in the words of Dumas when he gave the
first "Faraday Lecture" of the Chemical Society:--"Faraday is the type
of the most fortunate and the most accomplished of the learned men of
our age. His hand in the execution of his conceptions kept pace with
his mind in designing them; he never wanted boldness when he undertook
an experiment, never lacked resources to ensure success, and was full
of discretion in interpreting results. His hardihood, which never
halted when once he had undertaken a task, and his wariness, which felt
its way carefully in adopting a received conclusion, will ever serve as
models for the experimentalist."
FOOTNOTES:
[18] "Mittheilungen aus dem Reisetagebuche eines deutschen
Naturforschers," p. 275.
[19] Since the publication of the first edition I have been struck
with how precisely his practice corresponded with his precept in
the introduction to his book on "Chemical Manipulation:"--"When an
experiment has been devised, its general nature and principles arranged
in the mind, and the causes to be brought into action, with the effect
to be expected, properly considered, then it has to be performed. The
ultimate objects of an experiment, and also the particular contrivance
or mode by which the results are to be produced, being mental, there
remains the mere performance of it, which may properly enough be
expressed by the term _manipulation_.
"Notwithstanding this subordinate character of manipulation, it is
yet of high importance in an experimental science, and particularly
in chemistry. The person who could devise only, without knowing how
to perform, would not be able to extend his knowledge far, or make it
useful; and where every doubt or question that arises in the mind is
best answered by the result of an experiment, whatever enables the
philosopher to perform the experiment in the simplest, quickest, and
most direct manner, cannot but be esteemed by him as of the utmost
value."
[20] _Punch's_ cartoon next week represented Professor Faraday holding
his nose, and presenting his card to Father Thames, who rises out of
the unsavoury ooze.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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