WANTED-A CONDENSER.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 639, 16 October 1909, Page 11

WANTED-A CONDENSER.

'/..' .-:'■■:'; day/i'l&liS' : i : -"'gTeai''d^ ..'■.■.:-?-tfia : course -of hisjiife/.'otj.sbmWhere'abont-^a ;::''.''' &ndredth\ : pa'rtfpf;ftoegbWhd:'volumes;in' : the assume that, ; Bo" .;.:-, ':-p6y^centi. : ;pf,:.thoso ; yoluinVs.;^ \', ; ea'n.JSuM;,that';no'-;..m^ ..;' ■::■! can! claim :to'.'.H«te|if ead.'-toVipssential'- fraction of '.;- 1 i .booUs'Scohtohedi ; inSthi3'',on.ei'library'.',. Yet we ,«till, : Jhave-, bW.iS'JowettsJvtinfprmed: on' every the' ar- -:'■ ';f-'gumeht9-for.,'Free : trade'', , :'«' , Do. : ,they:;read:] their 7Mjbooks:a;year?/;'lf aot,:,wh6;p,r::what is their V >, puta'.aside other:.pptentialities.' '-~-'':'".'. 'We';may,;assume the'' raemory".'of' a: Macaulay, ;':,.. But'oonsider?.for'...a':'moment the religiohs'/'philo- -:,' Bophies^-soiohc'es,:..technics',', .and -mechanisms— ;each' -with.: their^'pwn l ,terminologies, ,'text-books, '.:'-.'aid- ': general have -come into. ; . ;^;: :oxistence:since;Macaulay■died.L. Or "consider, any '..,.. author : whp !'has',:starfed-',a. hew "subject :within .'■■;.,;:'.. the .':lasfc.icehtay.';'or :• so,; jtake" ..Adam .Smith, ;.;•''; '■: Hegel,,pr,-.Darwin, and. reckon up the- number of ' i.'.boolb'a.'man'.must'': read: if' ; he-:: wishes .to ..be ■.-:■.'"■ •■' learned:.in,"..thiß' .paftioular-subject, at! the, pre-; ':' sent day.- ;'What,,then,.of the.man' of 2009 A.D.' --;'. widely, -tead'mah,--,the' Jow-. '. : ; '-.:' ettof ,the. itwenty-firsVcehtofy;':.;vEictu,rethe.''-'Eii-\V: v.'W,Ql°pi,^a^Biilaimica ! i'-?.--'gr to 'a.- hundred '■■ ■-.:-.■; and' -twenty; volumes' with 'a .bibliography at: the :;■.-.end *6"f ; every;;special ; article -funning 'into'two v' ,or'-mpre columns; and-a'pfef ace ;by, the .chief est '-■-. '•. i ,.; of ''chief' editofs--his ."only.. par t' : in; the > p'f oduc-' ~;. tion—apolbgising'fpr-the.incomplofeness of. the : -, :<\ information-: ''contained'- in .this •', colossal work : : : owing;-Ho {the'fact.'.that "Jve/Bciences,,one' ele-:-.:;'ment;;'three;metals,''itwo (entirely subversive) ■' : ; thcotfe : s";.of;"c6n'sci^ :■;,'.prisin'g.hihotce'n-sects),',and 'an• effective:means ....'.; of'Copiin'unicatibniwitli:Urahus,"haye;all been .:/y discovered::'whilst.;.the "edition; I .was-, -passing V: -~ through" thb-pfessA .•.-,''- •■ ; : '>.' '•'.'. - ';, -. - ' .'y ; vThe;:concepti6h^'is : ;tpo,,hpffible. : '.'Before. that' ■•-:■■'".!oay'.domes.our'condehse'f'will'have,been found. :';, -.But .is' it;not.-time that.'.we. set about the dis- ;:: ■'■ '■covery?i-"-';,*! : -.':- ; '.'. : ;: '"-'■■: '■-''■.'■.'"■'■■■.•'.:;..-;.'..-' ■'■'■•, .'.-It-is'- true-that' many:'subjects"*are .not; yet•' : readyj^forj'tlio.;work,:,of;:,th'e-icoridehser, for a. : - ~.:.;sabject. cannot 'bo- treated'until 'its essential' ..,: facte..have : ,been-settled;lwith":spme.''degree. of : ", -might. condense ".the progress , ;,:,-pf-P?rhamentary.:reform ; ;during; the nineteenth . centary,._biit^not ; a>theory ih' a'state -of flux, .'.S.'wchvui -Evoliition;,.of:'.Socialism;' though -we ;... .have had.:a'.bdok on the'latter''subject;-calling-. '. :,:.' lt f!.'-'*■ quintessence,'that;is.sulHcient'for the ~: : y,ordinary 200 D; they-will, require^ -- B ,°t;-9nint-T-but 'centessences. v.From these 'iri- .'. ■ etaaces' it is plain." that.-.the' work of the • con'-" ■•.-;■ -:: denser ; . ; should f-begin-s'• with history- rather ,tnan.scisnco.:>;.=To,'which':the'r'eply is: ',' What ■ - of i th ?, Col ? t T? T .e«ies? : ;Did .-Prince"- : Soind-So' . ~..commit.'suicide:or;was,he murdered?.' Did- a - ...certain' poet. so .offend.;-his , wife's sense- of pro- :.. , pnety:as to, drive her;.ffom;the' house, pr was .;.,:,. .she, persuaded,by,het', : faihily;to.'scek-.a'separa- ..... -non,- for.-financial"rea£dns?,"'-Had King :• ■'.". ~P e» ^.-r -Peace,!:.,Wo 'grant':the existence of '••' . B oc h '-. controversies,;'.bub'will', their - settlement '.add. anything, to. our knijwleage? :For-the:work :■-■ '? t ;??^' Co . is-to -.determine ;what consti- • . :.J u t«3-essential ;knpwledg?.'. ; . Is" there 'anything - ,t0,,b0: gained savei. the'satisfaction, of .common / ~~™m by ,:probing.-the.v;hiddeavplaces..of: such- lives a5.,;.-;-.Byron_s ~;.-;-.B yron_s or ;the iate iprince .Rudolf's?.;,'."' -~'. iHere.isvd^ugge'sfWnJ'folloWia'g'-.the-'-eih'ploy. .■-.■.;.«n<\ntW'-tlfat'-'wo'ra-:'r'nse , ',in''its 'application to. ~.:-:'Kflow].edge-7a;.wPrd:';ull; o f -strange■ potential!-. •;'•': different definition' in'-'the- • mouth ief;'the soientlst, ••■ the'.philosopher;:- and ■-.-.:., r; the i'flcdlesiastio,.:'.- The'.suggestioh—it might bo :.c?lledi a solid founda- -. -tion,-which, is ;this:, As we'recede into:th6; past' ';:- Knowledge:! deof eases. .It'is .a plain-ahd uhi- '.: '- fofm'decrease.'.itt such;a,'iilatter as .history, .an ■:.,,ihterinitteht'-swolling,and contracting invsubh' ' :'; :: a'.mattor .as''philospphy.,-;'-But.'still, ,as wd pVess' ;■-back;i|nto,'the remoteness, ■ theW. is .'always' a' v;. .dirninishihg,.tiil;;;we?reaoh'.;-a.vpoint;-':;at ; vwhich' valijlaidwlodgo/'as' weVknow.-iti'.vanishes, and in' -.-■: ..its -place ; we. .-find';-instihct.'.. 'Thns. 'knowledge-•;-''::'.:-began l :as,'a'{pplnt,-;perßap^' 4 the':q'bserta'tl6n" . •;. comprehension' of.l the'rways ■ of '.fa'.quarryi'-'it :. :■ ,was,.,ibme.thirig', l learnedfdhdvrentehibe'red-, , fOr' a' f; purpdieV-'"When v these facts .were'. :comriiunicated':'..-.t^^; : ,and.therii;wben!;,tlie'y:;wefe' :';--hah'de'd'.-down;."as r ;a,:tradition;;:;we-have-:.the. -'• .;for.eshadowings;-,of;tho:;B.ibliotbeo;Ue;;Natiohale.'; .;Tbis' ; is-;.tbe,' beginning.,'. From that point—let

us figure it, literally,': as a- point—knowledge inqreases." We make a diagram, and our graph appears; as,a V. Develop that graph, to a sufficiently great scale, and you have the material ■ : for:all:the volumes that.-have, ever been writ'ten',.;and;you may. expross'.its growth, graphically; by, the of. the'divergent sides; ip!ainly,..they- are not-straight lines.- .At ;the outset our graph.might appear as the-flower . of -an', arum -lily; but; for -us, working to; a scale.comparable ; to that of an-'orrery, -we see it) as straight-sided, •an -inverted triangle lack-;irig''-abase.:. '■'■,-■■■ ...-.■•■ •.• . '--'■: : : ;■ AVill these 6ides diverge for ever, or will they at:;,la'st..become .parallel.?-.. Neither- hypothesis '.is'.credible.- There is a third solution, which '.becomes plain when. w« consider the difference .between.,:, the. - proof.. of.; ■, a• , problem: ., '- and 'tho'M;answer.-; ~\Ve- may use ,a ream y.or Ifcwp-'; of '.super-royal paper and- heavon knows how.'riiany,gallons of -ink over ,our proof, but :as,'ai' resultrof.jour.'labour .we- find that- a'.is greater, or less.than b, or that a.and b.'are Jeq'ual: There stands' the result of a-life's work,. and -the- proof ; once established we may burn' :our,:,ream,qr,.two. of.'paper. ...So it'is-with- all, and as our wisdom grows, we: may' burn our volumes;of 'proof'one by/.one,: :bur^volumes'-of controversy on history, bio- ; 'graphy;' philosophy,; -.scienceT-aye; ". even. * '.oni mathematics, as ;we might now; burn-our,'Eric-! Hid:'- -:- 'Arid >then,; : what of; the;.sides- of- ouri :graphP They-".will, they must, converge. Per-. '-haps>riot;yet, not/for; a,century, a. millennium. ,—who knows?—shall we be wise; enough/ to set, ■'about'-' our ; sifting .in a, scientific spirit ■;•'. butt Hero is'only one logical must .condense.- Weithink of;the old- Eastern.story ■of". the' History of' Man, written in' so many /volumes,: and at, last condensed for the benefit •of 'thej dying- potentate t into seven; essential .words': "They were'born; they suffered;■;they, ;;diod."i',. How ' insignificant .beside ■: this.J great ' pronouriceiriept is ,the fact that William .the-..Norman-;'conquered .'■' England, iriloQ6. .';'.ln.> a •thousand -'years.;we.-.may ~ibe •' wise enough-'. to omit the'Jesser.'statement from our;curriculum r-;at least, if, 'we. must have' dates,' there' will. -by- that- time be many'others of more import-' ,ance.: This in itself■_would seem to show.; that .sohie facts grow; antiquated arid cease'to ; "hav'e Vuse; and ■this'.brings us.back to our great potential 'word. Wo do'.not re-echo the. forlorn ■ "Cui : ' boi'o ?." of; the' inexperienced: and the over-borne; rather we suggest a remedy/ And at the last, when in; the unthinkable .future.vour sides have converged' and' mot 'again at ' a point:. What.then? We cannot picture another divergence, for all knowledge, all wisdom.'is centred at that point. It is the culmination, tho. end; 'of that long series of cycles' that are. contained' in' our graph;which now appears as a diamond, two triangles base to base..'No! from; there we':proceed—if any further -process is ; conceivable—in a, straight is,',after all, the'essential part of our knowledge, now, this first and.last thing which We : figuro;as;.n straight line... We write it thus .'.;'. ,'I1." But in. that inconceivable', future .there; will, he not many„-but one.; Well! that again' we .write .in the sable.'why., .-..■'•. ,_ ttJ. ;D.i 8.,- in,tho "Wcstiriinstbr. Gazette."