Modern inquiries, classical, professional, and miscellaneous / by Jacob Bigelow.

  • Jacob Bigelow
Date:
1867
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Modern inquiries, classical, professional, and miscellaneous / by Jacob Bigelow. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    59/404 (page 41)
    Pompeii show that much empirical progress had been made in arts which were not scientifically understood, nor carried to their jim maturity. The machinery of luxury did not represent the machin- ery of use. The conquest of enemies had not been found to be the conquest of matter or of mind. Liglit was occasionally and fitfully kindled, but was as often suffered to go out. Discoveries were begun and abandoned in their incipient and abortive state. It is remarkable that a Roman * once got so far as to print his own name with a stamp, but was not visited with the revelation, that, by transposing his letters or types, he might print the name of another; and thus the discovery of printing was delayed for more than a thousand years. “ The admiration,” says Macaulay, “ which we feel for the eminent philosophers of antiquity forces us to adopt the opinion, that their powers were sys- tematically misdirected; for how else could it be, that such powers should effect so little for mankind ? A pedestrian may show as much muscular vigor on a treadmill as on a highway road. |^ut on the road his vigor will assuredly carry him forward, and on the treadmill he will not advance an inch. The ancient philosophy was a treadmill, not a path. It was made up of revolving questions, — of controver- sies which were always beginning again. It was a contrivance for having much exertion and no prog- * Caecilius Hennias.