By science, in popular language, is meant simply mathematical, physical, or natural science, not with reference to principles, but to results. Calculation, collection of natural objects, construction of mrslels, use of philosophical instruments, any or either, is science, or part of science ; and a man of science (man of a science, or man of the art which is built upon a science, would frequently be a correct description) may be either a mathematician, mechanist, engineer, medical practitioner, astronomer, geologist, electrician, zoologist, orni thologist, Sm. To this sort of designation there can be no objection in itself, and it is convenient as distinguishing followers of 'science, or of a science, from those of literature. But it is not sufficiently precise in itself to distinguish the followers o[ different sciences from one another. When a literary man is named, his pursuit is generally indicated ; the historian, the antiquary, the poet, the novelist, the politician, the scholar, and the linguist, are not confounded by means of a general term: insomuch that " literary man," by itself, generally implies one of information, but not of distinguished depth in any one particular branch. But the inquirer into the sciences of electricity and magnetism, for example, has no name to distinguish him from the observer and classifier of insects ; that is to say, the proper technical names are not familiar to the world at large. But this Is the least
inconvenience. When the word science comes to be used in its high and proper sense, indicative of truth discovered, error prevented, inquiry organised, judicious habits formed, and mental energy strengthened, it must be difficult for those who are used to the communion sense of the word to imagine the truth of many things which are said about it. " All we require is, that he will hold his former opinions' and judgments without bigotry, retain till be shall see reason to question them, be ready to resign them when fairly proved untena ble, and to doubt them when the weight of probability is shown to lie against them. If he refuse this, he is incapable of science." Now this, though the word of a good authority, and perfectly true, is never theless notoriously false in the common Sense of the word science : a man may be incapable of the preceding state of mind, and may be a man of science. There is no remedy for this confusion of terms, except that which every one must make for himself, by attention to the different senses of the word, the higher and the lower.