file which includes the original illustrations4 ,see #dfgfc-;h4htm or #dfgfc-;h4zip3 7https3_/_/www4gutenberg4org_/cache_/epu b_/#dfgfc_/pg#dfgfc-;images4html7 or 7https3_/_/www4gutenberg4org_/files_/#df gfc_/dfgfc-;h4zip7 ,images of the original pages are available through ,internet ,archive4 ,see https3_/_/archive4org_/details_/michaelf aradayma#jj;jerr ,transcriber's note3 ,text enclosed by underscores is in italics 7italics74 ,illustration3 ,,michael ,,faraday4 ,,michael ,,faraday3 ,man of ,science4 by ,,walter ,,jerrold4 ,whose work was wrought for love1 and not for gain4 ,one rule his life was fashioned to fulfil2 ,that he who tends ,truth's shrine and does the hest ,of ,science1 with a humble1 faithful will1 ,the ,god of ,truth and ,knowledge serveth best4 ,fleming ,h4 ,revell ,company1 ,new ,york ,chicago ,toronto ,publishers of ,evangelical ,literature4 ,illustration ,,preface4 ,tyndall1 ,i must remain plain ,michael ,faraday to the last4 ,in these words1 with which he replied to ,professor ,tyndall's urgent appeal to him to accept the ,presidency of the ,royal ,society1 we have a key-note to the character of the illustrious yet modest scientist1 the good and great man1 whose life-story ,i have attempted to tell in the following pages4 ,a life-story such as that of ,michael ,faraday is both easy and difficult to tell--it is easy in that he passed a simple and unadventurous life2 it is difficult1 partly1 perhaps1 for the same reason1 and partly because the story of his life-work is a story of the wonderful advance made in natural science during the first half of the present century4 ,any detailed account of that scientific work would be out of place in a biography such as the present1 which aims at showing by the testimony of those who knew him and by an account of his relations with his fellow-men1 how nobly unselfish1 how simple1 yet how grand and useful1 was the long life of ,michael ,faraday4 ,besides this1 we are shown--how many an illustrious name in the bede-roll of our great men brings it to mind--that with an enthusiastic love for a particular study1 and unflagging perseverance in pursuance of it1 the most adverse circumstance of birth and fortune may be overcome1 and he who has striven take rank among the great and good whose names adorn the annals of their country4 ,such lives are useful1 not alone for the work which is done1 but for the example which they afford us1 that we also--to use ,longfellow's well-known1 yet beautifully true lines-- ,may make our lives sublime1 ,and departing1 leave behind us ,footprints on the sands of time4 ,the true scientist1 says ,mr4 ,robert ,buchanan in a recent work1 should be patient like ,darwin and reverent like ,faraday4 ,the latter1 indeed1 seems to me to have been a truly typical scientist4 ,never have we seen an instance of a less selfish devotion to a man's chosen work4 ,born the son of a journeyman blacksmith1 brought up amidst the most unpromising surroundings1 with but the scantiest schooling1 we find ,michael ,faraday educating himself during his spare time1 and gradually acquiring1 by indomitable perseverance1 that scientific knowledge for which he thirsted4 ,we find him seeking employment1 even in the humblest capacity1 in a place that must have appeared to his youthful mind as the very home of science4 ,once there1 we find him advancing with marvellous rapidity not only in the acquirement of knowledge which had been gained by others1 but1 yet prouder position1 we find him ever adding to that store of knowledge the discovery of new facts4 ,the patience of the true scientist was assuredly his4 ,we find him acknowledged by his great contemporaries not only as an equal but as a leader among them4 ,we find him with wealth and high social position within his reach4 ,all this do we find--and not this alone2 for we find him at the same time unspoiled in the slightest degree by his success2 caring not in the least for the wealth that might be his1 and declining honours which most men would have considered as but the fair reward of work which they had done4 ,we find him also the object of love and admiration1 not of his family and intimate friends alone1 but of all persons with whom he came into contact4 ,we find him exploring all the hidden workings of nature--making known discovery after discovery in the same modest and enthusiastic manner2 and despite all these inquiries into the secrets of nature1 we find him retaining unshaken that firm faith with which he had started--that beautiful and unquestioning trust in ,a far off divine event ,to which the whole creation moves4 ,much of ,faraday's kindliness and good nature1 his considerateness and his simple earnest faith could be revealed only by his letters and by the records of those who had known him personally--on this account ,i have found it necessary somewhat freely to make use of illustrative quotations4 ,after studying his life1 however1 the kindliness1 nay more1 the true brotherhood of the man with all men is the feeling which most firmly clings to us2 we do not alone remember the great electrician1 experimentalist1 and lecturer1 but we have an ever-present idea of the sterling goodness of the man4 ,a purer1 less selfish1 more stainless existence1 has rarely been witnessed4 ,at last came the voice which the dying alone can hear1 and the hand which the living may not see1 beckoned him away2 and then that noble intellect1 awakening from its lethargy1 like some sleeper roused from a heavy dream1 rose up and passed through the gates of light into the better land1 where1 doubtless1 it is now immersed in the study of grander mysteries than it ever attempted to explore on earth4 ,in closing this preface ,i have much pleasure in recording my deep indebtedness to ,miss ,jane ,barnard1 a niece of the great ,professor1 and for some two and twenty years a member of his household1 for several reminiscences of her uncle2 and also for her kindness in allowing me to look through the many interesting manuscripts of ,faraday's which are in her possession4 ,,walter ,,jerrold4 ,illustration3 ,,library1 ,,royal ,,institution ,,contents4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,,page ,,as ,,child--,,newsboy ,,and ,,bookbinder #aa ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,the ,,turning ,,point #bg ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,home ,,thoughts ,,from ,,abroad #cf ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,back ,,at ,,work #ec ,,chapter ,v4 ,,science ,,which ,i ,,loved #ga ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,as ,,teacher ,,and ,,preacher #hi ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,overwork--,,the ,,end #ajg ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,,as ,,friend ,,and ,,lecturer #abg ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,,notes ,,on ,,his ,,work #adj ,,chapter ,x4 ,,about ,,the ,,royal ,,institution #aej ,illustration ,illustration ,,michael ,,faraday4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,,as ,,child--,,newsboy ,,and ,,bookbinder4 ,a virtuous household1 though exceeding poor6 ,pure livers were they all1 austere and grave1 ,and fearing ,god2 the very children taught ,stern self-respect1 a reverence for ,god's word1 ,and an habitual piety4 ,,wordsworth4 ,among those of our great men who1 born in humble circumstances and unfurnished with the benefits of early education1 have yet secured for themselves honourable positions in the history of the world's progress1 ,michael ,faraday holds a remarkable place4 ,born the son of a journeyman blacksmith1 ,michael yet gained for himself a conspicuous position among the very first scientists of his day1 and at the time of his death was acknowledged as one of the leading philosophers--electricians--chemists--of this nineteenth century4 ,our interest in a great man makes us always interested also in his family--we become anxious to know who and what he was apart from that which has made him great4 ,who were his parents8 from where did they come8 what were they like8 what did they do8 and a number of similar questions are at once started as soon as we commence considering the lives of our great and good4 ,in the case of ,faraday we have only scanty information as to his family1 but thus much we have gleaned3-- ,during the whole of last century there was living in or near the village of ,clapham1 in ,yorkshire1 a family of the name of ,faraday4 ,between the years #agjh and #agcj the ,clapham parish register shows us that ,richard ffaraday1 stonemason1 tiler1 and separatist1 recorded the births of ten children1 and it is probable that he had in his large family yet another son1 ,robert4 ,whether1 however1 ,robert was his son or only his nephew is a matter of doubt1 but it is known of him that he married ,elizabeth ,dean1 the possessor of a small though comfortable house called ,clapham ,wood ,hall1 and that he was the father of ten children1 one of whom1 ,james1 was born in #agfa1 and became the father of ,michael ,faraday4 ,robert and ,elizabeth ,faraday's six sons were each of them brought up to some trade or craft1 and were thus all of them fitted to go out into the world and fight the battle of life4 ,one son became a grocer and 7as his grandfather1 ,richard ffaraday1 had been7 tiler2 one a farmer2 one a shoemaker1 and so on4 ,the third son1 ,james1 to us the most interesting member of this large family1 although he appears to have been of somewhat weak constitution and unfitted for so laborious a vocation1 became a blacksmith1 served his apprenticeship1 and exercised his craft for some time in the neighbourhood of his birthplace4 ,when he was five-and-twenty years old 7in #aghf71 ,james married2 his wife being ,margaret ,hastwell1 the daughter of a farmer living near ,kirkby ,stephen1 a place some few miles away from ,clapham1 over the ,westmoreland border4 ,for two years or thereabouts did the young blacksmith and his wife remain in the neighbourhood of ,clapham2 but after that time had elapsed they determined to come up to ,london1 and seek their fortunes in the great metropolis4 ,to the young men and women of our rural places the very name of ,london has about it1 even to-day1 a ring as of genuine coin1 that tempts them to leave in large numbers the homes of their childhood that they may plunge into the vortex of city life4 ,a hundred years ago this strange attractive power of the metropolis was probably much greater1 owing to the difficulty of reaching it and the vague stories that were told of its wealth4 ,they who had been to ,london were looked upon in rural places as veritable travellers1 and were to their home-keeping friends objects of greater curiosity than anyone who to-day returns from the farthest or wildest portion of the earth's surface4 ,the old story of the ,london streets being paved with gold--the story that had buoyed up the spirits of the youthful ,whittington--seems yet in the last century to have gained some credence4 ,whether they were induced to do so by promises of work1 or merely attracted to ,london as a centre where work would probably be plentiful1 we cannot say2 but it is at any rate certain that the ,faradays removed from the ,yorkshire village to a ,london suburb some time before the autumn of #agia4 ,for it was on the #bbnd of ,september in that year that there was born to them at ,newington ,butts their third child1 ,michael1 the future illustrious chemist and philosopher1 upon the story of whose life we are now about to enter4 ,of ,michael's early years we have but a very meagre account4 ,when he was about five years old his family removed from ,newington ,butts1 and went to live in ,jacob's ,well ,mews1 ,charles ,street1 ,manchester ,square1 where they occupied rooms over a coach-house4 ,james ,faraday found employment at this time in ,welbeck ,street1 while his young son passed his time1 as children so circumstanced generally do1 in playing in the streets2 in after years1 indeed1 that son1 become a prominent man1 would point out where in ,spanish ,place he used to play at marbles1 and where in ,manchester ,square he had at a later time been proud of having to take care of his younger sister1 ,margaret4 ,it was from ,jacob's ,well ,mews1 too1 that ,michael went to school1 and received such scant education as was to be his before it became necessary that he1 as a youth of thirteen1 should step into the ranks of the workers and begin the battle of life in earnest2 such education as he received was of the most ordinary description 7to use his own words71 consisting of little more than the rudiments of reading1 writing1 and arithmetic at a common day-school4 ,my hours out of school were passed at home and in the streets4 ,when ,faraday was a boy nine years of age1 in the first year of the present century1 there was a time of much distress1 when the rate of wages was very low1 and the price of food very high3 corn1 indeed1 which is at the present time about forty shillings per quarter1 cost then as much as #i for the same quantity4 ,the distress1 was felt very generally throughout the country1 and the ,faraday family severely felt the hard times2 ,michael1 we are told1 was allowed one loaf each week1 and1 it is added 7poor ,michael671 that the loaf had to last him that time4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,house ,,in ,,jacob',s ,,well ,,mews4 ,near by where the ,faraday family lived in ,jacob's ,well ,mews there was1 at ,no4 #b1 ,blandford ,street1 a worthy bookseller named ,riebau4 ,in #ahjd1 when ,faraday was a boy of thirteen1 he was employed as an errand boy by ,mr4 ,riebau1 for one year on trial--a trial that1 as we shall shortly see1 proved highly satisfactory4 ,michael's duty as errand boy1 when he commenced1 was to carry round the newspapers which were lent out by his master4 ,he would get up very early each ,sunday morning1 and take the papers round1 so that he might be able to call again for them while it was yet fairly early2 frequently he would be told that he must call again1 as the paper was not done with4 ,on such occasions he would beg to be allowed to have it at once1 as the next place at which he had to call might be a mile off1 and he would lose so much time going twice over his rounds that he would not be able to get home and make himself neat1 so that he might go with his parents to their place of worship4 ,mr4 ,riebau's shop1 it may be noted1 has changed but little since the early part of this century1 it is still a stationer's business1 and on the front of the house is placed a plaque bearing the simple inscription ,michael ,faraday1 ,man of ,science1 with the date of his apprenticeship there4 ,this plaque has furnished the simple yet sufficient title for this volume4 ,his father1 it may here be noted1 had joined the ,sandemanian ,church1 or the followers of ,robert ,sandeman1 who1 with his father-in-law1 the ,reverend ,john ,glas1 had seceded from the ,scotch ,presbyterian ,church1 and with him had started the sect which was named after ,sandeman1 or1 as they are still called in ,scotland1 ,glasites4 ,in joining the ,sandemanian ,church1 ,james ,faraday was following the family tradition1 for the large family of ,clapham ,faradays1 to whom we have referred1 were all members of the same body4 ,michael's mother1 although she had not formally become a member of the ,church1 used regularly to attend as one of the congregation4 ,michael1 as we shall learn1 joined the ,church later on1 and continued a devout and sincere member of it up to the time of his death4 ,for about a year did young ,faraday continue as ,mr4 ,riebau's errand boy2 for about a year1 as ,professor ,tyndall puts it1 he slid along the ,london pavements1 a bright-eyed errand boy1 with a load of brown curls upon his head and a packet of newspapers under his arm4 ,we learn from one of his nieces that in his later years he rarely saw a newsboy without making some kind remark about him2 as he said on one such occasion1 ,i always feel a tenderness for those boys1 because ,i once carried newspapers myself4 ,he was reproached1 he says1 as a boy1 with being a great questioner4 ,he that questioneth much1 says ,lord ,bacon1 shall learn much2 but this truth is too often forgotten by their elders when children are inquisitive1 and1 as in ,faraday's case1 what is but the natural questioning of an awakening mind is put down to idle curiosity1 and the child is told 7as we may often hear7 not to ask so many questions4 ,although ,faraday says he was thus charged with being a great questioner1 he could not recall what kind of questions he put2 though he tells one story against himself which shows that all questioning1 even that of a young philosopher1 is not necessarily wise4 ,he had called at a certain house to leave a newspaper1 and whilst waiting for the door to be opened he put his head between the iron bars that separated the house from the next1 and while in that position asked himself1 somewhat strangely1 which side of the railing he was on8 ,no sooner had he started the question than the door behind him opened1 he drew suddenly back1 and1 hitting himself so as to make his nose bleed1 he forgot all about his question1 which1 without being answered1 was yet it would seem somewhat definitely settled4 ,when his year as errand boy expired1 ,michael was apprenticed to ,mr4 ,riebau to learn the trade of bookbinder and stationer4 ,his indentures are dated ,october #gth1 #ahje1 and contain in one line an excellent testimonial to his character3 ,in consideration of his faithful service no premium is given4 ,of the earlier part of his seven years' apprenticeship we know but little4 ,his father wrote in #ahji to a brother at the old home at ,clapham1 ,michael is bookbinder and stationer1 and is very active at learning his business4 ,he has been most part of four years of his time out of seven4 ,he has a very good master and mistress1 and likes his place well4 ,he had a hard time for some while at first going2 but1 as the old saying goes1 he has rather got the head above water1 as there are two boys under him4 ,illustration3 ,,michael ,,faraday1 ,,man ,,of ,,science1 ,,apprentice ,,here4 ,in that he was placed within reach of many and good books1 which should go a great way towards deciding his scientific and speculative bent of mind1 a position such as that in ,mr4 ,riebau's shop was as good a one as he could have had4 ,not only were many scientific books1 that had hitherto been unavailable1 now placed ready to his hand1 but he had in ,riebau a kind and considerate master2 he was allowed1 and it was a valuable privilege1 to be out occasionally of an evening that he might attend the lectures on natural philosophy which a ,mr4 ,tatum was delivering at that time at his house in ,dorset ,street1 ,fleet ,street4 ,michael saw bills announcing the lectures in shop windows1 and became anxious to hear them1 which he was enabled to do owing to the kindness of his master1 ,mr4 ,riebau1 and the generosity of his elder brother ,robert1 who at the time was following their father's business1 and made ,michael a present on several occasions of the shilling which was charged for entrance to the lectures4 ,towards the end of the year #ahji ,faraday's family removed from ,jacob's ,well ,mews1 where their home had been for thirteen years1 and went to live at #ah1 ,weymouth ,street1 near ,portland ,place1 and there1 on ,october #cjth of the following year1 ,james ,faraday died4 ,he had been out of health for some years1 and seems indeed to have been quite physically unfitted for so laborious an occupation as that of blacksmith4 ,in #ahjg he had written to a brother at ,clapham1 ,i am sorry to say ,i have not had the pleasure of enjoying one day's health for a long time4 ,although ,i am very seldom off work for a whole day together1 yet ,i am under the necessity 7through pain7 of being from work part of almost every day4 ,he then concludes his letter in that spirit of simple yet earnest devotion that appears to have been characteristic of the whole family3 ,but we1 perhaps1 ought to leave these matters to the overruling hand of ,him who has a sovereign right to do what seemeth good to ,him1 both in the armies of heaven and amongst the inhabitants of the earth4 ,michael's strong affection for his parents became1 as he grew older1 one of the most marked features of his character2 his great love for his mother is shown in many ways1 notably in every letter which he wrote to her4 ,the following story illustrates1 as do many others that are told of him1 ,faraday's depth of feeling with regard to his family4 ,after he had become recognised by the world as the great man that he was1 and when sitting to ,noble for his bust1 it happened that the sculptor1 in giving the finishing touches to the marble1 made a clattering with his chisels3 noticing that his sitter appeared moved1 he said he feared the jingling of the tools had distressed him1 and that he was weary4 ,no1 my dear ,mr4 ,noble1 said ,faraday1 putting his hand upon his shoulder1 but the noise reminded me of my father's anvil1 and took me back to my boyhood4 ,gradually ,faraday's interest widened in those matters which later on were to entirely engross his attention4 ,his apprenticeship at first gave him many opportunities of reading philosophical and scientific works4 ,i loved1 he afterwards wrote1 referring to this time1 to read the scientific books which were under my hands1 and1 amongst them1 delighted in ,marcet's ,conversations in ,chemistry1 and the electrical treatise in the ,encyclopdia ,britannica4 ,i made1 he adds1 and the item is interesting as giving us a first glimpse at his experiments1 ,i made such simple experiments in chemistry as could be defrayed in their expense by a few pence per week1 and also constructed an electrical machine1 first with a glass phial1 and afterwards with a real cylinder1 as well as other electrical apparatus of a corresponding kind4 ,watts' ,on the ,mind1 was1 he said1 the first thing that made him really think2 while his thoughts were directed towards science by an article on electricity1 which he lighted upon in an encyclopdia entrusted to him to bind4 ,such glimpses into the early reading--showing us how the bent of his genius is decided--are always interesting in the life of one who1 as ,tennyson says1 ,has made by force his merit known4 ,into ,faraday's early reading--or that part of his reading which bore upon the science with which his name is so intimately connected--we have indeed something more than a glimpse1 for he compiled 7during #ahji-aj7 a note book in which he wrote down the names of such books and articles connected with the sciences as interested him4 ,this note book he called1 ,the ,philosophical ,miscellany3 being a collection of notices1 occurrences1 events1 etc41 relating to the arts and sciences1 collected from the public papers1 reviews1 magazines1 and other miscellaneous works2 intended to promote both amusement and instruction1 and also to corroborate or invalidate those theories which are continually starting into the world of science4 ,thus ambitiously did ,michael ,faraday1 a youth of not yet twenty years1 start upon his career as an investigator2 thus early did he evince a desire to corroborate or invalidate those theories which are continually starting into the world of science4 ,among books and articles to which reference is made in the interesting ,miscellany1 there are papers by ,dr4 ,darwin1#a papers on a ,description of a ,pyro-pneumatic ,apparatus1 and ,experiment on the ,ocular ,spectra of ,light and ,colours1 frequent references to lightning1 electric fish1 and other electrical phenomena1 showing his early leaning towards this particular branch of investigation4 ,there is a reference to the short essay on the ,formation of ,snow1 which forms the reading for ,december #eth1 in that interesting1 and at the present time neglected1 work1 ,sturm's ,reflections on the ,works of ,god4 ,this book has perhaps been supplanted in a great measure by the many popular treatises on science and natural history which recent years have produced1 but which1 nevertheless1 have not taken the place of the ,reflections1 the simplicity and directness of which give to the volume a perennial charm such as but few books can maintain4 ,other papers1 such as that on ,how to ,loosen ,glass ,stopples1 included in the ,miscellany1 show us ,faraday's interest in the science of everyday life1 to which in his later years we owe those delightfully interesting lectures on ,the ,chemical ,history of a ,candle1 lectures to which fuller reference is made later on in this volume4 ,one other reference in the ,miscellany is at any rate worthy of passing note for obvious reasons1 or for reasons which are obvious as soon as we learn how closely connected is the career of ,faraday with that of his great benefactor and predecessor in the field of research1 ,sir ,humphry ,davy4 ,the reference is from the ,chemical ,observer1 to the effect that ,mr4 ,davy 7he was knighted in #ahab7 has announced to the ,royal ,society a great discovery in chemistry--the fixed alkalies have been decomposed by the galvanic battery4 ,from the lectures at ,mr4 ,tatum's house our young philosopher gained something more than a knowledge of the subjects discussed--he gained several friends1 intercourse and exchange of ideas with whom were to form no inconsiderable part of his education2 that he might illustrate the lectures1 too1 he set to study perspective1 being kindly assisted in his work by ,mr4 ,masquarier1 a ,french refugee artist who was lodging at the time at ,mr4 ,riebau's1 and whose kindness to him ,faraday never in after years forgot to acknowledge4 ,about a dozen lectures at ,mr4 ,tatum's were spread over rather more than eighteen months 7,february1 #ahaj--,september1 #ahaa74 ,at them1 ,faraday became acquainted with ,benjamin ,abbott1 a confidential clerk in the ,city--an acquaintance that ripened into life-long friendship2 here also he met ,huxtable1 a medical student1 to whom he addressed the earliest note of his which is extant4 ,other kindred spirits with whom ,faraday entered into friendly relations at the ,dorset ,street lectures1 were ,magrath1 ,newton1 ,nichol1 and many more4 ,there is a perverted and ridiculous story told of ,faraday's first hearing ,davy lecture1 to the effect that ,magrath happening1 many years ago1 to enter the shop of ,mr4 ,riebau1 observed one of the bucks of the paper bonnet zealously studying a book which he ought to have been binding4 ,he approached2 it was a volume of the old ,britannica1 open at ',electricity4' ,he entered into talk with the journeyman1 and was astonished to find in him a self-taught chemist1 of no slender pretensions4 ,he presented him with a set of tickets for ,davy's lectures at the ,royal ,institution2 and daily thereafter might the nondescript be seen perched1 pen in hand1 and his eyes starting out of his head1 just over the clock opposite the chair4 ,at last the course terminated2 but ,faraday's spirit had received a new impulse1 which nothing but dire necessity could have restrained4 ,this circumstantial yet exaggerated story1 couched as it is in the worst of tastes1 is yet quoted with approval in a recent work supposed of some authority4 ,magrath1 as we have seen1 ,faraday had met earlier1 and1 as he tells us himself1 the kindness of giving him tickets for ,davy's lectures was done him by ,mr4 ,dance4#b ,the story quoted above says also that he might be seen daily1 and that at last the course terminated4 ,to show us how garbled is this account and in what it is true1 we will turn to an account of this incident--this important incident--in his life1 which ,faraday himself wrote out later at the request of a correspondent4 ,during my apprenticeship1 he says1 ,i had the good fortune1 through the kindness of ,mr4 ,dance1 who was a customer of my master's shop1 and also a member of the ,royal ,institution1 to hear four of the last lectures of ,sir ,h4 ,davy in that locality4 ,the dates of these lectures were ,february #bith1 ,march #adth1 ,april #hth and #ajth1 #ahab4 ,of these ,i made notes1 and then wrote out the lectures in a fuller form1 interspersing them with such drawings as ,i could make4 ,the desire to be engaged in scientific occupation1 even though of the lowest kind1 induced me1 whilst an apprentice1 to write1 in my ignorance of the world and simplicity of my mind1 to ,sir ,joseph ,banks1 then ,president of the ,royal ,society4 ,naturally enough1 'no answer' was the reply left with the porter4 ,the four lectures which ,faraday heard during the spring of #ahab were1 as we shall see in the next chapter1 to mark an epoch in his life4 ,at each of these lectures1 we are told1 the delighted youth listened to ,sir ,humphry ,davy1 from a seat in the gallery immediately over the clock directly facing the illustrious lecturer2#c both speaker and listener being unaware of the close inter-connection there was destined to be between their two careers4 ,but of this in the next chapter1 for between ,faraday's hearing ,davy's lectures and his correspondence with that great man1 there are one or two other interesting facts in connection with the life of our bookbinder's apprentice and would-be philosopher4 ,in ,july of this year it was that ,michael commenced his long and interesting series of letters to ,benjamin ,abbott1 letters that show us how keenly alive ,faraday was to all things connected with the work with which he was anxious to become more intimately connected1 and at the same time how anxious he was to make up for his deficiencies of education4 ,in all his letters we find a charm in the simple earnestness of the man1 in his straightforward search for truth1 in the unreserved openness which characterised him when corresponding with one whom he not only called a friend1 but treated as such on all occasions4 ,simplicity1 in its best and highest meaning1 was1 if we can in one word sum up the character of a man1 the chief feature of ,faraday in all his relations throughout life4 ,through all his letters to his intimate friends1 too1 there runs a vein of unaffected pleasantry which shows us at once that he was no mere scientist1 no dry-as-dust philosopher1 which is a character too often given by thoughtless and careless persons to men who earn their laurels in any special field of research4 ,we find that the great chemist or philosopher is not only a great scientist1 but that he is also1 as ,faraday undoubtedly was1 a man of a simple1 earnest1 reverent nature1 a man whose married life was one series of years of love-making1 who was a cheerful1 pleasant friend and companion1 and intense and earnest lover of children4 ,perhaps ,i cannot better conclude this chapter than by giving a few passages from his early letters1 passages that will fully bear out much of what is said in the preceding paragraph4 ,it was in ,july1 #ahab1 three months before the articles of his apprenticeship ran out1 that ,faraday began his letters to ,abbott2 he was not as yet twenty-one years of age1 his early education1 as we have seen1 had been chiefly the three ,r's1 yet we find these letters eminently remarkable for their correctness and fluency1 not less than for their kindness1 courtesy1 and candour4 ,his first letter to ,abbott is1 indeed1 doubly interesting1 for it gives us the earliest account we have of any of his experiments4 ,after writing a good deal on what he considers to be the advantage of a correspondence1 he continues3 ,i have lately made a few simple galvanic experiments1 merely to illustrate to myself the first principles of the science4444 ,i1 sir1 ,i my own self1 cut out seven discs of the size of halfpennies each6 ,i1 sir1 covered them with seven halfpence1 and ,i interposed between seven1 or rather six1 pieces of paper soaked in a solution of muriate of soda666 ,but laugh no longer1 dear ,a42 rather wonder at the effects this trivial power produced4 ,it was sufficient to produce the decomposition of sulphate of magnesia--an effect which extremely surprised me2 for ,i did not1 could not1 have any idea that the agent was competent to the purpose4 ,again1 to the same friend1 he writes3 ,what8 affirm you have little to say1 and yet a philosopher8 ,what a contradiction6 ,what a paradox6 'tis a circumstance ,i till now had no idea of1 nor shall ,i at any time allow you to advance it as a plea for not writing4 ,a philosopher cannot fail to abound in subjects1 and a philosopher can scarcely fail to have a plentiful flow of words1 ideas1 opinions1 etc41 etc41 when engaged on them2 at least1 ,i never had reason to suppose you deficient there4 ,query by ,abbott3 ',then pray1 ,mike1 why have you not answered my last before now since subjects are so plentiful8' ',tis neither more nor less1 dear ,a41 than a want of time4 ,time1 sir1 is all ,i require1 and for time will ,i cry out most heartily4 ,oh that ,i could purchase at a cheap rate some of our modern gents' spare hours1 nay1 days2 ,i think it would be a good bargain both for them and me4 ,as for subjects1 there is no want of them4 ,i could converse with you1 ,i will not say for ever1 but for any finite length of time4 ,philosophy would furnish us with matter2 and even now1 though ,i have said nothing1 yet the best part of a page is covered4 ,a little later he writes1 acknowledging a letter from his friend1 a letter which found him paper-hanging--but what a change of thought it occasioned2 what a concussion1 confusion1 conglomeration2 what a revolution of ideas it produced--oh6 'twas too much2 away went cloths1 shears1 paper1 paste1 and brush1 all--all was too little1 all was too light to keep my thoughts from soaring high1 connected close with thine4 ,this letter1 after referring to his friend's electrical experiments1 he finishes somewhat sadly1 ,you know ,i shall shortly enter on the life of a journeyman1 and then ,i suppose time will be more scarce than it is even now4 ,little did he dream how great a change in his prospects one short half year would make4 ,illustration ,,footnotes3 #a ,erasmus ,darwin1 author of ,the ,botanic ,garden1 ,loves of the ,plants1 etc41 and grandfather of the more famous ,charles ,darwin4 #b ,it may be noted here that there are several spurious stories told of ,faraday's first visit to the ,institution and his introduction to ,davy4 ,the story as told here is as ,faraday himself told it to ,davy's biographer4 #c ,it is interesting to note that ,sir ,humphry ,davy was only thirteen years the senior of ,michael ,faraday4 ,illustration ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,the ,,turning ,,point4 ,and ,nature1 the old nurse1 took ,the child upon her knee1 ,saying3 ',here is a story-book ,thy ,father has written for thee4' ',come1 wander with me1' she said1 ',into regions yet untrod2 ,and read what is still unread ,in the manuscripts of ,god6' ,,longfellow4 ,there is a story told of ,sir ,humphry ,davy1 that1 on being asked on a certain occasion to enumerate what he considered as his greatest discoveries1 he named first one thing and then another1--now his wonderful safety-lamp1 then some electrical discovery1 finishing up with but the greatest of all my discoveries was the discovery of ,michael ,faraday4 ,in the autumn of #ahab1 as we have seen1 ,faraday was a bookbinder1 whose apprenticeship was just at an end1 and who was contemplating1 as the only thing possible1 the taking up of life as a journeyman at the craft at which for seven years he had been working2 indeed1 a journeyman bookbinder he became1 for in ,october of that year he engaged himself to a ,mr4 ,de la ,roche1 who1 though a quick-tempered1 passionate man1 seems to have really cared for ,faraday1 so much so1 indeed1 that he said to him1 ,i have no child1 and if you will stay with me you shall have all ,i have when ,i am gone4 ,but ,michael was not thus to be tempted from the path which he desired to tread1 as he wrote afterwards to ,davy's biographer1 ,my desire to escape from trade1 which ,i thought vicious and selfish1 and to enter into the service of science1 which ,i imagined made its pursuers amiable and liberal1 induced me at last to take the bold and simple step of writing to ,sir ,h4 ,davy1 expressing my wishes and a hope that if an opportunity came in his way he would favour my views2 at the same time1 ,i sent the notes ,i had taken of his lectures4 ,shortly after ,sir ,humphry received ,faraday's application1 speaking to a friend--the honorary inspector of the models and apparatus--he said1 ,pepys1 what am ,i to do8 ,here is a letter from a young man named ,faraday2 he has been attending my lectures1 and wants me to give him employment at the ,royal ,institution4 ,what can ,i do8 ,do8 was ,pepys' reply1 do8 put him to wash bottles2 if he is good for anything1 he will do it directly2 if he refuses1 he is good for nothing4 ,no1 no1 said ,davy1 we must try him with something better than that4 ,notwithstanding the fact that his similar application of some months before to ,sir ,joseph ,banks had met with no answer1 ,faraday1 in his desire to leave trade for science1 had thus addressed another of the leading men of the day4 ,davy's reply was immediate1 kind1 and favourable4 ,it was this-- ,december #abth1 #ahab4 ,to ,mr4 ,faraday1 ,sir1--,i am far from displeased with the proof you have given me of your confidence1 and which displays great zeal1 power of memory1 and attention4 ,i am obliged to go out of town1 and shall not be settled in town till the end of ,january2 ,i will then see you at any time you wish4 ,it would gratify me to be of any service to you2 ,i wish it may be in my power4 ,i am1 ,sir1 your obedient humble servant1 ,h4 ,,davy4 ,illustration3 ,,sir ,,humphry ,,davy4 ,the young bookbinder's delight on receiving the great and kindly-natured man's note may easily be imagined1 as also may his anxiety for ,davy's return4 ,five weeks1 however1 are soon passed1 and ,michael duly met ,sir ,humphry by the window which is nearest to the corridor1 in the ante-room to the theatre at the ,royal ,institution4 ,davy was much impressed by the sincerity and modesty of the applicant1 but yet advised him to continue at his bookbinding1 going so far1 indeed1 as to say that he would get the ,royal ,institution binding for him1 and would recommend him to his friends4#d ,with this1 for the present1 ,faraday had to be content4 ,he returned to his binding1 delighted that he had met and conversed with the greatest chemist of his time1 but still anxious for an opportunity to leave that trade to which1 as he had said1 he was so averse1 and to become wholly the servant of that science to which he was so attached4 ,the change in his vocation was to come far more rapidly than he could have anticipated4 ,he was still living1 at this time 7early in #ahac71 at #ah1 ,weymouth ,street1 and one night1 not very long after his interview with ,davy1 just as he was undressing to go to bed1 there came a loud knock at the front door4 ,michael went to the window to see if there was any evidence as to whom the unwonted visitor might be4 ,a carriage was there1 from which a footman had alighted and left a note for ,mr4 ,m4 ,faraday4 ,it proved to be from ,sir ,humphry1 who had already an opportunity of serving the young enthusiast4 ,the note requested ,michael to call on ,davy the next morning4 ,this he did1 and learned that an assistant in the laboratory of the ,royal ,institution was required at once1 the former assistant having been dismissed the day before4 ,michael instantly expressed his willingness to accept the position2 he was to have twenty-five shillings a week salary1 and two rooms at the top of the ,institution building4 ,it was not long before arrangements were all completed4 ,a meeting of the managers of the ,institution was held on ,march #ast2 the following is entered in the minutes of that day's proceedings3--,sir ,humphry ,davy has the honour to inform the managers that he has found a person who is desirous to occupy the situation in the ,institution lately filled by ,william ,payne4 ,his name is ,michael ,faraday4 ,he is a youth of twenty-two years of age4 ,as far as ,sir ,h4 ,davy has been able to observe or ascertain1 he appears well fitted for the situation4 ,his habits seem good1 his disposition active and cheerful1 and his manner intelligent4 ,he is willing to engage himself on the same terms as those given to ,mr4 ,payne at the time of quitting the ,institution4 ,resolved3--,that ,michael ,faraday be engaged to fill the situation lately occupied by ,mr4 ,payne on the same terms4 ,the duties of the assistant were specified by the managers in the following manner1 his work being something other than the washing of bottles1 which ,pepys had recommended4 ,it is a fact1 also1 that ,faraday1 almost from the commencement of his engagement1 was concerned in more important work than that herein particularised4 ,he was to attend and assist the lecturers and professors in preparing for1 and during1 lectures2 when any instruments or apparatus may be required1 to attend to their careful removal from the model room or laboratory to the lecture-room1 and to clean and replace them after being used1 reporting to the manager such accidents as shall require repair1 a constant diary being kept by him for that purpose4 ,that1 in one day in each week1 he be employed in keeping clean the models in the repository1 and that all the instruments in the glass cases be cleaned and dusted at least once within a month4 ,as has been said1 ,faraday's work was almost from the first of a higher nature2 he is reported to have set in order the mineralogical collection soon after his arrival4 ,but a very short while elapsed between ,michael's appointment as assistant and his taking up the duties of his post1 for1 on the #hth of ,march1 he writes to ,abbott1 dating his letter from his new home1 the two rooms at the top of the ,institution4 ,his letter tells us that he was already concerned in the active duties of his post1 as the following passages show3 ,it is now about nine o'clock1 and the thought strikes me that the tongues are going both at ,tatum's and at the lecture in ,bedford ,street2 but ,i fancy myself much better employed than ,i should have been at the lecture at either of those places4 ,indeed1 ,i have heard one lecture already to-day1 and had a finger in it 7,i can't say a hand1 for ,i did very little74 ,it was by ,mr4 ,powell on mechanics1 or rather1 on rotatory motion1 and was a pretty good lecture1 but not very fully attended4 ,as ,i know you will feel a pleasure in hearing in what ,i have been or shall be occupied1 ,i will inform you that ,i have been employed to-day1 in part1 in extracting the sugar from a portion of beetroot1 and also in making a compound of sulphur and carbon--a combination which has lately occupied in a considerable degree the attention of chemists4 ,about a month after writing the letter of which the above forms a part1 ,faraday again wrote to his friend ,abbott1 giving him an account of some experiments1 in which he had been assisting ,sir ,humphry ,davy1 on the detonating compound of chlorine and azote1 and of four different and strong explosions of the substance1 explosions from which neither he nor ,davy had altogether escaped unhurt4 ,of these1 he says1 the most terrible was when ,i was holding between my thumb and finger a small tube containing #g-a_/b grains of the compound4 ,my face was within twelve inches of the tube2 but ,i fortunately had on a glass mask4 ,it exploded by the slight heat of a small piece of cement that touched the glass above half-an-inch from the substance1 and on the outside4 ,the explosion was so rapid as to blow my hand open1 bear off a part of one nail1 and has made my fingers so sore that ,i cannot yet use them easily4 ,the pieces of the tube were projected with such force as to cut the glass face of the mask ,i had on4 ,in the other three experiments also they each of them got more or less cut about by the explosion of the terrible compound1 as ,faraday calls it1 ,davy1 indeed1 in the last one1 getting somewhat seriously cut4 ,he writes thus frequently to ,abbott during the summer of #ahac1 giving him in the later letters some well thought-out ideas on lectures and lecturing1 which we shall have occasion to glance at when we are considering ,faraday himself in the capacity of a lecturer1--one of the most popular and yet truly scientific lecturers of any time4 ,in this year1 his twenty-first1 ,faraday joined the ,city ,philosophical ,society1 which had been founded about five years earlier by ,mr4 ,tatum1 at whose house the meetings were held4 ,the ,society consisted of some thirty or forty individuals1 perhaps all in the humble or moderate rank of life2 and certainly all of them anxious to improve themselves and add to their knowledge of scientific subjects4 ,once a week the members gathered together for mutual instruction2 each member opening the discussion in his turn by reading a paper of a literary or philosophical nature1 any member failing to do so at his proper time being fined half-a-guinea4 ,in addition1 the members had what they modestly called a class book1 but probably very like what we should now call a manuscript magazine2 in this each member wrote essays1 and the work was passed round from one to another4 ,michael1 it will be seen1 was not neglecting any opportunity of educating himself2 as he had said in starting his correspondence with ,abbott1 one of his objects was to improve himself in composition and to acquire a clear and simple method of expressing that which he had to say4 ,yet another method had he of furthering his self-education4 ,in the scanty notes which he wrote about his own life he says1 ,during this spring 7#ahac7 ,magrath and ,i established the mutual improvement plan1 and met at my rooms up in the attics of the ,royal ,institution1 or at ,wood ,street at his warehouse4 ,it consisted1 perhaps1 of half-a-dozen persons1 chiefly from the ,city ,philosophical ,society1 who met of an evening to read together1 and to criticise1 correct1 and improve each other's pronunciation and construction of language4 ,the discipline was very sturdy1 the remarks very plain and open1 and the results most valuable4 ,this continued for several years4 ,it is a matter for wonder how ,faraday1 with all these attempts to improve his language and method1 and to avoid even the slightest peculiarity1 managed yet to retain in all his work a remarkable simplicity and naturalness of style4 ,on ,september #ac1 #ahac1 ,faraday wrote to his uncle and aunt1 giving them an account of himself because he had nothing else to say1 and was asked by his mother to write the account3--,i was formerly a bookseller and binder1 but am how turned philosopher1 which happened thus3 ,whilst an apprentice1 ,i1 for amusement1 learnt a little of chemistry and other parts of philosophy1 and felt an eager desire to proceed in that way further4 ,after being a journeyman for six months1 under a disagreeable master1 ,i gave up my business1 and1 by the interest of ,sir ,humphry ,davy1 filled the situation of chemical-assistant to the ,royal ,institution of ,great ,britain1 in which office ,i now remain1 and where ,i am constantly engaged in observing the works of nature and tracing the manner in which she directs the arrangement and order of the world4 ,i have lately had proposals made to me by ,sir ,humphry ,davy to accompany him1 in his travels through ,europe and into ,asia1 as philosophical assistant4 ,if ,i go at all1 ,i expect it will be in ,october next1 about the end1 and my absence from home will perhaps be as long as three years4 ,but1 as yet1 all is uncertain1 ,i have to repeat that1 even though ,i may go1 my path will not pass near any of my relations1 or permit me to see those whom ,i so much long to see4 ,this ,continental trip with ,davy forms one of the chief episodes in ,faraday's life4 ,he had1 though two-and-twenty years of age1 never before been further than a few miles out of ,london4 ,the country through which he passed1 the sea1 and the mountains1 all came to him as a revelation4 ,the letters which he wrote home from abroad1 and the journals which he kept1 all express his wonder at the strange sights1 and all breathe the kindliness of nature and affection for home and those at home which all his life long were strongly marked characteristics4 ,his letters to his mother are especially pleasing4 ,he was away for but little over eighteen months1 yet an account of his travels merits a chapter to itself4 ,the commencement of #ahac marked an epoch in his life1 the close of the same year marked another4 ,illustration ,,footnote3 #d ,some of the books which ,faraday bound for the ,royal ,institution are there now2 kept carefully with other relics of the great chemist4 ,see the chapter entitled ,about the ,royal ,institution4 ,illustration ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,home ,,thoughts ,,from ,,abroad4 ,one rule his life was fashioned to fulfil3 ,that he who tends ,truth's shrine1 and does the hest ,of ,science1 with a humble1 faithful will1 ,the ,god of ,truth and ,knowledge serveth best4 ,wednesday1 ,october #acth1 #ahac4--,this morning formed an epoch in my life4 ,thus commences the first entry in that journal1 in which1 all the while that he was away1 ,faraday noted down particulars of what he saw and thought4 ,and1 indeed1 the young traveller's remark is by no means an exaggeration1 as we recognise when we consider that he had never been out of sight of the metropolis1 that he was accompanying one of the leading chemists1 and that he and ,davy1 ,englishmen both1 were allowed free passports through ,france1 although this and that country were at the time at war with one another4 ,the fact that ,davy was a scientist overshadowed the fact that he was an ,englishman in the eyes of the ,french authorities2 as the former1 he was permitted to travel anywhere1 and to use libraries1 museums1 etc41 at any time2 as the latter1 he would have been instantly taken prisoner4 ,this was an early and pleasing recognition of the universality of science1 of its more than political or national interest1 nay1 of its international importance4 ,so minute are the descriptions of things seen1 so clear and simple is the language employed1 that ,faraday's journal is most delightful reading2 while the letters written home and to his friends are no less pleasing2 perhaps1 indeed1 they are more so as they are so eminently characteristic of the man4 ,they are remarkable for the unaffected spirit of affection which breathes through them1 and show us1 as indeed was shown in all ways throughout his life1 the keen sensitiveness of his feelings and the genuine earnestness with which he was at all times seeking for self-improvement4 ,on reaching ,plymouth1 ,faraday gives expression in his diary to the wonder which moved him at seeing the country for the first time4 ,the journey1 of course1 had to be done by road1 as it was long before the time of railways2 but coach or carriage riding1 during fine autumn weather1 through some of the most delightful scenery of rural ,england1 must at any time be preferable to1 though less expeditious than1 railway travelling2 and that ,michael felt the full benefit of it is shown by the following passage from the journal3-- ,friday1 ,october #aeth4--,reached ,plymouth this afternoon4 ,i was more taken by the scenery to-day than by anything else ,i have ever seen4 ,it came upon me unexpectedly1 and caused a kind of revolution in my ideas respecting the nature of the earth's surface4 ,that such a revolution was necessary is1 ,i confess1 not much to my credit2 and yet ,i can assign to myself a very satisfactory reason1 in the habit of ideas induced by an acquaintance with no other green surface than that within three miles of ,london4 ,devonshire1 however1 presented scenery very different to this2 the mountainous nature of the country continually put forward new forms and objects1 and the landscape changed before the eye more rapidly than the organ could observe it4 ,this day gave me some idea of the pleasures of travelling1 and has raised my expectations of future enjoyment to a very high point4 ,if the surface of the earth gave our amateur traveller cause for wonder1 what must have been his feelings when he first went down to the sea-shore8 or when1 on the night of ,october #agth1 he was on board in mid-channel1 with the immense waves1 as he graphically puts it1 striding one after another at a considerable distance8 or when1 again1 to use his own words1 the vessel sank down into the valleys between the great waves1 and we had nothing in view but the wall of waters around us4 ,he carefully observed1 on this occasion1 remaining on deck all night for that purpose1 the phosphorescence of the sea4 ,the next day they reached the harbour of ,morlaix1 on the ,french coast1 where1 after much examination of luggage1 and searching in all possible and impossible places for contraband goods by the ,french ,customs' officers1 they took up their lodging for a couple of nights4 ,and on the #bbnd1 the carriage having been successfully put together 7to ensure comfortable accommodation ,sir ,humphry had brought his own with him71 the party commenced their tour1 reaching ,paris1 where a stay of three months' length was made1 on the #bith4 ,faraday's observant nature is made evident to us in every page of his journal1 and the light1 humorous style in which much of it--that part which admits of such treatment--is written1 gives evidence of the abiding cheerfulness of his disposition4 ,on the road to ,paris there was a temporary stoppage1 owing to the breaking of one of the horses' traces4 ,while the accident was being repaired by the postillion1 ,faraday found1 to his great delight1 a glow-worm1 the first that he had seen1 and which gave him much food for reflection4 ,so great an impression did the first sight of the luminous little grub make on him1 that1 writing to his mother six months afterwards1 and enumerating some of the more important things he had seen in his travels1 he says1 ,i have seen a ,,glow-,,worm6 ,in ,paris ,davy stayed some three months1 and ,faraday records the great disadvantage under which he laboured through not knowing the ,french language4 ,despite this1 however1 he attended lectures with ,davy1 and accompanied him on visits to the laboratories of the various ,french chemists of the day1 among others to that of ,chevreul1 who was even then 7he was three years older than ,faraday7 well known as one of the rising chemists of the day4#e ,it was well for ,davy1 and his assistant too1 perhaps1 that the ,paris authorities did not read the entries which the young ,englishman with a round chin1 a brown beard1 a large mouth1 and a great nose1#f made in his journal1 for he records as follows a visit which he paid to the ,galerie ,napolon3--,it is1 he wrote1 both the glory and the disgrace of ,france4 ,as being itself1 and as containing specimens of those things which proclaim the power of man1 and which point out the high degree of refinement to which he has risen1 it is unsurpassed1 unequalled1 and must call forth the highest and most unqualified admiration2 but when memory brings to mind the manner in which the works came here1 and views them only as the gains of violence and rapine1 she blushes for the people that even now glory in an act that made them a nation of thieves4#g ,although he thus discoursed in his journal about what he saw and thought1 he did not by any means neglect his favourite science1 and his journal during the stay in ,paris contains frequent reference to the experiments which ,sir ,humphry was carrying on with a new substance which had been discovered a short while before by a ,french chemist--,m4 ,courtois4 ,this substance1 now known as iodine1 was the source of much interesting research4 ,not only about the time of its discovery1 but during the whole of the century it has afforded scope to chemists for much speculation and useful experiment4 ,the race-prejudice1 which early in the present century affected ,english opinion of all things ,french1 is to be traced even in ,faraday1 who1 with all his fairness and open-mindedness1 seems always congratulating himself on not belonging to the people among whom he finds himself4 ,this insular spirit finds expression in such passages as the following1 which he wrote after staying indoors all day with nothing better to do than to note the difference between the rooms in ,paris and those he was accustomed to in ,england4 ,he sums his views up thus3--,french apartments are magnificent1 ,english apartments are comfortable2 ,french apartments are highly ornamented1 ,english apartments are clean2 ,french apartments are to be seen1 ,english apartments enjoyed2 and the style of each kind best suits the people of the respective countries4 ,illustration3 ,,torpedo ,,fish4 ,from ,paris the small party--which consisted of ,sir ,humphry and ,lady ,davy and ,faraday1 whose nominal position was that of assistant in chemistry and experiments--went south to ,montpelier1 near the coast of the ,mediterranean and some seventy-five miles from ,marseilles4 ,after about six weeks' stay they again started on their travels2 and after a cold and adventurous journey across the ,alps1 reached ,turin on ,february #bbnd1 at the close of the ,carnival4 ,from ,turin they went to ,genoa--where ,faraday was much interested in several water-spouts which he saw in the bay--and then on to ,florence4 ,various experiments were made by ,davy at each place1 on iodine1 on the electricity of the torpedo fish1 etc42 while at each place ,faraday found some opportunity of helping to satisfy his craving for improvement4 ,of the stay at ,florence the journal gives but little account other than of ,davy's experiment to find out of what a diamond is composed1 and of the various attempts which were made with the assistance of the ,duke's burning glass to burn diamond4 ,after noting these experiments1 ,faraday concludes3 ,as yet it appears that the diamond is pure carbon4 ,from ,rome1 which was the next halting-place on their travels1 ,michael wrote home to his mother a long letter1 every line of which breathes a spirit of true affection4 ,i trust that you are well in health and spirits1 and that all things have gone right since ,i left you4444 ,mr4 ,riebau and fifty other friends would be inquired after1 could ,i but have an answer4 ,you must consider this letter as a kind of general one1 addressed to that knot of friends who are twined round my heart2 and ,i trust that you will let them all know that1 though distant1 ,i do not forget them1 and that it is not from want of regard that ,i do not write to each singly1 but from want of convenience and propriety2 indeed1 it appears to me that there is more danger of my being forgot than of my forgetting4 ,the first and last thing in my mind is ,england1 home1 and friends4 ,it is the point to which my thoughts still ultimately tend1 and the goal to which1 looking over intermediate things1 my eyes are still directed4 ,but1 on the contrary1 in ,london you are all together1 your circle being little or nothing diminished by my absence2 the small void which was formed on my departure would soon be worn out1 and1 pleased and happy with one another1 you will seldom think of me4 ,such are sometimes my thoughts1 but such do not rest with me2 an innate feeling tells me that ,i shall not be forgot1 and that ,i still possess the hearts and love of my mother1 my brother1 my sisters1 and my friends4444 ,whenever a vacant hour occurs ,i employ it by thinking on those at home4 ,in short1 when sick1 when cold1 when tired1 the thoughts of those at home are a warm and refreshing balm to my heart4 ,let those who think such thoughts useless1 vain1 and paltry1 think so still2 ,i envy them not their more refined and more estranged feelings3 let them look about the world1 unencumbered by such ties and heartstrings1 and let them laugh at those who1 guided more by nature1 cherish such feelings4 ,for me1 ,i still will cherish them1 in opposition to the dictates of modern refinement1 as the first and greatest sweetness in the life of man4 ,it is in his letters such as this that we get to understand ,faraday1 and to appreciate how it was that his friends1 members of his family1 nay1 even persons who casually met him1 were always struck by the simplicity and lovableness of the man4 ,altogether1 ,michael got much pleasure1 and a great deal of experience1 both of life and of science1 during his ,continental tour1 although it was not a source of unmixed delight4 ,his engagement was to accompany ,davy in the capacity of secretarial and scientific assistant1 but some work certainly not included under that head fell to him owing to ,sir ,humphry's valet not accompanying the party at the last moment4 ,had he been with ,davy alone this would have been of little matter1 for ,davy was a kind and considerate man1 and would have dispensed with a servant's attendance1 and have recognised in ,faraday the scientific assistant only2 but--unfortunately for ,michael--,lady ,davy1 as has been mentioned1 accompanied her husband1 and she was not so considerate2 and1 in consequence1 ,faraday was treated at times almost as a servant4 ,this1 occasionally1 was very trying to him2 but ,michael was too much of a philosopher to give in because circumstances were not as he could wish1 and he wrote to his friend ,abbott1 that though he had to sacrifice much1 the glorious opportunity he enjoyed of improving in the knowledge of chemistry and the sciences continually determined him to finish the voyage with ,sir ,humphry ,davy4 ,a decision of this nature is characteristic of ,faraday at all times3 he rarely started any work without having carefully considered it2 but1 having started it1 he was not one to take his hand from the plough before the furrow was completed4 ,this quality is well illustrated in a story which is told of ,faraday when he had become a well-known chemist4 ,he was arranging some apparatus with a scientific instrument maker1 when a small piece of glass fell to the ground2 ,faraday made several unsuccessful efforts to pick it up1 when his companion said that it was not worth troubling over4 ,perhaps not1 said ,faraday2 but ,i do not like to fail in accomplishing anything that ,i have attempted4 ,the months of ,may and ,june were spent by the small party mostly in ,italy--first in ,rome1 then ,naples1 and afterwards travelling from place to place4 ,at ,naples a stay of some days was made1 and ,faraday's journal gives us an interesting account of two visits to ,mount ,vesuvius4 ,on the second day the party1 largely increased by other visitors1 had a picnic on the ,mount4 ,cloths were laid on the smoking lava1 and bread1 chickens1 turkey1 cheese1 wine and water1 and eggs roasted on the mountain1 brought forth1 and a species of dinner taken at this place4 ,torches were now lighted1 and the whole had a singular appearance2 and the surrounding lazzaroni assisted not a little in adding to the picturesque effect of the scene4 ,after having eaten and drunk1 ,old ,england was toasted1 and ',god save the king6' and ',rule1 ,britannia' sung2 and two very entertaining ,russian songs by a gentleman1 a native of that country1 the music of which was peculiar and very touching4 ,illustration3 ,,naples ,,and ,,mount ,,vesuvius4 ,from ,naples the journey is continued up north through all the magnificent scenery of ,italy2 the journal giving us occasionally delightful word-pictures of the landscape1 and recording the young traveller's observations on various natural phenomena4 ,now1 as we have seen1 glowworms attract his attention1 then waterspouts1 and the magnificent spectacle presented by ,vesuvius2 and again his attention is occupied with the beautiful fire-flies that appeared in innumerable quantities2 at a distance they covered the side of the mountain1 and near us they passed over the fields1 hovered on the edge or crossed the road1 often attaching themselves to the harness1 and emitting their bright and harmless flashes of light in a rapid and beautiful manner4 ,in ,july our party found themselves settled in ,geneva1 where some three months were passed very enjoyably in congenial society4 ,davy was the guest of the elder ,de la ,rive1 with whom he experimented in chemistry1 and with whom1 they both being ardent sportsmen1 he went out fishing and shooting4 ,on these occasions1 says ,professor ,tyndall1 ,faraday charged ,davy's gun1 while ,de la ,rive charged his own4 ,once the ,genevese philosopher found himself by the side of ,faraday1 and in his frank and genial way entered into conversation with the young man4 ,it was evident that a person possessing such a charm of manner and such high intelligence could be no mere servant4 ,on inquiry ,de la ,rive was somewhat shocked to find that the soi-disant domestique was really preparateur in the laboratory of the ,royal ,institution2 and he immediately proposed that ,faraday thenceforth should join the masters instead of the servants at their meals4 ,to this ,davy1 probably out of weak deference to his wife1 objected2 but an arrangement was come to that ,faraday thenceforward should have his food in his own room4 ,for reasons such as these we can well understand that ,faraday's life during his ,continental journeying was not altogether as pleasant as he had anticipated it would be4 ,in his letters his reserve on this matter is marvellous1 for it is only twice1 and in writing to his intimate friend1 ,abbott1 that he refers at all to his1 at times1 uncomfortable situation1 and then it is to give point to what he has been saying in reply to his friend's complaint as to the sordid and unintellectual surroundings amid which he is compelled to live4 ,in his journals also ,faraday's reticence with regard to those with whom he travelled is noticeable2 he wrote impressions of what he saw1 and of what he thought that was worth record1 and this was done merely for his own future use and pleasure--he would never wish to recall any petty humiliations which circumstances compelled him to suffer1 and they were very properly allowed to pass unrecorded4 ,indeed1 in the note quoted above1 particulars of which were given ,professor ,tyndall by ,m4 ,de la ,rive1 we learn more of the discomforts of his post than ,faraday himself ever allowed to escape4 ,it is indeed a great pity for his own good fame that ,davy should have allowed a weak deference to his wife to influence him in such a matter1 as it was a great pity when a few years later he allowed a petty spirit of jealousy to make him oppose the election of ,faraday as a ,fellow of the ,royal ,society4 ,from ,geneva many letters were written home to his mother and friends4 ,this is characteristic3 ,here1 dear mother1 all goes well4 ,i am in perfect health1 and almost contented1 except with my ignorance1 which becomes more visible to me every day1 though ,i endeavour as much as possible to remedy it4 ,it is strange how different we find the ,faraday of the letters and the ,faraday of the journal4 ,in the first case the cheerful kindliness1 the affectionate1 sympathetic side of the man's nature at once strikes us2 while in the journal the clear and simple description1 uncoloured by personal feeling or prejudice1 is no less remarkable4 ,the three months' stay at ,geneva at an end1 the small party1 bidding farewell to their hospitable and kindly host1 ,de la ,rive1 turned south again4 ,in ,de la ,rive1 ,michael1 by his intelligence1 his scientific enthusiasm1 and his unassuming cheerful disposition had won a life-long friend4 ,the route south may well be described briefly in ,michael's own words1 from a letter to his mother written early in ,november at ,rome3 ,on leaving ,geneva we entered ,switzerland1 and traversed that mountainous and extraordinary country with health and fine weather1 and were much diverted with the curious dresses and customs of the country4444 ,from ,switzerland we passed through the ,states of ,baden1 on the ,lake of ,constance 7they are very small71 across an arm of the kingdom of ,wurtemburg1 and into ,bavaria4 ,in this route we had seen1 though slightly1 ,lausanne1 ,vevey1 ,zurich1 ,schaffhausen and the falls of the ,rhine1 in ,switzerland1 and ,munich1 and many other towns in ,germany4 ,on leaving ,munich we proceeded to and across the ,tyrol1 and got to ,padua1 and from ,padua to ,venice4 ,you will remember very well1 ,i have no doubt1 the picture which hung in the parlour over the fireplace1 and which represented the ,rialto and the ,great ,canal of this town4 ,the first ,i have had the pleasure of crossing several times1 and the second ,i have partly traversed in a ,venetian gondola4444 ,after seeing ,venice for three days we left it1 and came towards ,italy1 passing ,bologna and ,florence4 ,before reaching ,florence the two philosophers went out of their way to inquire into a phenomenon at ,pietra ,mala which was much talked about4 ,from certain tracts of ground in the neighbourhood sheets of flame of various sizes were said to burst out2 the fire was said to burn anything combustible1 although the ground where the flames were was not even heated2 locally1 it was said to be the remains of an ancient volcano4 ,though it was raining hard1 yet that would not deter ,sir ,humphry from visiting those places2 but1 at the same time1 it made us wish to be as quick as possible4 ,sir ,humphry therefore went to the first place1 and ,i went to the ,acqua bollenti1 conducted by a man of the village1 who carried some fire1 some straw1 and some water4 ,i found the place in a cultivated field1 not far from a mountain1 apparently of limestone4 ,it was simply a puddle perhaps formed by the present showers of rain4 ,much gas rose from the earth1 and passed through the water1 which made it appear boiling1 and had given rise to its name2 but the water and the ground were quite cold4 ,i made another puddle with the water we brought1 near the one ,i found there1 and ,i saw that the gas rose up through it also2 and it appeared to be continually passing off from a surface of more than eighteen inches in diameter4 ,the soil appeared deep1 and close to the spot supported vegetation readily4 ,the man inflamed some straw1 and then laid it on the ground2 immediately the gas inflamed1 and the flame spread to some distance from the straw over the surface of the earth1 waving about like the flame of weak spirits of wine2 this flame burnt some moments4 ,on putting a light to the bubbles which rose through the water they inflamed1 and sometimes a flame ran quickly from them over the whole surface of the water4 ,i filled a bottle with the gas1 but ,i could not distinguish any smell in it4 ,in pouring water into the bottle1 and lighting the jet of gas that came out1 a large clear flame was obtained4 ,the whole of this flame was a very pale blue1 like spirits of wine4 ,it inflamed paper and matches readily1 as might be expected2 and when ,i held a dry bottle or knife over it1 they appeared to become dim by condensing water3 but this was uncertain1 as the weather was so rainy4 ,the water had no taste1 and appeared pure rain water4 ,i brought some of it and the gas away1 and returned to the village4 ,in the almost deserted laboratory of the ,florence ,academy experiments with the ,pietra ,mala gas convinced ,davy that it was light hydrocarburet1 pure4 ,the second stay in ,rome extended over nearly four months1 during which time the grand ,carnival took place4 ,faraday had at this part of his tour a great deal of his time to himself1 and earnestly devoted himself to continuing the study of the ,french and ,italian languages1 on which indeed he had been working all the while he had been away from home4 ,but he also continued his observations on men and manners1 for during the ,carnival week he twice attended masked balls in a domino1 besides being present at the horse-races on the ,corso1 and at other of the events of the ,carnival4 ,he was1 however1 anxious to be on his way home to ,england1 and his letters occasionally show how sad he felt at not knowing how soon the return would be4 ,it was1 however1 to be earlier than he anticipated4 ,on ,january #beth1 #ahae1 he wrote to ,abbott3 ,now for news6 ,we shall part in a few weeks 7pray write quickly7 for ,naples1 and from thence proceed immediately to ,sicily4 ,afterwards our road is doubtful2 but this much ,i know1 that application is made for passports to travel in the ,turkish ,empire1 and to reside in ,constantinople2 that it is ,sir ,humphry's intention to be among the ,greek islands in ,march1 and at ,athens early in the spring4444 ,adieu1 dear friend4 ,with you ,i have no ceremony4 ,the warmest wishes that friendship can dictate are formed for you by ,m4 ,faraday4 ,thus had he written towards the end of ,january--within three months he was to be shaking hands with his friend at home6 ,while on the road to ,naples1 ,faraday heard of the escape of ,napoleon from ,elba on ,march #gth1 and records it thus briefly in his journal3 ,tuesday1 ,march #gth4--,i heard for news that ,bonaparte was again at liberty4 ,being no politician1 ,i did not trouble myself about it1 though ,i suppose it will have a strong influence on the affairs of ,europe4 ,it is strange how quietly ,davy and his assistant passed through ,europe at a time when war was convulsing nearly the whole of it2 quietly and apparently unconcernedly they went their way1 seeing who and what was to be seen at the various stopping-places1 prosecuting their researches in different branches of chemistry1 and adding in many ways to their stores of knowledge1 seemingly unaffected by ,the time that tried men's souls4 ,at ,naples ,faraday again ascended ,vesuvius1 and on this occasion had the grand experience of seeing it in active eruption4 ,he writes a full and graphic account in the journal1 from which one passage1 descriptive of the eruption itself1 may well be quoted4 ,this time ,faraday had ascended with a guide only1 ,sir ,humphry having stayed part way up the mountain to see ,monte ,somma4 ,i saw a large shower of red-hot stones in the air1 writes ,faraday1 and felt the strong workings of the mountain2 but my care was now to get to the crater1 and that was soon done4 ,here the scene surpassed everything4 ,before me was the crater1 like a deep gulf1 appearing bottomless from the smoke that rose from below4 ,on the right hand this smoke ascended in enormous wreaths1 rolling above us into all forms2 on the left hand the crater was clear1 except where the fire burst out from the side with violence1 its product rising and increasing the volume of volatile matter already raised in the air4 ,the ground was in continual motion1 and the explosions were continual1 but at times more powerful shocks and noises occurred2 then might be seen rising high in the air numbers of red-hot stones and pieces of lava1 which at times came so near as to threaten us with a blow4 ,the appearance of the lava was at once sufficient to satisfy one of its pasty form4 ,it rose in the air in lumps of various size1 from #a_/b lb4 to #be lb4 or more4 ,the form was irregular1 but generally long1 like splashes of thick mud2 a piece would often split into two or more pieces in the air4 ,they were red-hot1 and1 when they fell down1 continued glowing for five1 ten1 or fifteen minutes4444 ,i was there during one explosion of very great force1 when the ground shook as with a strong earthquake1 and the shower of lava and of stones ascended to a very great height1 and at this moment the smoke increased much in quantity4 ,the guide now said this place was not safe1 from its exposed situation to the melted lava and to the smoke1 and because it oftentimes happens that a portion of the edge of the crater is shaken down into the gulf below4 ,we therefore retreated a little1 and then sat down1 listened1 and looked4 ,we have seen from the letter to ,abbott at the end of ,january that a somewhat lengthened tour had been planned out4 ,on ,march the #bast ,faraday's journal says1 ,we left ,naples at five o'clock4 ,from that time the return was rapid4 ,at ,rome there was some delay owing to the lack of post-horses2 the ,french troops under ,murat were advancing1 and everybody was leaving the city2 the ,pope had fled1 and the cardinals were flying4 ,after a delay of a couple of days carriage-horses were hired at a great expense1 and the travellers proceeded on their homeward flight4 ,at ,mantua delay again occurred1 as the passports had to be signed1 re-signed1 and countersigned4 ,at last1 says ,faraday1 we saw the outside of the town1 having1 much against our will1 remained two hours and a-half in it4 ,faraday's last letter home is written from ,brussels on ,april #afth2 it is to his mother1 and is well worth reading3 ,my very dear ,mother1--,it is with no small pleasure ,i write you my last letter from a foreign country1 and ,i hope it will be with as much pleasure you will hear ,i am within three days of ,england4 ,nay more1 before you read this letter ,i hope to tread on ,british ground4444 ,i am not acquainted with the reason of our sudden return2 it is1 however1 sufficient for me that it has taken place4 ,we left ,naples very hastily1 perhaps because of the motions of the ,neapolitan troops1 and perhaps for private reasons4 ,we came rapidly to ,rome1 we as rapidly left it4 ,we ran up ,italy1 we crossed the ,tyrol1 we stepped over ,germany1 we entered ,holland1 and we are now at ,brussels1 and talk of leaving it to-morrow for ,ostend2 at ,ostend we embark1 and at ,deal we land on a spot of earth which ,i will never leave again4 ,you may be sure we shall not creep from ,deal to ,london1 and ,i am sure ,i shall not creep to #ah1 ,weymouth ,street2 and then--but it is of no use4 ,i have a thousand times endeavoured to fancy a meeting with you and my relations and friends1 and ,i am sure ,i have as often failed3 the reality must be a pleasure not to be imagined or described4444 ,you may be sure that my first moment will be in your company4 ,if you have opportunities1 tell some of my dearest friends1 but do not tell everybody--that is1 do not trouble yourself to do it4444 ,my thoughts wander from one to another1 my pen runs on by fits and starts2 ,i do not know what to say1 and yet cannot put an end to my letter4 ,i would fain be talking to you1 but must cease4 ,adieu till ,i see you1 dearest mother2 and believe me ever your affectionate and dutiful son1 ,m4 ,,faraday4 ',tis the shortest and 7to me7 the sweetest letter ,i ever wrote you4 ,thus ended ,faraday's wanderings-- ,but who may tell ,what forms he brought away1 ,to stand reveal'd at mem'ry's spell1 ,and glad some distant day6 ,he returned home better equipped for continuing the work of chemical research1 for which he had so intense a liking1 with his stores of knowledge vastly increased1 and his energy and application not one whit abated4 ,how he again took up the thread of his work must be told in another chapter4 ,illustration ,,footnotes3 #e ,chevreul1 many readers will remember1 lived to celebrate his hundredth birthday in #ahhf1 and all his life continued experiments in his fascinating science4 ,he died on the #ajth of ,april1 #ahhi4 #f ,so was ,faraday described in the passport issued to him at ,paris4 #g ,the works of art which ,faraday refers to are the ,laocon1 the ,venus de ,medici1 the ,dying ,gladiator1 and other sculpture brought from ,rome to ,paris by ,napoleon after one of his ,italian campaigns4 ,faraday must have been gratified at their return to ,rome the year after his words were written4 ,illustration ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,back ,,at ,,work4 ,a choice that from the passions of the world ,withdrew1 and fixed me in a still retreat2 ,sheltered1 but not to social duties lost1 ,secluded1 but not buried2 and with song ,cheering my days1 and with industrious thought2 ,with the ever-welcome company of books2 ,with virtuous friendship's soul-sustaining aid1 ,and with the blessings of domestic love4 ,,wordsworth4 ,his friends and relations having had due attentions from him1 ,faraday at once began to cast about for work4 ,on going abroad with ,davy he had relinquished his position at the ,royal ,institution1 though ,sir ,humphry had promised to befriend him on their return2 this promise was1 much to ,faraday's gratification1 duly fulfilled4 ,within a fortnight of his return ,michael found himself re-engaged at the ,institution in the capacity of assistant in the laboratory and mineralogical collection1 and superintendent of the apparatus1 a high-sounding office that carried with it the none too substantial honorarium of thirty shillings a week1 and1 as before1 rooms in the building4 ,it was1 however1 a distinct rise1 both in position and in wage1 and ,faraday1 we may be sure1 was pleased to get back to his well-loved ,institution on such terms4 ,a life spent in scientific research is1 generally1 an apparently uneventful one4 ,faraday's life1 far from being an exception to this rule1 was rather an accentuation of it4 ,the story of his life is indeed highly interesting2 but its interest lies in it1 not as a story of action and change1 but as a life that may be said to have realised almost wholly the ideal which was set before it4 ,from the very first moment when ,faraday gave expression to his hate for trade and his love for science1 his whole life was a practical illustration of his feelings2 as we shall find on following him through his great and honourable career1 there were many occasions on which he refused not only titles and such like honours1 but pecuniary benefits which might fairly be considered his dues--no1 his work was wrought for love and not for gain1 as the line which ,i have placed on the title page of this little book so well expresses it4 ,the tour on the ,continent1 as has been noted1 was the most striking episode in ,faraday's long life4 ,from ,may #gth1 #ahae 7the date on which he rejoined the ,institution71 onwards1 his life was a time of steady intellectual growth1 spent in chemical research1 in the explaining of phenomena1 and in what is by no means his least claim on our regard1 the popularisation of scientific knowledge4 ,we have seen in his early correspondence with ,benjamin ,abbott how1 on his very earliest acquaintance with lecturing and lectures at the ,royal ,institution1 he began to study the different styles of the various lecturers1 to note their peculiarities1 and in what lay the secret of their success2 we have seen1 too1 how he was striving to improve himself in composition--in the clear and intelligent method of stating things4 ,he was preparing himself betimes for what he felt to be part of his true vocation2 how eminently successful--beyond his wildest imaginings--he was1 will be seen as we follow his life-story year by year4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,davy ,,safety ,,lamp4 ,it was1 as ,faraday frequently acknowledged1 his good fortune to assist ,sir ,humphry ,davy in his experiments not only while abroad1 but after their home-coming4 ,one of the most important of all ,davy's discoveries was made in the year of their return4 ,on ,august #crd he acknowledged a letter which he had received from ,dr4 ,gray1 directing his attention to the awful destruction of human life by explosions in coal mines4 ,on ,october #cast1 ,davy announced to his correspondent that he had discovered a safety lamp2 on ,november #bnd he read a paper on fire-damp before the ,royal ,society1 and on ,december #adth submitted to ,dr4 ,gray models of lamps and lanterns made on the principle of his discovery1 that fire-damp will not explode in tubes or feeders of a certain small diameter4 ,in his experiments1 in connection with this discovery1 ,davy received considerable help from his laboratory assistant1 who must have been much gratified by that passage in ,davy's paper on the safety lamp1 in which the great discoverer expressed himself as indebted to ,mr4 ,michael ,faraday for much able assistance4 ,this was ,mr4 ,michael ,faraday's first public recognition1 and must have been very delightful to him1 especially coming as it did from the man of all others for whom1 in his scientific capacity1 ,michael had the most profound admiration4 ,davy gained1 as is well known1 much honour and no inconsiderable amount of money for his discovery4 ,there are1 however1 circumstances in which the safety lamp is not safe2 ,faraday1 and1 it is to be presumed1 ,davy himself1 was aware of this4 ,it is illustrative of ,faraday's stern regard for truth that1 although he was at the time ,davy's own assistant1 he did not1 and would not1 attest before a parliamentary committee to the universal safety of the ,davy lamp4 ,early in #ahaf we find ,faraday beginning to put into practice those ideas on lectures and lecturing which he had so carefully considered before4 ,on the point of giving his first lecture1 though1 he seems to doubt himself1 and in a letter to ,abbott occurs the following passage--,i intend making some experiments on that subject 7lecturing7 soon2 ,i will defer it 7his letter on lecturing7 till after such experiments are made4 ,in the meantime1 as preparatory and introductory to such a course of experiments1 ,i will ask your opinion of1 and observations on1 ,english composition--style1 delivery1 reading1 oratory1 grammar1 pronunciation1 perspicuity1 and in general all the branches into which the belles lettres divide themselves2 and if by asking ,i procure1 ,i shall congratulate myself on the acquisition of much useful knowledge and experience4 ,the first lecture--on the ,general ,properties of ,matter--was duly and successfully delivered before the ,city ,philosophical ,society on ,january #agth4 ,before trusting himself to go upon the platform1 ,faraday carefully wrote out his lecture1 word for word1 as it was to be delivered2 a plan which he followed in the case of each of the other six lectures which he gave before the same ,society during the year4 ,these lectures ,i have had the pleasure of seeing1 as they are neatly written out and bound by their author4 ,they are1 with many similar treasures1 in the possession of ,miss ,jane ,barnard1 a niece of ,faraday4 ,this year was an important one in several ways2 not only did ,faraday give his first lecture1 but also his first printed paper appeared in the ,quarterly ,journal of ,science1 which was edited by ,mr4 ,brande1 who succeeded ,sir ,humphry as chief of the ,royal ,institution4 ,the paper was on an analysis of native caustic lime1 which had been undertaken at ,davy's instigation4 ,that his scientific friends and patrons were beginning to recognise something out of the common in their laboratory assistant is shown in various ways1 notably by such a passage as the following1 taken from ,faraday's note-book3 ,when ,mr4 ,brande left ,london in ,august1 he gave the ,quarterly ,journal in charge to me2 it has had very much of my time and care1 and writing1 through it1 has been more abundant with me4 ,it has1 however1 also been the means of giving me earlier information on some new objects of science4 ,faraday's common-place book--a kind of continuation of his ,philosophical ,miscellany of six years earlier--gives us a good deal of information as to his intellectual progress at this time2 it shows us not only what scientific subjects were interesting him1 but also how zealously he was continuing his study of composition and the mode of expressing what he had to say clearly and definitely4 ,there are passages from the ,spectator1 alongside of tests with arsenic1 a description of a visit to a silk-ribbon dresser's1 along with an account of ,zerah ,colburn1 the ,american calculating boy4 ,sir ,humphry ,davy wrote to ,faraday1 saying1 ,mr4 ,colburn1 the father of the ,american boy who has such extraordinary powers of calculation1 will explain to you the method his son uses in confidence4 ,i wish to ascertain if it can be practically used4 ,it has been remarked of ,faraday that his was a poet-nature expressing itself through science2 and this estimate seems largely true1 but the verses which he wrote in his common-place book1 ,on ,love1 if they be his own composition1 are extremely poor2 there are other verses though which will merit quotation4 ,they are written by ,mr4 ,dryden1 a fellow-member of the ,city ,philosophical ,society1 and are entitled ,quarterly ,night1 ,october #bnd1 #ahaf1 being descriptive of one of the periodical gatherings of the ,society4 ,the following passage is of especial interest to us1 as it shows how ,faraday impressed a young contemporary3-- ,but hark6 ,a voice arises near the chair6 ,its liquid sounds glide smoothly through the air2 ,the listening ,muse with rapture bends to view ,the place of speaking and the speaker too4 ,neat was the youth in dress1 in person plain2 ,his eye read thus1 ,philosopher-in-grain2 ,of understanding clear1 reflection deep2 ,expert to apprehend1 and strong to keep4 ,his watchful mind no subject can elude1 ,nor specious arts of sophist e'er delude2 ,his powers1 unshackled1 range from pole to pole2 ,his mind from error free1 from guilt his soul4 ,warmth in his heart1 good humour in his face1 ,a friend to mirth1 but foe to vile grimace2 ,a temper candid1 manner unassuming1 ,always correct1 yet always unpresuming4 ,such was the youth1 the chief of all the band2 ,his name well known1 ,sir ,humphry's right hand4 ,with manly ease towards the chair he bends1 ,with ,watts' logic at his finger-ends1 ',i rise 7but shall not on the theme enlarge7 ,to show my approbation of this charge3 ,if proved it be1 the censure should be passed ,or this offence be neither worst nor last4 ,a precedent will stand from year to year1 ,and 'tis the usual practice we shall hear4 ,extreme severity 'tis right to shun1 ,for who could stand were justice only done8 ,and yet experience does most clearly show ,extreme indulgence oft engenders woe4 ,in striving then to hit the golden mean-- ,to knowledge1 prudence1 wisdom1 virtue seen-- ,let ,isaac then be censured1 not in spite ,but merely to evince our love of right4 ,truth1 order1 justice1 cannot be preserved ,unless the laws which rule us are observed4 ,i for the principle alone contend1 ,would lash the crime1 but make the man my friend4' ,faraday's progress during these first few years after his reinstatement at the ,royal ,institution was rapid3 his lectures to the ,city ,philosophical ,society1 his published papers1 and his letters1 all give evidence of it4 ,in #ahag1 as in the previous year1 he delivered six lectures before the ,society4 ,it is interesting to find that instead of being written out word for word1 the lectures were now delivered from notes1 showing how the young lecturer was becoming so assured of his own command of language as to make the earlier method no longer necessary4 ,his common-place book for this year continues to show a wide range of reading and thoughtfulness4 ,in the summer1 when the lectures at the ,institution had ceased for the recess1 ,faraday availed himself of an invitation from his friend ,huxtable1 who was living at ,south ,moulton1 and spent a month holiday-making in ,devonshire4 ,his early impressions of that county1 when he passed through it with ,davy on their way to the ,continent1 must have made him especially delighted to visit it once more2 more particularly as he had an opportunity on this occasion of making geological excursions and of studying wavellite1 hydrargellite1 and such hard things4 ,a letter which he wrote from ,barnstaple to his mother during this holiday is interesting1 referring as it does to those country occupations amid which she1 in her girlhood1 passed her time3--,i have seen a great deal of country life since ,i left town1 and am highly pleased with it1 though ,i should by no means be contented to live away from town4 ,i have been at sheep-shearings1 merry-makings1 junketings1 etc41 and was never more merry2 and ,i must say of the country people 7of ,devonshire1 at least7 that they are the most hospitable ,i could imagine4 ,i have seen all your processes of threshing1 winnowing1 cheese and butter-making1 and think ,i could now give you some instruction1 but all ,i have to say to you on these subjects shall be said verbally4 ,each year of his life at this period ,faraday found himself becoming busier than the previous one4 ,another five chemical lectures 7on the metals1 well known and little known7 were given before the ,city ,philosophical ,society during #ahah1 completing a course1 extending over three years1 of seventeen lectures on the chemical science1 no mean accomplishment for a young man from twenty-three to twenty-six years of age4 ,so much was his time now becoming occupied that we find a great falling-off in his letters this year1 a falling-off not only in number1 but also in length4 ,the correspondence with ,abbott1 commenced six years earlier1 practically comes to an end in #ahah2 there was not1 it is necessary to mention1 the slightest abatement in the warmth of affection of the two friends2 it was that1 to a great extent1 perhaps1 the correspondence had done its work1 and what is undoubtedly the more powerful reason1 our young scientist was beginning to find his time so well occupied with his favourite work that he could not devote enough of it to the writing of long letters4 ,abbott was yet1 and always1 sure of the heartiest hand-shake and the most unaffected welcome from one who to the end of his life was the staunchest of friends4 ,on ,july #ast1 #ahah1 ,faraday read a highly interesting paper before the members of the ,city ,philosophical ,society1 on ,observations on the ,inertia of the ,mind1 in which he drew1 in an able manner1 an analogy between a state of the mind and what in the physical world is known as the inertia of matter4 ,it may be of interest to note a few passages from this lecture to illustrate the thoughtfulness and thoroughness of ,faraday's work at this time1 and also to give an example of his early style as a lecturer4 ,unlike the animated world around him1 which remains in the same constant state1 man is continually varying1 and it is one of the noblest prerogatives of his nature1 that in the highest of earthly distinctions he has the power of raising and exalting himself continually4 ,the transition state of man has been held up to him as a memento of his weakness2 to man degraded it may be so with justice2 to man as he ought to be it is no reproach2 and in knowledge that man only is to be contemned and despised who is not in a state of transition4444 ,by advancement on the plain of life1 ,i mean advancement in those things which distinguish men from beasts--sentient advancement4 ,it is not he who has soared above his fellow-creatures in power1 it is not he who can command most readily the pampering couch or the costly luxury2 but it is he who has done most good to his fellows1 he who has directed them in the doubtful moment1 strengthened them in the weak moment1 aided them in the moment of necessity1 and enlightened them in their ignorance1 that leads the ranks of mankind4444 ,there is a power in natural philosophy1 of an influence universal1 and yet withal so obscure1 in its nature so unobtrusive1 that for many ages no idea of it existed4 ,it is called inertia4 ,it tends to retain every body in its present state1 and seems like the spirit of constancy impressed upon matter4 ,whatever is in motion is by it retained in motion1 and whatever is at rest remains at rest under its sway4 ,it opposes every new influence1 strengthens every old one4 ,is there nothing in the human mind which seems analogous to this power8444 ,inertia is an essential property of matter2 is it a never-failing attendant on the mind8 ,i hope it is2 for as it seems to be in full force whenever the mind is passive1 ,i trust it is also in power when she is actively engaged4 ,was the idle mind ever yet pleased to be placed in activity8 ,was the dolt ever willing to resign inanity for perception8 ,or are they not always found contented to remain as if they were satisfied with their situation8 ,they are like the shepherd ,magnus3 although on a barren rock1 their efforts to remove are irksome and unpleasant2 and they seem chained to the spot by a power over which they have no control1 of which they have no perception4 ,again3 in activity1 what intellectual being would resign his employment8 ,who would be content to forego the pleasures hourly crowding upon him8 ,each new thought1 perception1 or judgment is a sufficient reward in itself for his past labours1 and all the future is pure enjoyment4 ,there is a labour in thought1 but none who have once engaged in it would willingly resign it4 ,intermissions ,i speak not of2 'tis the general habit and tenor of the mind that concerns us1 and that which has once been made to taste the pleasures of its own voluntary exertions will not by a slight cause be made to forego them4 ,inertia1 as it regards matter1 is a term sufficiently well understood both in a state of rest and of motion4 ,as it is not my intention to attempt a description of functions of the mind according to strict mathematical terms1 ,i shall resign the exclusive use of the word at present1 and adopt two others1 which1 according to the sense they have acquired from usage1 will1 ,i believe1 supply its place with accuracy4 ,apathy will represent the inertia of a passive mind2 industry that of an active mind4 ,it is curious to consider how we qualify ideas essentially the same1 according to the words made use of to represent them4 ,i might talk of mental inertia for a long time without attaching either blame or praise to it--without the chance even of doing so2 but mention apathy and industry1 and the mind simultaneously censures the one and commends the other4 ,yet the things are the same1 both idleness and industry are habits1 and habits result from inertia4444 ,inertia has a sway as absolute in natural philosophy over moving bodies as over those at rest4 ,it therefore does not retard motion or change1 but is as frequently active in continuing that state as in opposing it4 ,now1 is this the case with mental inertia8 ,these passages from ,faraday's early lectures serve to show us not only how he was attaining the art of expressing himself clearly1 but how thoroughly he went into a subject on which he had once entered4 ,it is not possible to follow in detail the work on which ,faraday was engaged4 ,we have seen him learning assiduously1 and essaying to teach in the friendly circle of the ,philosophical ,society4 ,his work during the next few years continued on very similar lines to those which we have been regarding4 ,year by year1 about this time1 his scientific writing increased--his work was increasing1 his friends were increasing--he was beginning to be somebody1 though as yet but in a small world4 ,he had commenced a correspondence with ,professor ,g4 de la ,rive--the gentleman who at ,geneva had been so struck by him when he was acting as ,davy's travelling factotum--a correspondence which on the death of ,de la ,rive was continued with his son1 ,professor ,auguste de la ,rive4 ,in #ahba ,faraday married4 ,before1 however1 we treat of this important step in his life1 let us glance at the journal which he kept of a walking tour he took in ,wales during the summer of #ahai4 ,this journal gives us further evidence of the genuine enjoyment which he found in scenery and nature in her wilder and more impressive aspects2 it also gives further evidence of his simple yet direct way of describing things1 of that true descriptive power of which his ,continental journal was often a good illustration4 ,at five o'clock in the morning of ,july #ajth1 he mounted the top of the ,regulator coach at the ,white ,horse ,cellar1 ,piccadilly1 and at ten o'clock of the same evening was set down at ,bristol4 ,not at all a bad coach-ride for one day's journey4 ,he afterwards visited ,cardiff1 and went over the ,dowlais ,ironworks at ,merthyr2 thence he and his companion wandered about at their own sweet will1 unconfined by any artificial circumstances4 ,they walked in that manner which adds so great a charm to a walking tour1 never knowing one day whither they should bend their way on the next4 ,the following is a delightful bit descriptive of a visit to the ,fall of ,scwd-yv-hn-rhyd1 or ,glentaree1 formed by the descent of the ,river ,hn-rhyd4 ,monday1 #aith4--,proceeding onward into ,brecknockshire1 we suddenly heard the roar of water where we least expected it1 and came on the edge of a deep and woody dell4 ,entering among the trees1 we scrambled onwards after our guide1 tumbling and slipping1 and jumping1 and swinging down the steep sides of the dingle1 sometimes in the path of a running torrent1 sometimes in the projecting fragments of slate1 and sometimes where no path or way at all was visible4 ,the thorns opposed our passage1 the boughs dashed the drops in our faces1 and stones frequently slipped from beneath our feet into the chasm below1 in places where the view fell uninterrupted by the perpendicular sides of the precipices4 ,by the time we had reached the bottom of the dingle1 our boots were completely soaked1 and so slippery that no reliance could be placed on steps taken in them4 ,we managed1 however1 very well1 and were amply rewarded by the beauty of the fall which now came in view4 ,before us was a chasm enclosed by high perpendicular and water-worn rocks of slate1 from the sides of which sprang a luxuriant vegetation of trees1 bushes1 and plants4 ,in its bosom was a basin of water1 into which fell from above a stream divided into minute drops from the resistance of its deep fall4 ,here and there lay trunks of trees which had been brought down by the torrent--striking marks of its power--and the rugged bed of shingles and rocky masses further heightened the idea other objects were calculated to give of the force it possessed when swelled by rains4 ,we stepped across the river on a few tottering and slippery stones placed in its bed1 and passing beneath the overhanging masses ran round on projecting points1 until between the sheet of water and the rock over which it descended2 and there we remained some time admiring the scene4 ,before us was the path of the torrent1 after the fine leap which it made in this place2 but the abundance of wood hid it ere it had proceeded many yards from the place where it fell4 ,no path was discernible from hence1 and we seemed to be enclosed on a spot from whence there was no exit1 and where no cry for help could be heard because of the torrent-roar4 ,yet another passage should be quoted from this journal2 a passage descriptive of an ascent of ,cader ,idris during a thunder-storm4 ,a thunder-storm was1 all his life long1 one of the most moving things to ,faraday4 ,it seemed always to quicken him into new life4 ,illustration3 ,,cader ,,idris4 ,sunday1 ,july #bfth4--,ascent of ,cader ,idris4 ,the thunder had gradually become more and more powerful1 and now rain descended4 ,the storm had commenced at the western extremity of the valley1 and rising up ,cader ,idris traversed it in its length1 and then passing over rapidly to the south-east1 deluged the hills with rain4 ,the waters descended in torrents from the very tops of the highest hills in places where they had never yet been observed1 and a river which ran behind the house into the lake below rose momentarily1 overflowing its banks1 and extended many yards over the meadows4 ,the storm then took another direction1 passing over our heads to the spot in the west at which it had commenced1 and having been very violent in its course1 seemed there to be exhausted and to die away4 ,the scene altogether was a very magnificent one--the lightning's vivid flash illuminated those parts which had been darkened by its humid habitation1 and the thunder's roar seemed the agonies of the expiring clouds as they dissolved into rain2 whilst the mountains in echoes mocked the sounds1 and laughed at the fruitless efforts of the elements against them4 ,the journeying was continued on to ,dolgelly and ,llangollen2 and then back again to ,london1 and to work on in his old indefatigable manner4 ,sir ,humphry ,davy was in ,italy in #ahah-ai1 investigating the questions with regard to the unrolling of papyri recovered from the ruins of ,herculaneum4 ,in ,february1 #ahai1 he wrote to ,faraday saying1 ,i have sent a report on the state of the ,,mss4 to our ,government1 with a plan for the undertaking of unrolling2 one part of the plan is to employ a chemist for the purpose at ,naples2 should they consent1 ,i hope ,i shall have to make a proposition to you on the subject4 ,at the end of the same year ,davy again wrote to his protg in a similar strain1 but nothing ever came of it4 ,and delighted as ,faraday would doubtless have been to re-visit ,italy1 he probably would not have undertaken the few months' work at ,naples if it had meant1 as it would doubtless have done1 his severing his connection with the ,royal ,institution4 ,a much more important step was about to be taken by ,faraday4 ,he had a friend1 also a member and elder of the ,sandemanian ,church1 by name ,barnard4 ,mr4 ,barnard was a silversmith who lived in ,paternoster ,row1 and thither ,faraday often went1 attracted by the charms of ,mr4 ,barnard's third daughter1 ,sarah4 ,faraday was at this time twenty-nine years of age1 the lady who was to exercise so great an influence over his life was but twenty1 and what is more she did not favour his advances4 ,at last1 in ,july1 #ahbj1 he wrote to her1 and in a letter characterised by the depth no less than the warmth of his affection1 begged at any rate to be heard4 ,such letters1 intended for the eyes of but one person1 are1 as a rule1 and it is well they should be1 too sacred to be freely reproduced for all the world to read4 ,the letters have1 however1 before been printed1 and it may assist us in forming a correct picture of ,michael ,faraday--of the earnest1 affectionate nature which was his--to re-peruse a passage such as this3-- ,again and again ,i attempt to say what ,i feel1 but ,i cannot4 ,let me1 however1 claim not to be that selfish being that wishes to bend your affections for his own sake only4 ,in whatever way ,i can best minister to your happiness1 either by assiduity or by absence1 it shall be done4 ,do not injure me by withdrawing your friendship1 or punish me for aiming to be more than a friend by making me less2 and if you cannot grant me more1 leave me what ,i possess1 but hear me4 ,miss ,barnard showed the letter from which this passage is quoted to her father1 whose reply was merely to the effect that love made philosophers into fools4 ,doubtful of her own decision on so momentous a question as this1 involving the life-long happiness of two persons1 ,miss ,barnard postponed making an immediate decision by accompanying a married sister to ,ramsgate4 ,faraday made up his mind to run all risks of a kind reception at ,ramsgate4 ,he went there1 and after a week of delightful holiday-making1 returned to ,london on ,august the #gth1 having won the consent of her for whom he had evinced so strong a passion4 ,within twelve months 7on ,june #abth1 #ahba71 ,michael ,faraday and ,sarah ,barnard were married1 and took up their residence in the ,royal ,institution4 ,the union proved a perfect one1 and a wedded life of nearly half-a-century's duration and of unclouded love was the result4 ,from this time forward the kindliness1 the affection1 the love of home and of those persons forming home1 which had been earlier so marked in ,faraday's letters to his mother1 become even yet more marked in the letters written to his wife any time between his marriage and his death4 ,some of these we shall note as we come to treat of the period in which they were written4 ,illustration3 ,from a drawing by ,,mrs4 ,,michael ,,faraday4 ,alexander ,blaikley4 ,the year #ahbj was an important one to ,faraday for other though less significant reasons3 in it his first paper was read before the ,royal ,society1 and he was also engaged with a ,mr4 ,stodart1 surgical instrument maker1 in experimenting on alloys of steel with a view to improving its quality4 ,for many years after1 we are told1 ,faraday used to present his friends with razors made of a particular alloy discovered at this time4 ,the paper embodying the results of these experiments in alloys was duly published in the ,quarterly ,journal of ,science4 ,a description of our hero 7for hero he was--one of our true heroes of peace71 written by a friend about the time of his marriage1 is interesting as assisting us to realise what manner of man he really was in the flesh4 ,a young-looking man of about thirty years of age1 well made1 and neat in his dress1 his cheerfulness of disposition often breaking out in a short crisp laugh1 but thoughtful enough when something important is to be done4 ,we find ,faraday now a young man of thirty1 happily married1 with a large circle of friends who are finding in him something of that genius which year by year henceforward was to manifest itself2 we find him not only gaining the goodwill of these friends for his talents1 but gaining their affectionate regard by his unselfishness and unremitting good nature4 ,after their marriage in ,june1 #ahba1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,faraday took up their residence in the ,institution1 where they continued to live for close upon forty years4 ,although fortune seemed thus to be smiling upon ,michael ,faraday it must not be supposed that his position at the ,royal ,institution was a highly remunerative one1 his position was yet nominally that of laboratory assistant1 and the return which he received for his services was a salary of one hundred pounds per annum1 a suite of rooms1 and coal and gas4 ,one month after his marriage ,faraday made his confession of sin and profession of faith before the ,sandemanian ,church4 ,it is characteristic of his whole attitude towards religion1 and the great and serious regard which it demands from every individual1 that when his wife asked him why he had not told her what he was about to do1 he simply yet earnestly answered1 ,that is between me and my ,god4 ,truth in all things was what he aimed at1 and his whole life may be said to be a seeking after truth in the various branches of knowledge2 to half know a thing was never sufficient for him1 he could not rest there2 he must test its truth1 and either cast it away1 having proved it worthless1 or accept it with delight1 having proved its truth4 ,this is evidenced in all his life-work1 in his social intercourse no less than in his scientific work1 in his letters and journals no less than in his lectures and published papers4 ,a circumstantial account has appeared in some of the newspapers of ,faraday's secession from the ,sandemanian ,church1 and his penitent return to it4 ,not having seen any reference to such a secession in the biographies of ,faraday ,i wrote to ,miss ,barnard1 who in the following note1 most emphatically denies the truth of the story3--,faraday never seceded from the ,church of which he became a member early in life 7#ahba74 ,it is true that for a few weeks in #ahdd there was a cessation of his communion with this ,church1 but the reasons for this were absolutely private1 and had nothing to do with any conflict in his mind between his faith in the ,scriptures and his scientific work4 ,the statement is altogether without foundation1 and neither the scene described nor anything like it ever took place4 #aj ,aug41 #ahia4 ,,jane ,,barnard4 ,illustration ,,chapter ,v4 ,,science ,,which ,i ,,loved4 ,if ,i would strive to bring back times1 and try ,the world's pure gold1 and wise simplicity2 ,if ,i would virtue set as she was young1 ,and hear her speak with one1 and her first tongue2 ,if holiest friendship naked to the touch1 ,i would restore and keep it ever such2 ,i need no other arts but study thee1 ,who prov'st all these were1 and again may be4 ,,ben ,,jonson4 ,the year of ,faraday's marriage which1 as we have seen in the previous chapter1 was also important to him in other ways1 was marked by one unpleasant incident which was talked about for some time afterward2 but although ,faraday was then spoken of in no measured terms1 it has been conclusively shown that far from any blame being attached to him1 the facts of the case are much to his credit4 ,to put the matter shortly it was this4 ,dr4 ,wollaston had an idea as to the possibility of electro-magnetic rotation2 he expected1 in other words1 to be able to demonstrate that the wire in the voltaic circuit would revolve on its own axis4 ,he was at the ,institution one day in the early part of #ahba1 and was making an experiment in the laboratory with ,sir ,humphry ,davy4 ,faraday1 who was not present during the experiment1 came in in time to hear the conversation that followed4 ,he afterwards made various experiments on this subject1 and was invited by the editor of the ,annals of ,philosophy to contribute an historical sketch of electro-magnetism4 ,this sketch appeared in the ,annals of the same year2 ,faraday repeating nearly all of the experiments to which he referred4 ,these experiments of ,faraday's led him to the discovery1 early in ,september1 of the rotation of a wire in voltaic current round a magnet1 and of a magnet round the wire4 ,he could not make the wire and the magnet revolve on their own axis4 ,there was not the slightest indication that such was the case4 ,before he published the paper descriptive of these new electro-magnetical motions1 ,faraday essayed to see ,dr4 ,wollaston that he might get permission to refer to ,wollaston's experiments4 ,the doctor was out of town1 and the paper was published by an error of judgment without any reference to his opinions and intentions4 ,directly afterwards ,faraday was extremely distressed at hearing rumours which affected his honour and his honesty4 ,he wrote at once1 not only to ,stodart1 but directly to ,dr4 ,wollaston1 whom he met1 and after mutual explanation the matter dropped4 ,faraday1 however1 continued his electro-magnetic experiments4 ,it is one of these that is referred to by his brother-in-law1 who was with him one ,christmas ,day when3 ,all at once he exclaimed1 ',do you see1 do you see1 do you see1 ,george8' as the small wire began to revolve4 ,i shall never forget the enthusiasm expressed in his face1 and the sparkling in his eyes4 ,in the summer of #ahbb ,faraday was at ,swansea for a fortnight with ,phillips1 the editor of the ,philosophical ,magazine4 ,before starting1 however1 he took his wife and her mother down to ,ramsgate1 whither he addressed to his wife three letters1 in which are evident the deep feelings which were his in regard to their relations4 ,the first letter was written on his arrival in town after leaving ,ramsgate4 ,after detailing what he has done1 he breaks off1 ,and now1 my dear girl1 ,i must set business aside4 ,i am tired of the dull detail of things1 and want to talk of love to you2 and surely there can be no circumstance under which ,i can have more right4 ,the theme was a cheerful and delightful one before we were married1 but it is doubly so now4444 ,oh1 my dear ,sarah1 poets may strive to describe and artists to delineate the happiness which is felt by two hearts truly and mutually loving each other2 but it is beyond their efforts1 and beyond the thoughts and conceptions of anyone who has not felt it4 ,i have felt it and do feel it1 but neither ,i nor any other man can describe it2 nor is it necessary4 ,we are happy1 and our ,god has blessed us with a thousand causes why we should be so4 ,adieu for to-night4 ,the letters from ,swansea give an account of his journey1 and of his host's house1 of work at the copper furnaces1 and other places2 of the many people there are at ,mr4 ,vivian's 7with whom he was staying71 and of the late and long dinner1 which he made up his mind to avoid if possible4 ,he stayed out walking one evening1 got back after dinner had commenced1 and so stole up to his own room that he might write a long letter to his wife1 in reply to one which he had received from her4 ,i could almost rejoice at my absence from you1 he wrote1 if it were only that it has produced such an earnest and warm mark of affection from you as that letter4 ,tears of joy and delight fell from my eyes on its perusal4 ,early in the following year ,faraday was experimenting on chlorine1 a subject that had attracted a great deal of ,davy's attention4 ,at ,davy's suggestion he enclosed some of the gas in an hermetically sealed glass tube1 that he might work with it under pressure1 and see what would happen by heat4 ,what happened was that on several occasions the tube exploded1 twice doing injury to ,faraday's eyes4 ,on one of the occasions when ,faraday was at work1 ,dr4 ,paris happened to enter the laboratory1 and seeing an oily liquid in the tube rallied him on his carelessness in using dirty vessels4 ,when1 afterwards1 the end of the tube was filed off1 there was an explosion1 and the oily matter disappeared4 ,early on the following day ,dr4 ,paris received this note3-- ,dear ,sir1--,the oil you noticed yesterday turns out to be liquid chlorine4 ,yours faithfully1 ,m4 ,,faraday4 ,he had in fact succeeded in converting chlorine gas into a liquid by means of its own pressure4 ,this was an important discovery which led to numerous experiments with other gases1 and with like results4 ,on ,may #ast1 #ahbc1 ,faraday's certificate as a candidate for fellowship in the ,royal ,society was read for the first time4 ,such a distinction was no doubt a coveted one in ,faraday's eyes1 and it must have been extremely painful to him when he found that ,sir ,humphry ,davy was opposed to his election4 ,it is interesting to observe1 however1 that the very first signature on his certificate is that of ,dr4 ,wollaston4 ,such being the case it seems impossible that the old charge against ,faraday in regard to electro-magnetic rotation could have been revived1 and yet so it was4 ,wollaston himself had expressed perfect satisfaction1 and the matter seemed definitely settled4 ,much as this revival of an untrue charge must have distressed a man of ,faraday's uncompromising integrity1 to find ,davy1 of all men1 opposing him must have been yet more distressing4 ,that ,davy's opposition was active may be surmised from the following1 which is told by ,faraday himself3 ,sir ,h4 ,davy told me ,i must take down my certificate4 ,i replied that ,i had not put it up2 that ,i could not take it down1 as it was put up by my proposers4 ,he then said ,i must get my proposers to take it down4 ,i answered that ,i knew they would not do so4 ,then he said1 ,i1 as ,president1 will take it down4 ,i replied that ,i was sure ,sir ,h4 ,davy would do what he thought was for the good of the ,royal ,society4 ,this attitude of ,davy's naturally pained ,faraday exceedingly2 many years afterwards some allusion by a friend to his early life led up to a mention of it2 ,faraday rose abruptly from his seat1 and took a rapid walk up and down the room1 saying1 ,talk of something else1 and never let me speak of this again4 ,i wish to remember nothing but ,davy's kindness4 ,there were tears in his eyes as he spoke1 showing how deeply the man was moved4 ,faraday also said that ,davy had walked for an hour about the courtyard of ,somerset ,house1 arguing with one of his proposers that ,faraday should not be elected4 ,we know none of the reasons for ,davy's opposition1 and his attitude in this affair must ever remain a cloud on his fair fame2 that he1 a self-made man1 who had risen to the first position among modern chemists1 should oppose at this stage of his career a man somewhat similarly circumstanced1 who was also moving upwards step by step to one of the highest positions among modern philosophers1 as he loved always to be called1 is indeed as strange as it is regrettable4 ,the fact1 sad as it is1 has to be noted2 but we will not dwell upon it2 more gratifying is it to learn how1 when the ballot was taken1 ,michael ,faraday was almost unanimously elected a ,fellow of the ,royal ,society1 there being but one black ball4 ,this1 in after years1 he proudly mentioned1 was the only one among his innumerable honours that he had sought for4 ,scarce a year passed afterwards but some fresh distinction was conferred upon him4 ,early in #ahbd ,john ,wilson ,croker1 with ,sir ,thomas ,lawrence1 ,sir ,f4 ,chantrey1 and ,sir ,h4 ,davy founded the ,athenum ,club1 which still flourishes4 ,for a short while ,faraday acted as honorary secretary to the ,club2 but his more congenial scientific labours could not be neglected1 and he soon retired from the secretaryship1 in which he was succeeded by his friend ,magrath1 who continued to hold the post for many years4 ,faraday's notes and papers contributed to the scientific journals and other periodicals were frequent1 but it would profit little here to detail them4 ,one discovery he made about this time is well worthy of mention as it has had an important effect on a particular industry--the discovery was that of benzol1 benzine1 or as ,faraday named it1 bicarburet of hydrogen4 ,this is prepared now in large quantities1 being employed in the manufacture of aniline colours4 ,we have it on the authority of ,sir ,roderick ,murchison that ,faraday's first lecture at the ,royal ,institution was delivered in the following circumstances4 ,brande1 who had succeeded ,sir ,humphry ,davy as the ,professor of ,chemistry1 was delivering a course of lectures2 one day the lecturer1 owing to illness or some other cause1 was absent1 but his assistant 7,faraday7 took his place1 and lectured with so much ease that he won the complete approval of his audience4 ,in this connection too1 it is interesting to note that it was towards the close of this same year that ,faraday began his experiments in magnetic electricity1 the particular branch of research which was to occupy a great part of his later life1 and in which he was destined to make some of his most brilliant discoveries4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,laboratory1 ,,royal ,,institution4 ,it is pleasing to find that whatever may have been ,davy's object in opposing ,faraday's election into the ,royal ,society1 he did not bear him any continued ill-will2 this is shown us not only by ,davy's expressions of goodwill in his letters1 but by such things as an entry in the minutes of a meeting of the managers of the ,royal ,institution in ,february1 #ahbe4 ,from this entry we learn that ,sir ,humphry ,davy1 having stated that he considered the talents and services of ,mr4 ,faraday1 assistant in the laboratory1 entitled to some mark of approbation from the managers1 and these sentiments having met the cordial concurrence of the board2 ,resolved3--,that ,mr4 ,faraday be appointed ,director of the ,laboratory1 under the superintendence of the ,professor of ,chemistry4 ,it was after receiving this appointment that ,faraday occasionally invited members of the ,institution to evening meetings in the laboratory1 when he generally had something new and interesting to show them4 ,in these meetings in the laboratory was the origin of those regular ,friday evening meetings in the theatre1 which commenced in #ahbf1 which have had for many years a world-wide reputation1 and which have drawn together1 week after week and year after year1 large numbers of persons interested in science and in its popular exposition4 ,in #ahbf1 the year in which the first regular ,friday evening meetings took place1 seventeen lectures were delivered1 six of them being given by ,faraday himself1 on such a variety of subjects as ,caoutchouc1 ,lithography1 ,brunel's ,tunnel at ,rotherhithe1 etc4 ,his aim in inaugurating these ,friday evenings may be gathered from the scanty notes which he made for introducing one of the earliest of the lectures3--,evening opportunities--interesting1 amusing2 instructive also3--scientific research--abstract reasoning1 but in a popular way--dignity2--facilitate our object of attracting the world1 and making ourselves with science attractive to it4 ,these notes1 slight as they are1 give us an idea of what ,faraday's objects were1 and are at the same time interesting1 as they may fairly be said to represent the aim of a large part of his lecturing work throughout his career1 the aim that is1 which always seemed to be his1 to make the subject of which he was speaking amusing1 interesting1 and instructive4 ,no other man had ever succeeded in attracting the world to science by making the science attractive to them4 ,high as is ,faraday's position as a scientist and philosopher1 he is also to be remembered with much gratitude as1 in point of time as well as of ability1 the first of all true popularisers of science4 ,this may not at first sound a very high title to bestow1 but yet it is far from an insignificant one1 and one that must indeed have gratified ,faraday2 much as he was pleased with the acknowledgment of himself as one of their peers by such men as ,davy1 ,de la ,rive1 and other scientists1 the knowledge that he was interpreting the wonders of ,nature to a vast number of persons hitherto ignorant1 or in a measure ignorant1 of her marvellous ways1 was yet more pleasing to him4 ,we can fully understand his echoing the sentiment which the late ,james ,russell ,lowell1 speaking of the poet1 expresses in the following beautiful verses3-- ,it may be glorious to write ,thoughts that shall glad the two or three ,high souls1 like those far stars that come in sight ,once in a century2-- ,but better far it is to speak ,one simple word1 which now and then ,shall waken their free nature in the weak ,and friendless sons of men2 ,to write some earnest verse or line1 ,which1 seeking not the praise of art1 ,shall make a clearer faith and manhood shine ,in the untutored heart4 ,he who doth this in verse or prose1 ,may be forgotten in his day1 ,but surely shall be crowned at last with those ,who live and speak for aye4 ,in #ahbg ,faraday's first book--,on ,chemical ,manipulation--was produced4 ,faraday had published a short while before an account of some discovery he had made with respect to the existence of fluid sulphurs2 in this year he writes3--,i have just learned that ,signor ,bellani had observed the same fact in #ahac4 ,m4 ,bellani complains of the manner in which facts and theories which have been published by him are afterwards given by others as new discoveries2 and though ,i find myself classed with ,gay-,lussac1 ,sir ,h4 ,davy1 ,daniell and ,bostock1 in having thus erred1 ,i shall not rest satisfied without making restitution1 for ,m4 ,bellani in this instance certainly deserves it at my hand4 ,this is worthy of note as a slight illustration of the true integrity of ,faraday's character2 much as he valued any original discovery he might make1 he valued much more that absolute truth which made him render honour to any predecessor even at his own expense2 this was done1 too1 always as a matter of course1 without the slightest spirit of grudging4 ,his behaviour on such occasions1 which are indeed too trying to most persons1 had perhaps a great deal to do with the feeling which he awakened in all who came in contact with him4 ,never1 perhaps1 was there a more unselfish1 as there was never a more universally beloved1 man4 ,his friendship1 as ,professor ,tyndall says1 was energy and inspiration4 ,faraday was appointed member of a committee for the improvement of glass for optical purposes2 one of the results of his investigation was that when delivering1 in #ahbi1 the ,bakerian lecture at the ,royal ,institution1 he took for his subject1 ,the ,manufacture of ,glass for ,optical ,purposes4 ,for further investigation of this subject a special experimenting room and furnace had been built at the ,institution in #ahbg1 and a special assistant--,sergeant ,anderson--engaged to assist ,faraday4 ,one chief object of these experiments was to improve the glasses of telescopes4 ,this desired result was1 however1 not attained1 although some notable work was done2 the glass then manufactured1 for instance1 became invaluable in some of ,faraday's later researches4 ,in #ahcj the glass-making investigation stopped1 and in the year following the committee presented their report to the ,royal ,society which had appointed them4 ,the recognition of ,faraday's importance in the world of science was now made more manifest each year2 not only were honours done him by various ,english and ,continental societies1 but in #ahbf the managers of the ,royal ,institution relieved him from his duty as chemical assistant at the lectures because of his occupation in research4 ,in #ahbi he was invited to attend the meetings of the managers4 ,in #ahbg he had been offered the ,professorship of ,chemistry in ,london ,university1 but much as he felt the honour which was done him1 ,faraday declined it1 and from the noblest of motives1 as will be seen in this passage from his letter to ,dr4 ,lardner on the subject4 ,i think it a matter of duty and gratitude on my part to do what ,i can for the good of the ,royal ,institution in the present attempt to establish it firmly4 ,the ,institution has been a source of knowledge and pleasure to me for the last fourteen years2 and though it does not pay me in salary for what ,i now strive to do for it1 yet ,i possess the kind feelings and goodwill of its authorities and members1 and all the privileges it can grant or ,i require2 and1 moreover1 ,i remember the protection it has afforded me during the past years of my scientific life4 ,in #ahbi he was offered1 and accepted1 as it did not interfere with his ,royal ,institution work1 a post as lecturer in chemistry at the ,royal ,academy1 ,woolwich4 ,in the same year died ,sir ,humphry ,davy--the great chemist to whom ,faraday owed so much1 and to whom1 as we have shown1 he remained deeply attached to the last4 ,davy had fought his way up as ,faraday had done1 but1 unlike ,faraday1 had been in a measure spoiled by his success2 he had very little self-control1 and but little method and order1 and was1 perhaps1 too anxious about his fame1--about how he would stand in the eyes of men4 ,with ,faraday it was far different--he aimed at truth in his knowledge1 and cared but little for what the world might consider as success4 ,he was known to say1 referring to his experiments under ,davy1 that the greatest of all his great advantages was that he had a model to teach him what to avoid4 ,faraday and ,davy were1 nevertheless1 friends to the last1 and the death of the latter at the comparatively early age of fifty-two must have been a great blow to the younger man4 ,the year #ahca is an important one in the life of ,michael ,faraday1 for it was then that he commenced his brilliant series of experiments in electro-magnetism4 ,it is on his electrical research that his chief claim to be remembered as a scientist rests4 ,he had earlier experimented in the same connection1 but hitherto without attaining the results which he had anticipated4 ,but from this time forward he devoted much energy to this branch of research1 with such success that if we pick up any of the most recent works on electrical science we inevitably find an important position given in it to the name and discoveries of ,michael ,faraday4 ,this is not the place to enter into a description of these experiments1 though reference to them will of course be made later on in this biography in the chapter devoted to a consideration of ,faraday's discoveries4 ,in the year #ahcc ,faraday was appointed ,fullerian ,professor of ,chemistry in the ,royal ,institution for life1 without the obligation of having to deliver lectures in connection with the professorship4 ,in the year #ahcd a boy living in a distant part of ,england wrote to ,professor ,faraday1 saying that he was desirous of taking up a scientific career4 ,doubtless remembering his own beginning1 ,faraday sent by return of post a kind and courteous reply1 which that boy1 grown to man's estate1 and known as ,doctor ,j4 ,scoffern1 gratefully referred to in a graceful tribute which he wrote after ,faraday's death4 ,it was during this early part of ,faraday's success that he once gave evidence in a judicial case1 when the scientific testimony was so diverse that the judge1 in summing up1 levelled something very like a reproach at the scientific witnesses1 saying1 ,science has not shone this day4 ,faraday would never again appear as a witness in a court of law4 ,this is1 perhaps1 the most fitting place in which we can refer to some slight account of ,faraday's home-life in the ,institution1 which is given by his brother-in-law ,george 7,mrs4 ,faraday's youngest brother7 and ,miss ,reid 7her niece74 ,george ,barnard was much with the ,faradays in these earlier times4 ,all the years ,i was with ,harding ,i dined at the ,royal ,institution1 he says4 ,after dinner we nearly always had our games just like boys--sometimes at ball1 or with horse-chestnuts instead of marbles--,faraday appearing to enjoy them as much as ,i did1 and generally excelling us all4 ,sometimes we rode round the theatre on a velocipede1 which was then a new thing4 ,it is said that sometimes of an early summer morning the philosopher was to be seen going up ,hampstead ,hill on this velocipede4 ,barnard tells1 too1 of ,faraday's unflagging good spirits and his faculty for entering with keen enjoyment into any fun that was going forward--pic-nics up the river1 with rustic cookery1 charades1 or anything else the party seemed bent upon1 ,faraday would join in with delight2 how he used to attend ,hullmandel's conversaziones1 where he met many of the leading singers and artists of the day--,garcia and ,malibran1 ,sir ,edwin ,landseer1 ,clarkson ,stanfield1 ,j4 ,m4 ,w4 ,turner1 and indeed most of the members of the ,royal ,academy4 ,the last-named artist often applied to ,faraday for chemical information about his pigments2 upon ,turner1 and all artists who made similar requests1 ,faraday would always impress the importance there was in their prosecuting experiments with regard to their colours themselves1 giving them a hint to put some of their colour and colour-washes in a bright sunlight1 covering up one half and leaving the other exposed1 and then observing the effect of light and gases on the latter4 ,mr4 ,barnard says that during their various country trips ,faraday was in the habit of just rambling about geologising or botanising4 ,mrs4 ,faraday's niece1 ,miss ,reid1 was peculiarly well fitted to give reminiscences of her uncle1 as she was for nearly twenty years 7from #ahbf7 one of the family at the ,royal ,institution4 ,when she first went there ,miss ,reid was only a little child2 and when her aunt was going out she was taken down to ,faraday's laboratory1 where1 as she afterwards wrote1 ,i had1 of course1 to sit as still as a mouse1 with my needlework2 but my uncle would often stop and give me a kind word or a nod1 or sometimes throw a bit of potassium into water to amuse me4 ,in all my childish troubles1 ,miss ,reid continues1 he was my never-failing comforter1 and seldom too busy1 if ,i stole into his room1 to spare me a few minutes2 and when perhaps ,i was naughty and rebellious1 how gently and kindly he would win me round1 telling me what he used to feel himself when he was young1 advising me to submit to the reproof ,i was fighting against4 ,i remember his saying that he found it a good and useful rule to listen to all corrections quietly1 even if he did not see reason to agree with them4 ,if ,i had a difficult lesson1 a word or two from him would clear away all my trouble2 and many a long wearisome sum in arithmetic became quite a delight when he undertook to explain it4 ,the same lady gives some admirable notes of a holiday the small family party spent at ,walmer1 in ,kent4 ,how they drove down on the outside of the coach1 and how full of fun ,faraday was1 when they reached ,shooter's ,hill1 over ,falstaff and the men in buckram2 not a sight nor a sound of interest escaped his quick eye and ear4 ,at ,walmer we had a cottage in a field1 and my uncle was delighted because a window looked directly into a blackbird's nest built in a cherry tree4 ,he would go many times in a day to watch the parent birds feeding their young4 ,sunrise and sunset were never-failing sources of delighted admiration to him2 at such times he was the best of companions1 and it has been described as a great treat to watch the glorious sight with him4 ,he carried ,galpin's ,botany in his pocket1 and used to make me examine any flower new to me as we rested in the fields4 ,the first we got at ,walmer was the ,echium vulgare1 and is always associated in my mind with his lesson4 ,for when we met with it a second time he asked1 ',what is the name of that flower8' ',viper's bugloss1' said ,i4 ',no1 no1 ,i must have the ,latin name1' said he4 ,on one occasion he called his wife and niece into his room to see a spectre4 ,it was about ten o'clock in the evening1 a thick white mist had risen4 ,he then placed a candle behind them as they stood by the window1 and they saw two gigantic shadowy beings projected on the mist and imitating1 of course1 every movement they made4 ,faraday had gone to ,walmer for rest and refreshment1 and his niece says that she1 the young one of the party1 had to inveigle him away from his books and papers to which he would return1 and tempt him out on some excursion to see or find something1 on which occasion he was nothing loth4 ,we see1 indeed1 at all times of his life how keen was the delight he took in the company of young people2 how beautifully he could enter into the spirit which animated their play1 as though he was still a child himself1 and this valuable faculty was his up to the latest4 ,of the ,walmer excursion his niece further says3--,one day he went far out among the rocks1 and brought home a great many wonderful things to show me2 for in those days ,i had never seen nor heard of hermit crabs and sea anemones4 ,my uncle seemed to watch them with as much delight as ,i did2 and how heartily he would laugh at some of the movements of the crabs6 ,we went one night to look for glow-worms4 ,we searched every bank and likely place near1 but not one did we see4 ,on coming home to our cottage he espied a tiny speck of light on one of the doorposts4 ,it came from a small centipede2 but though it was put carefully under a glass1 it never showed its light again4 ,my uncle read aloud delightfully4 ,sometimes he gave us one of ,shakespeare's plays or ,scott's novels4 ,but of all things ,i used to like to hear him read ,childe ,harold2 and never shall ,i forget the way in which he read the description of the storm on ,lake ,leman4 ,he took great pleasure in ,byron1 and ,coleridge's ',hymn to ,mont ,blanc' delighted him4 ,when anything touched his feelings as he read--and it happened not infrequently--he would show it not only by tears in his voice1 but by tears in his eyes also4 ,nothing vexed him more than any kind of subterfuge or prevarication1 or glossing over things4 ,his niece mentioned on one occasion a professor who had been discovered abstracting some manuscript from a library4 ,he instantly said1 ,what do you mean by abstracting8 ,you should say stealing2 use the right word1 my dear4 ,indecision of any kind ,faraday could not bear2 not only should one decide1 but quickly4 ,indeed he thought that in trifling matters immediate decision was important2 it was better to decide incorrectly than to remain hesitating4 ,as soon as he left his study and laboratory ,faraday had the happy faculty of being able to throw aside his science1 and would1 on going into the sitting-room1 enter into all the nonsense that was going on as heartily as any one2 and as we sat round the fire he would often play some childish game1 at which he was usually the best performer2 or he would take part in a charade1 and ,i well recollect his being dressed up to act the villain1 and very fierce he looked4 ,another time ,i recollect him as the learned pig4 ,illustration3 ,,faraday',s ,,study4 ,as we learn such things as these about him we cease to wonder that ,faraday was the object of so much admiration and love from all persons1 old and young1 with whom he came in contact4 ,his wonderful work as a scientist will1 it is to be hoped1 never be remembered as his only claim on our regard2 for as one of the best and kindest and most helpful of men1 whose singular modesty and gentleness of character endeared him to all1 he certainly deserves to be kept ever in our recollection4 ,we must not1 as a friend wrote of him1 allow the name of ,faraday to be nothing but a peg on which to hang discoveries2 but must also recollect that his time1 thoughts1 purse1 everything was freely given to those who had need of them4 ,illustration ,illustration ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,as ,,teacher ,,and ,,preacher4 ',tis the man who with a man ,is an equal1 be he king1 ,or poorest of the beggar clan1 ,or any other wondrous thing ,a man may be4 ,,keats4 ,by the commencement of the year #ahce we find ,michael ,faraday1 not yet forty-four years of age1 generally acknowledged as one of their peers by the leading men of science1 not only in ,england but also on the ,continent4 ,we find him elected member of many of the most important scientific and philosophical societies of this and other countries2 we find him honoured by the ,university of ,oxford with the degree of ,d4,c4,l42 and1 as we shall shortly see1 we find the ,government proposing to confer a pension on him in consideration of the services which he has already rendered to science4 ,truly a wonderful change to be wrought in the life of a man who thirty years before was carrying round newspapers as a common errand boy4 ,it is1 however1 always gratifying to note1 and especially pleasing to remember1 that however successful he might be1 ,faraday was never spoiled by the honours that were done him2 he was always the same kindly1 helpful1 simple man that he had been4 ,those persons who had the great good fortune to visit him at the ,royal ,institution1 either at the time of which we are treating or during his later life1 never failed to find a cordial welcome2 a friendly chat in those quiet rooms was one of the greatest pleasures it was possible to enjoy4 ,the frugal simplicity of the furniture was characteristic of ,faraday4 ,the ,faradays lived quietly to themselves at the ,institution1 though they often1 after the ,friday evening lectures1 went round to ,berkley ,street to tea to ,mr4 ,richard ,barlow's house1 that gentleman and his wife always being at home to their friends after the ,friday evenings4 ,on such occasions as these gatherings1 ,faraday1 we learn1 used to be the centre of much interest and delight2 for he had1 as may be gathered from what has already been said of his character1 that happy disposition which placed him at once in sympathy with any person with whom he might be speaking2 especially was this rare sympathy his with regard to children1 with whom he seemed at once able to place himself on an equal footing2 and this it was that made his lectures to young people not only so interesting but so widely popular as they were4 ,this subject1 however1 deserves fuller consideration1 and will be found treated in a later chapter4 ,had he chosen to do so at this period of his career1 ,faraday might have been in receipt of a pretty considerable income4 ,in #ahcj1 indeed1 he had undertaken several commercial analyses1 and his income from this source alone came to as much as a thousand pounds4 ,such work interfered with his research1 and was therefore unhesitatingly given up1 and two years afterwards his professional gains amounted to but little more than a hundred and fifty pounds for the year1 and in after years they did not reach even that sum4 ,early in #ahce ,faraday received an intimation from ,sir ,james ,south that had ,sir ,robert ,peel remained in office he had intended conferring a pension upon him4 ,faraday wrote in reply1 saying that he could not accept a pension4 ,the matter after this remained in abeyance for a while4 ,during the summer ,faraday spent a short holiday in ,switzerland1 whence he wrote to his old friend ,magrath3 ,the weather has been most delightful1 and everything in our favour1 so that the scenery has been in the most beautiful condition4 ,mont ,blanc1 above all1 is wonderful1 and ,i could not but feel at it what ,i have often felt before1 that painting is very far beneath poetry in cases of high expression2 of which this is one4 ,no artist should try to paint ,mont ,blanc2 it is utterly out of his reach4 ,he cannot convey an idea of it1 and a formal mass or a commonplace model conveys more intelligence1 even with respect to the sublimity of the mountain1 than his highest efforts can do4 ,in fact1 he must be able to dip his brush in light and darkness before he can paint ,mont ,blanc4 ,yet the moment one sees it ,lord ,byron's expressions come to mind1 as they seem to apply4 ,the poetry and the subject dignify each other4 ,in the autumn of the same year1 shortly after his return from the ,continent1 the subject of a pension for ,faraday was re-opened4 ,the independence and openness of his character came out in a remarkable manner in this matter4 ,he was asked to wait upon ,lord ,melbourne1 the ,prime ,minister1 at the ,treasury1 which he did on ,october #bfth4 ,however he may have spoken of ,faraday personally1 ,lord ,melbourne spoke of literary and scientific men with but scant courtesy1 and in effect seemed to consider the awarding them pensions as a piece of ,state humbug4 ,we have seen how ,faraday resented a slur cast upon science in a court of law1 and he was no less indignant on this occasion2 he returned home and wrote a letter1 the tone of which though dignified was very decided4 ,this letter1 in which he declined to accept or even further to consider the acceptance of a pension from the ,government1 ,faraday intended to forward at once to ,lord ,melbourne4 ,he finally1 however1 allowed somewhat wiser counsels to prevail2 his father-in-law1 while justly proud of ,michael's scientific attainments1 was also a shrewd business-like man1 and persuaded him to write a letter1 which1 although it was not one whit less dignified in its tone was less decided in its refusal of the proposed pension4 ,after many fruitless efforts to make ,faraday change his decision1 a lady1 who was a friend both of the philosopher and of the ,prime ,minister1 asked the former what he would require at the hand of ,lord ,melbourne to make him change his mind on the subject4 ,i should require1 he replied1 from his lordship what ,i have no right or reason to expect that he would grant--a written apology for the words he permitted himself to use to me4 ,to ,melbourne's credit1 be it said1 that as soon as he knew of this he apologised amply for1 as he expressed it1 the too blunt and inconsiderate manner in which he had expressed himself4 ,on ,december #bdth of the same year the pension of three hundred pounds a year was awarded to ,michael ,faraday for his services to the cause of science4 ,a pension1 it may here be mentioned1 half of which was continued to the ,professor's widow1 and on her death to his niece1 ,miss ,jane ,barnard4 ,he was not yet forty-five1 we must recollect1 when he was thought to have fairly earned this reward4 ,early in #ahcf further honour was done to him by his being appointed scientific adviser to the ,trinity ,house2 in accepting the position he wrote a characteristic letter1 of which the following is a portion2 it was addressed to ,captain ,pelly1 ,deputy-,master3 ,i consider your letter to me as a great compliment1 and should view the appointment at the ,trinity ,house1 which you propose1 in the same light2 but ,i may not accept even honours without due consideration4 ,in the first place my time is of great value to me1 and if the appointment you speak of involved anything like periodical routine attendances ,i do not think ,i could accept it4 ,but if it meant that in consultation1 in the examination of proposed plans and experiments1 in trials1 etc41 made as my convenience would allow1 and with an honest sense of a duty to be performed1 then ,i think it would consist with my present engagements4444 ,in consequence of the goodwill and confidence of all around me1 ,i can at any moment convert my time into money1 but ,i do not require more of the latter than is sufficient for necessary purposes4 ,the sum1 therefore1 of #bjj is quite enough in itself1 but not if it is to be the indicator of the character of the appointment4 ,but ,i think you do not view it so1 and that you and ,i understand each other in that respect2 and your letter confirms me in that opinion4 ,the position which ,i presume you would wish me to hold is analogous to that of a standing counsel4 ,as to the title it might be what you pleased almost4 ,chemical adviser is too narrow2 for you would find me venturing into parts of the philosophy of light not chemical4 ,scientific adviser 7the title afterwards decided upon7 you may think too broad--or in me too presumptuous--and so it would be1 if by it was understood all science4444 ,the thought occurs to me whether1 after all1 you want such a person as myself4 ,this you must judge of2 but ,i always entertain a fear of taking an office in which ,i may be of no use to those who engage me4 ,this letter is1 as ,i have said1 characteristic of the writer2 it is characteristic of his sensitiveness to any honour done to him1 and of his unworldliness1 of his conscientiousness in making sure that he will be able to perform anything that he may undertake1 and of a half-diffidence with regard to himself as to whether he was able to do all that was anticipated of him4 ,for nearly thirty years1 with credit to himself and to the ,brethren of the ,trinity ,house1 did ,michael ,faraday continue as their scientific adviser4 ,frequently do we find him experimenting on lights and lighting--visiting the various lighthouses round the coast1 trying the electric light for them1 comparing the various lights1 and reporting to the ,brethren--such work as this is1 as has been said1 to be frequently noted in looking over a record of the mass of work which during these years ,faraday was doing4 ,it is pleasing to notice here that on her husband's death ,mrs4 ,faraday presented such of his portfolios1 of well-ordered and indexed manuscripts1 as referred to this part of his work to the ,trinity ,house4 ,so carefully were these notes made and kept that it is possible now to refer quite easily to any particular piece of work on which ,faraday was engaged during these thirty years4 ,in this same year 7#ahcf7 there appeared the ,life of ,sir ,humphry ,davy1 by his brother1 ,dr4 ,john ,davy4 ,in this work statements were made with relation to ,faraday and his patron which were not true2 and painful indeed though it must have been to the former1 he felt compelled to deny them4 ,this he did in a long letter to his friend ,r4 ,phillips1 editor of the ,philosophical ,magazine1 in which periodical the letter was published4 ,i regret1 ,faraday wrote1 that ,dr4 ,davy has made that necessary which ,i did not think before so2 but ,i feel that ,i cannot1 after his observation1 indulge my earnest desire to be silent on the matter1 without incurring the risk of being charged with something opposed to an honest character4 ,this ,i dare not risk2 but in answering for myself ,i trust that it will be understood that ,i have been driven unwillingly into utterance4 ,the subject must indeed have been a painful one2 to have to assert his own right to be the discoverer of certain chemical results which were being credited to ,davy4 ,in one or two cases1 when he found that he had been preceded in the discovery of anything he was the first to acknowledge that all honour was due to his predecessor1 and that strict regard for true honesty in all things very properly would not allow him to be silent now4 ,he concludes his letter to ,phillips in these words1 ,believing that ,i have now said enough to preserve my own 'honest fame' from any injury it might have risked from the mistakes of ,dr4 ,davy1 ,i willingly bring this letter to a close1 and trust that ,i shall never again have to address you on the subject4 ,it was at about this time that another incident occurred which illustrates ,faraday's absolute integrity of character--integrity that would not wink at anything that was in the slightest degree not straightforward1 even though it was against his own interest1 which1 indeed1 rather shunned doing a good deed that might seem dictated by mere self-interest4 ,his brother was working at the time as a gas-fitter1 and there was a possibility of his getting the ,athenum ,club work in connection with his trade4 ,michael1 writing on the subject1 said1 ,few things would please me more than to help my brother in his business1 or than to know that he had got the ,athenum work2 but ,i am exceedingly jealous of myself1 lest ,i should endeavour to have that done for him as my brother which the ,committee might not like to do for him as a tradesman1 and it is this which makes me very shy of saying a word about the matter4 ,during these years ,faraday was getting through a vast quantity of work1 his experimental researches in electricity were taking up a great part of his time1 but other matters were not neglected4 ,he was frequently lecturing before the ,royal ,institution or the ,royal ,society2 while he wrote a large number of scientific papers for the various philosophical periodicals to which he contributed4 ,besides presenting series after series of his brilliant ,experimental ,researches to the ,royal ,society1 he had also to attend to his lectures at ,woolwich1 and his work for the ,trinity ,house4 ,he must indeed1 hard-working man that he was1 have found his long day very fully occupied2 and it is scarcely to be wondered at that in #ahci the strain began to tell upon him1 and a period of rest became necessary4 ,as years went on1 such periods of rest were more frequent and yet more vitally important4 ,in #ahcg the ,british ,association#h held its ,annual ,meeting at ,liverpool1 and ,faraday attended it1 and was made1 as he put it1 a most responsible person1 ,president of the ,chemical section4 ,from ,liverpool he wrote home to his wife1 ,to-day ,i think we made our section rather more interesting than was expected1 and to-morrow ,i expect will be good also4 ,in the afternoon ,daniell and ,i took a quiet walk2 in the evening he dined with me here4 ,we have been since to a grand conversazione at the ,town ,hall1 and ,i have now returned to my room to talk with you as the pleasantest and happiest thing ,i can do4 ,nothing rests me so much as communion with you4 ,i feel it even now as ,i write2 and ,i catch myself saying the words aloud as ,i write them1 as if you were within hearing4 ,dear girl1 think of me till ,saturday evening4 ,i find ,i can get home very well by that time2 so you may expect me4 ,ever1 my dear ,sarah1 your affectionate husband1 ,m4 ,,faraday4 ,this reference to getting home on ,saturday evening is especially interesting1 for ,faraday always took his wife home to her father's house every ,saturday evening1 that she might see her family2 they all went to church together on the ,sunday4 ,this was an unvarying rule of ,faraday's for very many years1 as long1 indeed1 as it was possible4 ,faraday's mother1 after having lived to see her ,michael come to be one of the great men of his time1 died at ,islington in ,march1 #ahch4 ,the loss must have been keenly felt by ,faraday1 for between mother and son the tenderest affection had always subsisted4 ,she was justly proud of the position which her boy had won for himself2 and he ever retained that beautiful chivalrous kindness and deference to his mother that had characterised him all along4 ,the passages from his earlier letters to his mother which have been given in previous pages are evidence of this1 and his kindly consideration was ever the same4 ,much as the death of his mother1 and1 a few years later1 of his brother ,robert1 affected him1 ,faraday had in his beautiful clear-sighted faith in his religion a source of inextinguishable solace1 and looking forward to a reunion hereafter could see a beautiful and consoling influence in the midst of all these troubles4 ,severe and long-continued mental work1 as ,i have said1 began to tell upon ,faraday in #ahci1 and he was ordered by his doctor to take an absolute rest4 ,he suffered from loss of memory and similar symptoms of an overworked brain4 ,his wife1 as her niece tells us1 used to carry him off to ,brighton1 or somewhere down into the country for a few days when he became dull and low-spirited1 and the rest soon restored him4 ,during such a sojourn at ,brighton1 towards the close of #ahci1 ,professor ,brande wrote to him1 saying that the doctor said ,faraday was to remain thoroughly idle for a time2 and he 7,brande7 kindly offered at the same time to do anything he could to relieve ,faraday of any routine work4 ,he had indeed read some of ,faraday's electricity lectures at the ,institution1 although1 as he terms it in his letter to ,faraday1 he began to fear the fate of ,phton in the chariot of ,phoebus4 ,as yet1 however1 ,faraday would not take a very long-continued rest1 and he was before long back in ,albemarle ,street working1 although less than he had been doing4 ,in the year #ahdj ,faraday's health made it necessary that his scientific labours should be reduced1 and just about this time1 although he was still adding to his series of ,experimental ,researches1 he was husbanding his strength as far as possible4 ,this year1 too1 deserves especial note1 for it was now that he became an elder in the ,sandemanian ,church2 he had before on some occasions exhorted those present at week-day meetings1 but it now devolved upon him to deliver regular sermons4 ,faraday1 as we have already seen1 on more than one occasion1 was not a man to undertake anything without doing it to the best of his abilities2 and if this was his character in matters of everyday concern1 how much more so should we expect it to be1 and not without reason1 his character in so vital a question as that concerning his religion4 ,or perhaps it would be more correct to say concerning the more obvious exercise of his religious faith1 for the spirit of his religion coloured all that he did2 it was indeed the moving force of his soul1 and was not confined to any narrow circle4 ,illustration3 ,,interior ,,of ,,the ,,old ,,sandemanian ,,meeting-,,house1 ,,paul',s ,,alley4 ,the flow and energy which characterised ,faraday as a lecturer were replaced in his sermons by a simplicity and earnestness that together are best described as true devoutness4 ,his sermons were always extemporary1 although the outlines of them were carefully prepared beforehand1 a small card having noted down on either side of it the heads of the elder's discourse and reference to such passages in the ,bible as he wanted to quote4 ,one of these cards is given that it may show with what slight notes the earnest and reverent preacher provided himself4 ,a friend1 describing him officiating at the chapel1 which was situated in ,paul's ,alley1 ,redcross ,street1 ,city1 but which has long since been pulled down1 and the ,church transferred to ,barnsbury ,grove1 ,n41 said1 ,he read a long portion of one of the ,gospels slowly1 reverently1 and with such an intelligent and sympathising appreciation of the meaning1 that ,i thought ,i had never before heard so excellent a reader4 ,illustration3 ---------------------------------------- ---------------------------- - #b ,peter iii4 #a1 #b1 #ad4 ,a prophetic warning to ,christians4 ------------------ - ,first1 the power and grace and promises of the gospel4 - i4 #c1 by ,his power are given great and precious promises1 - #d1 divine nature and brethren exhorted to give diligence1 - #e1 whilst in this life up to v4 #h4 ------------------ - ,then cometh a warning of the state into which they may - fall1 #h1 #i1 if they forget--as he stirs them up1 #ab1 #ac1 #ae1 as - escapers from the corruption1 i4 #d4 ------------------ - iii4 #ad4 ,wherefore1 beloved1 seeing ye ,,look for such things1 - their hope and expectation--it is to stir up their pure mind1 - iii41 #a1 by way of remembrance--hastening the day of the1 - v4 #ab1 awful as that day will be1 #ab1 #g1 because of the - deliverance from the plague of our own heart4 - #b ,cor4 iv4 #ah1 #ag1 #af1 look not at things seen--temporal4 - ,titus ii4 #ac1 looking for the hope and glorious appearing4 - ,heb4 x4 #cg1 yet a little while1 and ,he that shall come will come4 ---------------------------------------- ---------------------------- - ,the world make ,his forbearance a plea to forget ,him or - deny ,him4 - iii4 #d1 #e1 perceiving ,him not in ,his works4 ,his people see - ,his mercy and long-suffering and look for ,his promise1 #ab1 - #ad1 and salvation1 #ae1 and learn that ,he knoweth how to - reserve1 ii #c1 #i1 and preserve1 hence ------------------ - they are not to be slothful1 ,prov4 xxiv4 #cj4 - nor sleeping--,matt xxv4 #a4 ,sleeping virgins - nor doubting iii4 #d4 - nor repining ,heb4 xii4 #ab1 #c1 #e1 lift up hands - ,jas4 v4 #g1 #h1 be patient--husbandmen - waiteth1 but waiting1 ,luke xii4 #cf1 #cg1 #ci1 #dj1 - ,peter #da1 v4 #eh1 #eh refers to days of long-suffering4 ------------------ - ,wherefore1 beloved1 seeing ye know these things1 beware1 etc41 - danger of falling away in many parts1 i4 #i1 ii4 #bj1 #ba1 #bb1 - great pride of the formal adherers1 ii4 #ai1 #ac4 - ,but the assurance is at iii4 #ah--;i4 #b1 #h4 ---------------------------------------- ---------------------------- ,,copy ,,of ,,one ,,of ,,the ,,cards ,,from ,,which ,,faraday ,,preached4 ,another of his listeners said1 ,his object seemed to be to make the most use of the words of ,scripture1 and to make as little of his own words as he could4 ,hence a stranger was struck first by the number and rapidity of his references to texts in the ,old and ,new ,testaments1 and secondly1 by the devoutness of his manner4 ,yet another friend1 who had been privileged to hear ,faraday preach before his small flock1 said of his sermons1 ,they struck me as resembling a mosaic work of texts4 ,at first you could hardly understand their juxtaposition and relationship2 but as the well-chosen pieces were filled in by degrees their congruity and fitness became developed1 and at last an amazing sense of the power and beauty of the whole filled one's thoughts at the close of the discourse4 ,this1 his first period of eldership in the ,church1 continued from #ahdj until #ahdd1 when a slight misunderstanding having arisen between himself and the brethren1 he for a time relinquished the office2 occupying it again1 however1 later on in life4 ,his earnest religious feeling was an abiding source of consolation to him in all his trials2 it affected in no slight degree his life and life-work at all points1 although1 to his credit be it said1 that it was rather the spirit of his religious feeling which was thus manifested1 and it is not by any means to be understood that he was in even the slightest degree given to cant1 such a thing being far from possible with him4 ,his religion was a something too sacred and too immediately between himself and his ,god1 as he said1 for him to refer to it1 except when circumstances especially called for it4 ,then1 in the earnest sympathetic words of comfort1 which he addressed to those persons with whom he was intimate when they were in trouble1 we may trace the true deep current of religion1 which was so essentially a part of his nature4 ,it is interesting to connect the name of our philosopher with a great institution such as the establishment of the penny post4 ,in #ahdj ,sir ,rowland ,hill tells us in his autobiography that he was sorely puzzled to find an ink that1 having obliterated the postage stamps1 should not be removable4 ,in my anxiety1 he says1 ,i went so far as to trouble the greatest chemist of the age4 ,kindly giving me the needful attention1 though in an extremely depressed state of health1 the result of excessive labour1 a fact1 of course1 unknown to me when ,i made the application1 ,mr4 ,faraday approved of the course which ,i submitted to him3 viz41 that an aqueous ink should be used both for the stamp and for obliteration4 ,referring to this same year we find an interesting entry in ,crabb ,robinson's ,diary4 ,may #hth4--,attended ,carlyle's second lecture4444 ,it gave great satisfaction1 for it had uncommon thoughts and was delivered with unusual animation4444 ,in the evening heard a lecture by ,faraday4 ,what a contrast to ,carlyle6 ,a perfect experimentalist1 with an intellect so clear6 ,within his sphere1 un uomo compito4 ,how great would that man be who could be as wise on ,mind and its relations as ,faraday is on ,matter6 ,faraday's life as a scientific experimentalist and discoverer is divided into two periods by an interval of four years1 during which he did but little1 or1 compared with his previous performances but little1 work4 ,such a time of rest was indeed rendered absolutely necessary by loss of memory and giddiness1 which had troubled him occasionally before1 and which now put a stop to his experiments4 ,this period of partial rest commenced with a three months' trip in ,switzerland1 where he was accompanied by his wife and her brother4 ,dr4 ,bence ,jones says1 ,in different ways he showed much of his character during this period of rest4 ,the journal he kept of his ,swiss tour is an image of himself4 ,it was written with excessive neatness1 and it had the different mountain flowers which he gathered in his walks fixed in it as few but ,faraday himself could have fixed them4 ,his letters are free from the slightest sign of mental disease4 ,his only illness was overwork1 and his only remedy was rest4 ,a few passages from this ,swiss journal are all that can be given4 ,the first stay of any length was made at ,thun1 whence many walking excursions were undertaken1 sometimes indeed ,faraday walking as much as forty-five miles in the one day1 a sufficient proof that he was not at all bodily ill4 ,the journal gives us many a word-picture of the scenery and of the people1 with now and then quaint observations and humorous reflections2 let the following passages speak for themselves3-- ,july #ahth4--,took a long walk to the valley called the ,simmenthal1 which goes off from the valley of the lake4444 ,the frogs were very beautiful1 lively1 vocal1 and intelligent1 and not at all fearful4 ,the butterflies1 too1 became familiar friends with me1 as ,i sat under the trees on the river's bank4 ,it is wonderful how much intelligence all these animals show when they are treated kindly and quietly2 when1 in fact1 they are treated as having their right and part in creation1 instead of being frightened1 oppressed1 and destroyed4 ,monday1 #aith4--,very fine day2 walk with dear ,sarah on the lake side to ,oberhofen1 through the beautiful vineyards2 very busy were the women and men in trimming the vines1 stripping off leaves and tendrils from fruit-bearing branches4 ,the churchyard was beautiful1 and the simplicity of the little remembrance posts set upon the graves very pleasant4 ,one who had been too poor to put up an engraved brass plate1 or even a painted board1 had written with ink on paper the birth and death of the being whose remains were below1 and this had been fastened to a board and mounted on the top of a stick at the head of the grave1 the paper being protected by a little edge and roof4 ,such was the simple remembrance2 but nature had added her pathos1 for under the shelter by the writing a caterpillar had fastened itself and passed into its death-like state of chrysalis2 and having ultimately assumed its final state it had winged its way from the spot1 and had left the corpse-like relics behind4 ,how old and how beautiful is this figure of the resurrection6 surely it can never appear before our eyes without touching the thoughts4 ,tuesday1 #bgth4--,more pleasant rambles3 fine4 ,now we shall think of a move1 and really the changing character of the table d'hte and other things make me in love with the thoughts of home4 ,dear ,england1 dear home6 dear friends6 ,i long to be in and among them all2 and where can ,i expect to be more happy1 or better off in anything8 ,dear home1 dear friends1 what is all this moving1 and bustle1 and whirl1 and change worth compared to you8 ,august #bnd4--,interlaken4444 ,the ,jungfrau has been occasionally remarkably fine3 in the morning particularly1 covered with tiers of clouds1 whilst the snow between them was beautifully distinct2 and in the evening showing a beautiful series of tints from the base to the summit1 according to the proportion of light on the different parts4 ,at one time the summit was beautifully bathed in golden light1 whilst the middle part was quite blue1 and the snow of its peculiar blue-green colour in the clefts4444 ,clout-nail making goes on here rather considerably1 and is a very neat and pretty operation to observe4 ,i love a smith's shop1 and anything relating to a smithy4 ,my father was a smith4 ,how beautiful is the following description of the waterfall at ,brienz ,lake3 ,the sun shone brightly1 and the rainbows seen from various points were very beautiful4 ,one at the bottom of a fine but furious fall was very pleasant4 ,there it remained motionless1 whilst the gusts and clouds of spray swept furiously across its place1 and were dashed against the rock4 ,it looked like a spirit strong in faith and steadfast in the storm of passions sweeping across it2 and though it might fade and revive1 still it held on to the rock as in hope1 and giving hope1 and the very drops which in the whirlwind of their fury seemed as if they would carry all away were made to revive it and give it greater beauty4 ,at length1 on ,september #bith1 the small party reach ,london again1 and ,faraday's journal ends thus3--,crossing the new ,london ,bridge street we saw ,m4's pleasant face1 and shook hands2 and though we separated in a moment or two1 still we feel and know we are where we ought to be--at home4 ,faraday's allusion to his father in the extract above is very pleasing and interesting4 ,we are told that he used to like to pay visits to the scenes of his boyhood and youth1 and that he once went to the shop where his father had formerly been employed as a blacksmith1 and asked to be allowed to look over the place4 ,when he got to a part of the premises at which there was an opening into the lower workshop1 he stopped and said1 ,i very nearly lost my life there once4 ,i was playing in the upper room at pitching halfpence into a pint pot close by this hole1 and having succeeded at a certain distance1 ,i stepped back to try my fortune further off1 forgetting the aperture1 and down ,i fell2 and if it had not been that my father was working over an anvil fixed just below1 ,i should have fallen on it1 broken my back1 and probably killed myself4 ,as it was1 my father's back just saved mine4 ,on his return from his ,swiss trip1 ,faraday took up a great part of his work again1 and was fully occupied with a few electrical experiments1 lectures1 and ,trinity ,house work4 ,what has been termed his second great period of research did not commence until #ahde4 ,he lectured frequently at the ,institution--so frequently indeed that we cannot refer to them here1 but must leave them to the chapter on his lectures4 ,indeed1 merely to detail the work which ,faraday did would take up considerably more than the whole space of this little book4 ,in #ahdd ,faraday became one of the special commissioners appointed to investigate the ,haswell colliery explosion4 ,in #ahdf his brother ,robert met with a fatal accident1 and ,faraday writes to his wife1 who was staying at ,tunbridge ,wells3--,dear ,heart1--4444 ,come home1 dear4 ,come and join in the sympathy and comfort needed by many4444 ,my sister and her children have not forgotten the hope in which they were joined together with my dear ,robert1 and ,i see its beautiful and consoling influence in the midst of all these troubles4 ,i and you1 though joined in the same trouble1 have part in the same hope4 ,come home1 dearest4 ,your affectionate husband1 ,m4 ,,faraday4 ,in #ahdi he delivered his famous lectures on ,the ,chemical ,history of a ,candle2 and in the following year he gave a series of six lectures on ,some ,points of ,domestic ,chemical ,philosophy--a ,fire1 a ,candle1 a ,lamp1 a ,chimney1 a ,kettle1 ,ashes4 ,his work during these years is shown in his many published letters1 in his correspondence which for years he maintained with many of the leading scientists1 not only in ,england but abroad--with ,de la ,rive1 ,liebig1 ,humboldt1 etc4 ,his work1 however1 cannot be particularised1 neither can the many honours that year after year were awarded to him4 ,we find that he was a man nearly sixty years of age1 in the front rank of the great chemists of his country1 and acknowledged as such on every hand1 and yet we find that he was still the same energetic and enthusiastic scientist1 the same kindly and unselfish friend1 the same honest and disinterested man that we have seen him all through4 ,such1 indeed1 he continued until the very last1 his character but deepening--as he said of his love for his wife--as the years passed by4 ,his chivalrous deference to women of all ages and ranks was also a remarkable feature of his character1 no less at this later part of his life1 than when he was a younger man2 his chivalry has1 indeed1 been often referred to1 but it was1 ,i learn from ,miss ,barnard1 one of his most readily observed good qualities4 ,illustration ,,footnote3 #h ,founded in #ahca1 for the purpose of stimulating scientific inquiry4 ,illustration ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,overwork--,,the ,,end4 ,have you found your life distasteful8 ,my life did1 and does1 smack sweet4 ,was your youth of pleasure wasteful8 ,mine ,i saved1 and hold complete4 ,do your joys with age diminish8 ,when mine fail me ,i'll complain4 ,must in death your daylight finish8 ,my sun sets to rise again4 ,,robert ,,browning4 ,the year of the ,great ,exhibition was a busy one for ,faraday2 he was working in his old accustomed1 unremitting manner at his magnetic1 and electric1 and general experiments1 he was continuing to write those ,experimental ,researches which he sent in to the ,royal ,society1 and upon which rests so large a part of his reputation as a scientist4 ,he had given up his professorship at ,woolwich ,academy the previous year4 ,he was lecturing1 however1 a good deal1 and not alone on his own account1 for during the summer he delivered a lecture on ozone for his good friend ,professor ,schnbein4 ,his health1 however1 was far from being as good as it had been1 and he had to take frequent rests2 so that1 although he was working as earnestly and enthusiastically as ever1 it was1 so to speak1 only intermittently4 ,that the loss of memory from which he had before suffered was still afflicting him at times1 is made evident by such passages from his letters as the following pathetic one from a letter to ,schnbein3 ,i have no doubt ,i answer your letters very badly2 but1 my dear friend1 do you remember that ,i forget1 and that ,i can no more help it than a sieve can help the water running out of it4 ,still you know me to be your old and obliged and affectionate friend1 and all ,i can say is1 the longer ,i know you the more ,i seem to cling to you4 ,ever1 my dear ,schnbein1 yours affectionately4 ,a pathetic interest attaches to the following reminiscence of ,faraday by his niece 7,miss ,jane ,barnard72 she was reading to him an anecdote of the ,duke of ,marlborough's intimation to the king that as he felt that the time when his faculties would fade had arrived he did not wish again to attend any ,council meeting1 and that if he should attend he desired that no heed should be given to anything he said4 ,faraday after listening attentively to it1 asked ,miss ,barnard to read that anecdote to him if at any time she felt that his judgment no longer controlled his wishes4 ,so numerous were the honours which were showered upon ,michael ,faraday during the last forty years of his life1 that to enumerate them would be as tedious as it would be profitless2 suffice it to say that he was elected a member of all the chief scientific and philosophical bodies in ,europe4 ,indeed it is said that a ,continental ,professor addressed a letter to him as ,professor ,michael ,faraday1 ,member of all the learned ,societies of ,europe4 ,it is worthy of note1 however1 that he was elected a member of the ,senate of the ,university of ,london1 and was asked to act as examiner for the same body1 but declined4 ,during the periods of rest which his failing health made necessary1 ,faraday would go off to ,brighton or ,hastings with his wife1 where he would spend a few days in quiet idleness4 ,in ,february1 #ahea1 he was at ,brighton1 where ,mr4 ,masquerier1 the ,french refugee who had in early life given him lessons in geometry1 was living4 ,in ,crabb ,robinson's diary the following entry1 which is of much interest to us here1 occurs against ,february #ah3 7,at ,masquerier's1 ,brighton47 ,we had calls soon after breakfast4 ,the one to be mentioned was that of ,faraday1 one of the most remarkable men of the day1 the very greatest of our discoverers in chemistry1 a perfect lecturer in the unaffected simplicity and intelligent clearness in his statement2 so that the learned are instructed and the ignorant charmed4 ,his personal character is admirable4 ,when he was young1 poor1 and altogether unknown1 ,masquerier was kind to him2 and now that he is a great man he does not forget his old friend4 ,an interesting story is told by ,dr4 ,scoffern of an incident that happened during this year2 an incident that illustrates in a remarkable manner the unaltered good humour and geniality which belonged to ,faraday as much during his later as his earlier years4 ,professor ,brande was lecturing at the time on a newly-discovered method of purifying sugar by sugar of lead2 while they were in the laboratory ,scoffern accidentally let fall a retort of corrosive liquid4 ,in an instant1 he tells us1 ,professor ,faraday threw some soda upon the floor2 then down on his hands and knees he went1 slop cloth in hand1 like any humble housemaid4 ,laughing1 ,i expressed my desire to photograph him then and there2 he demurred to the pose1 begged me to consult his dignity1 and began laughing with a childish joyousness4 ,hilariously boyish upon occasion he could be1 and those who knew him best1 knew he was never more at home1 that he never seemed so pleased as when making an 'old boy' of himself1 as he was wont to say1 lecturing before a juvenile audience at ,christmas4 ,faraday1 as has been said earlier1 attended some of the annual meetings of the ,british ,association2 in this year of #ahea the meeting was held at ,ipswich1 and on that occasion ,dr4 ,j4 ,h4 ,gladstone says he first met ,faraday to have any intercourse with him4 ,i watched him1 he writes1 with all the interest of an admiring disciple1 and there is deeply engraven on my memory the vivacity of his conversation1 the eagerness with which he entered into some mathematico-chemical speculations of ,dumas1 and the playfulness with which1 when we were dining together1 he cut boomerangs out of card1 and shot them across the table at his friends4 ,yet another story of ,faraday's remarkable disinterestedness is given us by ,dr4 ,scoffern1 who1 writing of the year #aheb1 says that he had made an abstract of a course of lectures which ,faraday had delivered on the subject of the non-metallic elements2 this abstract he wished to embody in a book which he was about to publish4 ,the kindly old chemist at once gave his permission1 and would not even listen to any proposal as to sharing the profits of the work4 ,scoffern immediately suggested that he would be misunderstood by the publisher1 who would not be able to comprehend such a piece of generosity on the great professor's part4 ,oh1 said ,faraday1 we'll soon settle that by writing2 and he wrote out a formal letter of assignment4 ,despite the fact that his time was always fully occupied1 ,faraday found time to write many letters1 not only the long friendly1 yet scientific letters to such men as ,de la ,rive and ,schnbein1 but letters of advice and sympathy to his nephews and nieces1 and other friends4 ,his advice was always given in so kindly a spirit that it could not be taken amiss1 and his sympathy was tendered in that rare manner--sincere and unostentatious--which characterises this feeling in its highest manifestation4 ,the following passage1 from a letter to his nephew1 ,frank ,barnard1 who was just starting life1 is an illustration of this3 ,and so you are hard at work1 and somewhat embarrassed by your position2 but no man can do just as he likes1 and in many things he has to give way1 and may do so honourably1 provided he preserves his self-respect4 ,never1 my dear ,frank1 lose that1 whatever may be the alternative4 ,let no one tempt you to it1 for nothing can be expedient that is not right2 and though some of your companions may tease you at first1 they will respect you for your consistency in the end2 and if they pretend not to do so it is of no consequence4 ,however1 ,i trust the hardest part of your probation is over1 for the earliest is usually the hardest1 and that you know how to take all things quietly4 ,although ,i have made but little special reference to the work on which our great hero was engaged when treating of different periods of his life2 it becomes necessary here to refer to the part which ,faraday took in exposing a popular delusion which was widely believed in at the time1 and which yet has many supporters--the delusion as to table-turning4 ,he wrote a long account fully exposing the error which so many people were willing to believe2 and although his exposure convinced most persons who troubled themselves to follow him in his investigations1 the popular mind refused to be disillusionised1 and the turning of the tables was referred to electricity1 magnetism1 spirits1 a new natural force1 and other agencies4 ,this occasion perhaps drew more emphatic utterance from ,faraday than any other2 he had no patience with people who would not be enlightened1 and his feeling is shown in a letter written in ,july1 #ahec1 to ,professor ,schnbein3 ,i have not been at work except in turning the tables upon the table-turners1 nor should ,i have done that1 but that so many inquiries poured in upon me1 that ,i thought it better to stop the inpouring flood by letting all know at once what my views and thoughts were4 ,what a weak1 credulous1 incredulous1 unbelieving1 superstitious1 bold1 frightened1--what a ridiculous world ours is1 as far as concerns the mind of man4 ,how full of inconsistencies1 contradictions1 and absurdities it is4 ,i declare that1 taking the average of many minds that have recently come before me 7and apart from that spirit which ,god has placed in each71 and accepting for a moment that average as a standard1 ,i should far prefer the obedience1 affections1 and instincts of a dog before it4 ,do not whisper this1 however1 to others4 ,there is ,one above who worketh in all things1 and who governs even in the midst of that misrule to which the tendencies and powers of men are so easily perverted4 ,in his ,juvenile ,lectures1 delivered at ,christmas of the same year1 he again referred to this popular error1 giving at the same time some sound advice to his young friends4 ,in conclusion1 ,i must address a few words to the intending philosophers who form the juvenile part of my audience4 ,study science with earnestness--search into nature--elicit the truth--reason on it1 and reject all which will not stand the closest investigation4 ,keep your imagination within bounds1 taking heed lest it run away with your judgment4 ,above all1 let me warn you young ones of the danger of being led away by the superstitions which at this day of boasted progress are a disgrace to the age1 and which afford astonishing proofs of the vast floods of ignorance overflowing and desolating the highest places4 ,educated man1 misusing the glorious gift of reason which raises him above the brute1 actually lowers himself below the creatures endowed only with instinct2 inasmuch as he casts aside the natural sense which might guide him1 and in his credulous folly pretends to discover and investigate phenomena which reason would not for a moment allow1 and which1 in fact1 are utterly absurd4 ,let my young hearers mark and remember my words4 ,i desire that they should dwell in their memory as a protest uttered in this ,institution against the progress of error4 ,whatever be the encouragement it may receive elsewhere1 may we1 at any rate in this place1 raise a bulwark which shall protect the boundaries of truth1 and preserve them uninjured during the rapid encroachments of gross ignorance under the mask of scientific knowledge4 ,faraday's high position in the world of science and his well-known thoroughness in investigating any subject in which he interested himself1 made his utterances on the subject of spirit-rapping and table-turning convincing to a large number of people4 ,he was1 however1 for many years occasionally pestered with questions about it1 by persons who thought they could prove to him that he was wrong2 perhaps in no matter did ,faraday so nearly lose his patience as over this2 at no other time did he so nearly exhibit that volcano of fiery passion which1 according to ,tyndall1 underlay the sweetness and gentleness of disposition which were his ever-obvious qualities4 ,he had1 as ,tyndall well puts it1 through high self-discipline converted the fire into a central glow and motive power of life1 instead of permitting it to waste itself in useless passion4 ',he that is slow to anger1' saith the sage1 'is greater than the mighty1 and he that ruleth his own spirit than he that taketh a city6' ,faraday was not slow to anger1 but he completely ruled his own spirit2 and thus1 though he took no cities1 he captivated all hearts4 ,miss ,barnard1 from her long and intimate acquaintance with her uncle1 quite endorses what ,professor ,tyndall says4 ,she says that a most fiery passion was kept under by the most perfect master1 and during all the years she knew him she could not recollect above two occasions when ,faraday1 even for a moment1 let his passion get the better of him4 ,lightly as he looked upon honours such as are the ones usually appreciated by more worldly men1 ,faraday was always well-pleased and more than gratified when recognised by leading men of science or literature4 ,many as were the distinctions which had been and were still being heaped upon him1 he would especially value such a one as was offered him in #ahed1 when one who in a measure had been his pupil--,henry ,mayhew--dedicated to him a volume on the ,wonders of ,science1 illustrating the life and progress in scientific knowledge of young ,humphry ,davy4 ,this dedication runs1 ,my dear sir1 ,i inscribe your name on one of the fly-leaves of this little book1 with the same devotion as youths are wont to carve upon the trunk of some forest tree the name of those whom they admire most in the world2 and ,i do so for many reasons4 ,and in concluding the dedication he shows us once more the helpfulness and goodness of ,faraday's nature3 ,and now1 my dear sir1 let me1 in conclusion1 thank you for your generous encouragement of my labours when ,i was engaged in inquiring into the condition of the ',london ,poor4' ,many know your wisdom1 but none are better acquainted with your goodness than yours very truly1 ,,henry ,,mayhew4 ,never1 when a success beyond the wildest imaginings of his youth had crowned his devotion to science1 did ,faraday forget the time of his early struggles1 and the humble beginning which he had made4 ,as we have before mentioned1 he would frequently stop in the street to speak a kindly word of encouragement to young newspaper lads who were just starting in life in the way that he had done over half a century earlier4 ,an incident such as that depicted in the illustration was1 indeed1 a not uncommon one1 for1 to refer again to the ,professor's own words1 he could not but feel a tenderness for such boys1 because he had once carried newspapers himself4 ,illustration3 ,,faraday ,,and ,,the ,,newsboy4 ,in ,miss ,reid's recollections of her illustrious uncle1 from which we have quoted in an earlier chapter1 there was something said about the reading which interested the scientist in his hours of relaxation4 ,this is always an interesting matter in connection with our great men2 we are always glad to know what they read1 and1 if possible1 why they read it4 ,at a party about this time1 ,faraday joined in a discussion which was being carried on on the subject of novel reading1 and some one of those present took a few notes of such works as he mentioned as being specially interesting or entertaining to him4 ,he liked novels1 he said1 with some stir and life in them1 such as ,paul ,ferrol1 ,jane ,eyre1 too--although of this he characteristically said1 there's a touch of mesmerism and mystery at the end which would be better away4 ,of ,scott's novels he was always a great admirer1 liking particularly ,ivanhoe1 ,guy ,mannering1 and ,waverley2 he also spoke admiringly of ,fanny ,burney's novel1 ,evelina1 a book that is hardly among the generally read novels of to-day4 ,writing in #aheh to ,professor de la ,rive on the death of ,mrs4 ,marcet1#i ,faraday mentions his early reading as follows3 ,do not suppose that ,i was a very deep thinker1 or was marked as a precocious person1 ,i could believe in the ,arabian ,nights as easily as in the ,encyclopdia4 ,but facts were important to me and saved me4 ,i could trust a fact1 and always cross-examined an assertion4 ,so when ,i questioned ,mrs4 ,marcet's book by such little experiments as ,i could find means to perform1 and found it true to the facts as ,i could understand them1 ,i felt that ,i had got hold of an anchor in chemical knowledge1 and clung fast to it4 ,thence my deep veneration for ,mrs4 ,marcet4 ,when1 in #aheg1 ,mr4 ,cyrus ,field was in ,england preparing for the laying of the great telegraph cable across the ,atlantic ,ocean1 he inquired of ,faraday as to what he thought of its practicability2 the philosopher doubted the possibility of transmitting a message4 ,field saw that an objection from so great an authority would prove well-nigh fatal1 and that it must be removed at once2 he therefore offered to pay ,faraday sufficiently for his services if he would undertake such experiments as were necessary4 ,faraday declined the money1 but undertook the experiments1 and on their completion reported to ,field1 ,it can be done1 but you will not get an instantaneous message4 ,how long will it take8 anxiously inquired the engineer4 ,oh1 perhaps a second4 ,well1 that's quick enough for me4 ,the year #aheh is an interesting one in the life of ,michael ,faraday2 for over forty years he had lived in the ,royal ,institution1 and during that time had risen from being a journeyman bookbinder with a small circle of friends1 to being the first of living philosophers1 with a fame known all over the world1 and with friends wherever his fame had penetrated4 ,in this year1 however1 while still retaining his connection with the ,royal ,institution1 he removed with his wife to a house at ,hampton ,court1 which had been kindly placed at their disposal by ,her ,majesty the ,queen1 at the instigation of the ,prince ,consort4 ,faraday writes in ,april to ,prince ,albert's secretary acknowledging the extreme kindness of ,her ,majesty1 but expressing himself as doubtful whether to accept or to decline4 ,the house it appeared wanted some repairs which ,faraday felt doubtful about2 he did not feel that he would be enabled to undertake them1 but his mind was soon set at rest on this score1 for in the summer of this year1 writing to one of his nieces1 he says1 ,the case is settled4 ,the ,queen has desired me to dismiss all thoughts of the repairs1 as the house is to be put into thorough repair both inside and out4 ,the letter from ,sir ,c4 ,phipps is most kind4 ,in writing to ,sir ,c4 ,phipps himself ,faraday said1 ,i find it difficult to write my thanks or express my sense of the gratitude ,i owe to ,her ,majesty2 first1 for the extreme kindness which is offered to me in the use of the house at ,hampton ,court1 but far more for that condescension and consideration which1 in respect of personal rest and health1 was the moving cause of the offer4 ,i feared that ,i might not be able properly to accept ,her ,majesty's most gracious favour4 ,i would not bring myself to decline so honourable an offer1 and yet ,i was constrained carefully to consider whether its acceptance was consistent with my own particular and peculiar circumstances4 ,the enlargement of ,her ,majesty's favour has removed all difficulty4 ,i accept with deep gratitude1 and ,i hope that you will help me to express fitly to ,her ,majesty my thanks and feelings on this occasion4 ,illustration3 ,,faraday',s ,,house1 ,,hampton ,,court ,,green4 ,faraday's house1 standing pleasantly on ,hampton ,court ,green1 was1 as will be seen from the illustration1 a delightful creeper-embowered place1 and with its open aspect and surrounding greenery1 must have afforded a great and agreeable change to the tired philosopher and his wife4 ,for some years after his removal ,faraday made frequent runs up to town to the ,institution1 where he continued his research work and also delivered many lectures1 notably1 several courses of the now annual ,juvenile ,lectures4 ,he was1 however1 not able to continue for long spells of work1 but had to take occasional intervals of rest4 ,he still made frequent reports in connection with ,trinity ,house1 but refused to take up any further work4 ,he declined even to prepare his ,juvenile ,lectures for publication1 although other reasons than his own incapacity for sustained work here influenced him1 as we see by the following letter3-- ,royal ,institution1 ,january #c1 #ahei4 ,dear ,sir1--,many thanks both to you and ,mr4 ,bentley4 ,mr4 ,murray made me an unlimited offer like that of ,mr4 ,bentley's many years ago1 but for the reasons ,i am about to give you ,i had to refuse his kindness4 ,he proposed to take them by shorthand1 and so save me trouble1 but ,i knew that would be a thorough failure2 even if ,i cared to give time to the revision of the ,,ms41 still the lectures without the experiments and the vivacity of speaking would fall far behind those in the lecture room as to effect4 ,and then ,i do not desire to give time to them1 for money is no temptation to me4 ,in fact1 ,i have always loved science more than money2 and because my occupation is almost entirely personal1 ,i cannot afford to get rich4 ,again thanking you and ,mr4 ,bentley1 ,i remain1 very truly yours1 ,m4 ,,faraday4 ,i have had to insist once or twice upon ,faraday's deeply religious nature2 it comes out very clearly in some letters written about this time1 when he was an old man--having very nearly attained to the threescore years and ten of man's life4 ,in his work and in his conversation he never obtruded his religious convictions1 but the innate religious feeling of the man coloured his every relation with his fellow men4 ,in that we have but few direct writings of his on this subject1 a grave interest attaches to the following letter to his niece3 ,i never heard of the saying that separation is the brother of death2 ,i think that it does death an injustice1 at least in the mind of the ,christian2 separation simply implies no re-union2 death has to the ,christian everything hoped for contained in the idea of re-union4 ,i cannot think that death has to the ,christian anything in it that should make it a rare1 or other than a constant thought2 out of the view of death comes the view of the life beyond the grave1 as out of the view of sin 7that true and real view which the ,holy ,spirit alone can give to a man7 comes the glorious hope2 without the conviction of sin there is no ground of hope to the ,christian4 ,as far as he is permitted for the trial of his faith to forget the conviction of sin1 he forgets his hope1 he forgets the need of ,him who became sin or a sin-offering for ,his people1 and overcame death by dying4 ,and though death be repugnant to the flesh1 yet where the ,spirit is given1 to die is gain4 ,what a wonderful transition it is6 for1 as the apostle says1 even whilst having the firstfruits of the ,spirit1 the people of ,god groan within themselves1 'waiting for the adoption1 to wit1 the redemption of the body4' ,elsewhere he says1 that whilst in the earthly house of this tabernacle we groan1 earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven4 ,it is permitted to the ,christian to think of death2 he is even represented as praying that ,god would teach him to number his days4 ,words are given to him1 ',o death1 where is thy sting8 ,o grave1 where is thy victory8' and the answer is given him1 ',thanks be to ,god1 who giveth us the victory through our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4' ,and though the thought of death brings the thought of judgment1 which is far above all the trouble that arises from the breaking of mere earthly ties1 it also brings to the ,christian the thought of ,him who died1 was judged1 and who rose again for the justification of those who believe in ,him4 ,though the fear of death be a great thought1 the hope of eternal life is a far greater4444 ,you see ,i chat now and then with you as if my thoughts were running openly before us on the paper1 and so it is4 ,my worldly faculties are slipping away day by day4 ,happy is it for all of us that the true good lies not in them4 ,as they ebb1 may they leave us as little children1 trusting in the ,father of mercies and accepting ,his unspeakable gift4 ,in #ahfj ,faraday became once more an elder in the ,sandemanian ,church1 and retained that office for nearly four years1 when he finally resigned it4 ,the meeting of the ,british ,association was held in this year at ,oxford1 and ,faraday was once more present1 as he liked to be1 at this scientific gathering4 ,a friend1 apropos of this visit1 wrote the following jeu d'esprit1 which is worth remembering-- ',that ,p will change to ,f in the ,british tongue is true 7,quoth ,professor ,phillips71 though the instances are few4' ,an entry in my journal then ,i ventured thus to parody1 ',i this day dined with ,fillips1 where ,i hobbed and nobbed with ,pharaday4' ,illustration3 ,,faraday ,,delivering ,,his ,,christmas ,,juvenile ,,lectures4 ,this same year is also notable as being the nineteenth1 and last1 in which ,faraday delivered the ,christmas ,juvenile ,lectures2 for ten years in succession he had given them1 the four lectures of this1 his final course1 being those well known and generally appreciated ones upon ,the ,chemical ,history of a ,candle4 ,an earlier course having been given some years before on the same subject4 ,his failing health and memory made it necessary for him to discontinue much of his work1 and in the following year his last experimental work was done1 and 7on ,june #bj7 his last ,friday evening lecture delivered4 ,a touching and pathetic interest attaches to the slight notes which he made for this1 his last lecture4 ,the notes are brief--but yet how much is there not expressed in them8 ,personal explanation--years of happiness here1 but time of retirement2 ,,loss ,,of ,,memory and physical endurance of the brain4 #a4 ,causes--hesitation and uncertainty of the convictions which the speaker has to urge4 #b4 ,inability to draw upon the mind for the treasures of knowledge it has previously received4 #c4 ,dimness1 and forgetfulness of one's former self-standard in respect of right1 dignity1 and self-respect4 #d4 ,strong duty of doing justice to others1 yet inability to do so4 ,retire4 ,thus did the old man of seventy years touchingly bid farewell to work which he had been carrying on for the greater part of half a century--to that work which had received from him the untiring devotion of a life-time4 ,in #ahfb his memory1 which had previously troubled him1 became even less trustworthy2 though his cheerfulness1 faith1 and innate optimism were never clouded for a moment1 as is well-shown in a letter which he wrote to the wife of his old friend ,barlow4 ,i called at your house1 ,faraday wrote1 and ,i rejoice to think that your absence is a sign of good health4 ,our love to you both4 ,i am enjoying the gradual decay of strength and life1 for when ,i revive it is no great revival or desire to me1 and that cheers me in the view of death near and round us4 ,in #ahfc his chief work was in connection with the ,trinity ,house1 ,faraday continuing to report upon the value of the magneto-electric light for lighthouses1 and visiting yet again1 as he had frequently done for years past1 ,dungeness and other stations for the purpose4 ,despite his incapacity for sustained mental work owing to his failing memory1 ,faraday continued fairly hale in body1 and was yet active1 for in ,february of #ahfc he was at ,dungeness1 and in the autumn of the same year he was in ,scotland for a fortnight1 and wrote from ,glasgow to one who for over forty years had been his loving companion1 a letter breathing an affection unaltered by the lapse of years1 unless indeed it were1 to use his own expression1 that it had grown deeper4 ,we have seen the letters which he wrote in the early years of his marriage2 it is fitting that we should quote from this one to show how unchanged he was1 despite the many years which had passed over him4 ,i long to see you1 dearest1 he wrote1 and to talk over things together1 and call to mind all the kindness ,i have received4 ,my head is full and my heart also1 but my recollection rapidly fails1 even as regards the friends that are in the room with me4 ,you will have to resume your old function of being a pillow to my mind1 and a rest1 a happy-making wife4444 ,dearest1 ,i long to see and be with you4 ,whether together or separate1 your husband1 very affectionate1 ,m4 ,,faraday4 ,in #ahfe he felt compelled to relinquish the active work in connection with the ,trinity ,house1 without altogether retiring from his position1 for after thirty years' work1 during which he had been treated by the ,brethren with uniform kindness and consideration1 he did not like to altogether sever his connection with friends with whom he had been so long and so harmoniously working4 ,in accordance with ,faraday's wishes ,professor ,tyndall undertook this work for him4 ,in the same year he felt it necessary to communicate with the managers of the ,royal ,institution1 expressing his desire to be allowed1 without severing his connection with it1 to give up his active work for the ,institution4 ,the last two years of his life were thus passed waiting as he once or twice expressed it4 ,to an old friend of very many years' standing he had said1 ,barlow1 you and ,i are waiting--that is what we have to do now2 and we must try to do it patiently4 ,and again1 in reply to a friend who inquired as to how he was1 he simply replied1 ,just waiting4 ,thus gradually and quietly the end approached4 ,one of his nieces writes of her annual visit in #ahfg3 ,i spent ,june at ,hampton ,court4 ,dear uncle kept up rather better than sometimes2 but oh6 there was always pain in seeing afresh how far the mind had faded away4 ,still the sweet unselfish disposition was there1 winning the love of all around him4444 ,i shall never look at the lightning flashes without recalling his delight in a beautiful storm4 ,how he would stand at the window for hours1 watching the effects and enjoying the scene2 while we knew his mind was full of lofty thoughts2 sometimes of the great ,creator1 and sometimes of the laws by which ,he sees meet to govern the earth4 ,i shall also always connect the sight of the hues of a brilliant sunset with him1 and especially he will be present to my mind while ,i watch the fading of the tints into the sombre grey of night4 ,he loved to have us with him1 as he stood or sauntered on some open spot1 and spoke his thoughts1 perhaps in the words of ,gray's ,elegy1 which he retained in memory1 clearly1 long after many other things had faded quite away4 ,then1 as darkness stole on1 his companions would gradually turn indoors1 while he was well pleased to be left to solitary communings with his own thoughts4 ,illustration3 ,,faraday',s ,,tomb ,,at ,,highgate4 ,on the #beth of ,august1 #ahfg1 he passed quietly away1 dying in his chair in his study at ,hampton ,court4 ,his niece1 ,miss ,barnard1 from whose recollections we have learned much in earlier chapters1 had spent a good part of her life with her aunt and uncle1 and had helped to nurse the latter during the last few months4 ,my occupation has gone1 she pathetically wrote to ,dr4 ,bence ,jones4 ,on ,august #cjth1 the funeral took place1 everything being conducted simply and quietly2 it was1 as ,faraday had himself expressed a desire that it should be1 strictly private4 ,a plain headstone in ,highgate ,cemetery1 with the following simple inscription1 marks the place where lies all that was mortal of one of ,england's noblest sons4 ,,michael ,,faraday1 ,born1 #bbnd ,september1 #agia1 ,died1 #beth ,august1 #ahfg ,if it were necessary to add anything to these simple words that mark his resting-place1 there might be put1 and it would apply to ,faraday as truly as to any man that ever lived1 the well-known line-- ,an honest man1 the noblest work of ,god4 ,illustration ,,footnote3 #i ,author of ,conversations on ,chemistry1 a work which had had a considerable influence on ,faraday in his early youth4 ,illustration ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,,as ,,friend ,,and ,,lecturer4 ,i thought these men will carry hence ,promptings their former life above1 ,and something of a finer reverence ,for beauty1 truth1 and love4 ,,lowell4 ,at various periods of ,faraday's life his genial good-nature and kindliness have been brought home to us in different ways4 ,from that early time when he used to take care of his little sister ,margaret in ,manchester ,square1 up to the very latest course of ,juvenile ,lectures which he delivered at the ,royal ,institution in #ahfc1 he had always the same love for young people2 and1 as is usual with persons of such a disposition1 he was ever a great favourite of the children1 whether of those who used to hear his ,christmas lectures1 or with those happier ones who met him more intimately4 ,intimate seems perhaps a curious word to use with regard to the relations of young children and an old man2 but yet it is the only word that really expresses what is meant2 that really indicates that instant bond of sympathy that seems to connect children with men and women who possess the power of attracting and delighting them by becoming from the first as one of themselves4 ,this quality1 this delightful quality1 belonged to ,michael ,faraday in an eminent degree4 ,fortunate indeed were those children who listened to his ,christmas ,lectures to ,juveniles1 and fortunate also were those older people who were present on the same occasions4 ,many people who enjoyed the pleasure and privilege of hearing him at such a time recorded their impressions1 and pleasant reading is the result4 ,lady ,pollock1 for instance1 wrote3 ,when he lectured to children he was careful to be perfectly distinct1 and never allowed his ideas to outrun their intelligence4 ,he took great delight in talking to them1 and easily won their confidence4 ,the vivacity of his manner and of his countenance1 his pleasant laugh1 the frankness of his whole bearing1 attracted them to him4 ,they felt as if he belonged to them2 and indeed he sometimes1 in his joyous enthusiasm1 appeared like an inspired child4 ,he was not at all a man for evening parties2 he was nothing of a ladies' man2 but he was the true man for the juveniles1 and would go to see a domestic charade when the boys acted in it1 and suddenly appear behind the scene to offer a little help or suggest a new arrangement2 and then1 while he was in front1 he would laugh and applaud so loudly1 that his presence was the best encouragement which the young performers could have4 ,or he would help the young people to wonder at the feats of a conjuror1 or he would join in a round game1 and romp quite noisily4 ,but all was done with a natural impulse4 ,there was no assumption of kindness1 no air of condescension4 ,another writer1 who had the rare privilege of meeting the great man socially1 said3 ,nothing indeed pleased him better than to be a boy again1 and to mingle in the sports of the young1 especially if they took a turn congenial at all to his own pursuits4 ,he has been known to join a youthful party on a ,november evening to assist in a display of fireworks4 ,there he might be seen running to and fro in a garden at night1 with his pockets crammed with combustibles--now kindling lycopodium or burning potassium--then letting off blue fires1 green fires1 purple fires--sometimes dropping ignited crackers at the feet of the boys with an air of affected astonishment1 or probably chasing the girls in order to streak their cheeks with phosphorus4 ,as a lecturer to children ,faraday was indeed particularly successful and especially interesting4 ,his first course of ,christmas ,juvenile ,lectures was given in #ahbg--;his last1 on ,the ,chemical ,history of a ,candle1 was given in #ahfc1 and during that time he gave in all nineteen of these courses4 ,the first consisted of six lectures on chemistry1 and the first lecture of the course was illustrated with no fewer than eighty-six experiments1 which were1 it is scarcely necessary to say1 carried out on the platform4 ,in his note-book ,faraday made the following entry with regard to this course1 ,the six juvenile lectures were just what they ought to have been1 both in matter and manner2 but it would not answer to give an extended course in the same spirit4 ,one secret of ,faraday's success as a lecturer1 both to juveniles and others1 was the carefulness with which he always tried to ascertain what was the best method4 ,in early years he would have a friend 7,magrath1 or some other7 among the audience1 who was to tell him afterwards of any peculiarities1 either of manner or style1 that wanted correcting2 and ,miss ,reid tells us that in the early years of the ,juvenile ,lectures her uncle used to encourage her to tell him everything that struck her2 and1 when she did not fully understand him1 where her difficulties lay4 ,he would then enlarge upon those points in the next lecture1 and thus he made a child's remark serve him in making things clear to children4 ,he used also1 at first1 to have a card1 on which was distinctly written the word ,slow1 before him2 and if he forgot it and became rapid1 his assistant ,anderson had orders to place it before him4 ,sometimes also when his lecture hour was nearly expired1 he would arrange to have a card with the word ,time on it1 placed within his view4 ,one of his early courses for children treated of that subject which always possessed a great fascination for him1 and in which he did much of his greatest work--electricity4 ,the slight notes which he made for the first lecture of this course are interesting4 ,an extraordinary power that ,i have to explain2 not fear boldly entering into its consideration1 because ,i think it ought to be understood by children--not minutely1 but so as to think reasonably about it1 and such effects as children can produce1 or observe to take place in nature--simple instances of its power4 ,this first lecture was illustrated by eighty experiments4 ,we have dwelt upon his kindliness and sympathy with children2 but1 it may be noted1 he had none of his own1 though from almost the earliest year of his married life he always liked to have one or other of his nieces with him4 ,his love for children is well shown in an anecdote which ,dr4 ,gladstone tells of his later life4 ,he was at a soire at the house of ,mr4 ,justice ,grove2 the eldest daughter having heard him express himself disappointed at being too late to see any of the younger members of the family1 brought down the little ones in their nightgowns to the foot of the stairs1 when ,faraday showed how gratified he was by saying to her1 ,ah6 that's the best thing you've done to-night4 ,sometimes he would indulge in some slight practical jokes with the young people4 ,for instance1 a nephew visiting him in his study one morning1 ,faraday said to him1 ,why1 ,frank1 what a tall boy you are growing2 you can almost touch that brass ball--just try4 ,nothing loth1 the boy standing on tiptoe reached up and touched the ball with his fingers1 when his playful uncle gave a turn to a wheel and the boy received a slight shock1 and with it a first1 and somewhat unexpected1 lesson on the nature of electricity4 ,illustration3 ,,faraday ,,lecturing ,,before ,,the ,,prince ,,consort1 ,,prince ,,of ,,wales ,,and ,,duke ,,of ,,edinburgh4 ,reduction of the picture painted in #ahef by ,alexander ,blaikley4 ,the ,prince ,consort was a constant patron of the ,royal ,institution1 and the young princes also were present at many of the ,juvenile ,lectures4 ,after attending such a course ,h4,r4,h4 the ,prince of ,wales1 then a lad of fifteen1 and his brother1 ,h4,r4,h4 ,prince ,alfred1 ,duke of ,edinburgh1 wrote from ,windsor ,castle the following letters to ,professor ,faraday3-- ,dear ,sir1--,i am anxious to thank you for the advantage ,i have derived from attending your most interesting lectures4 ,their subject1 ,i know very well1 is of great importance1 and ,i hope to follow the advice you gave us of pursuing it beyond the lecture-room2 and ,i can assure you that ,i shall always cherish with great pleasure the recollection of having been assisted in my early studies in chemistry by so distinguished a man4 ,believe me1 dear ,sir1 yours truly1 ,,albert ,,edward4 ,prince ,alfred's letter was as follows3-- ,dear ,sir1--,i write to thank you very much for the pleasure you have given me by your lectures1 and ,i cannot help hoping they will not be the last ,i shall hear from you4 ,their subject was very interesting1 and your clear explanations made it doubly so4 ,believe me1 dear ,sir1 yours truly1 ,,alfred4 ,it is interesting to learn ,faraday's own views with regard to popular lectures1 for never yet was there a truly scientific lecturer who was more truly popular2 perhaps1 indeed1 there is no other single man who1 without in any degree lowering his work for the purpose1 succeeded so well in popularising scientific knowledge4 ,these are his own words on the subject3 ,as to popular lectures 7which at the same time are to be respectable and sound7 none are more difficult to find4 ,lectures which really teach will never be popular2 lectures which are popular will never really teach4 ,his own success as a lecturer was owing largely to the power he had of adapting himself to all minds1 from the deepest thinkers to the liveliest youth2 this power gave him a wide range of influence1 and his sympathy with the young among his listeners imparted more life and colour to his discourses than they might otherwise have possessed4 ,he had the art of making philosophy charming1 and this was due in no little measure to the fact that to grey-headed wisdom1 he united wonderful juvenility of spirit4 ,he was1 to quote once more from ,lady ,pollock's recollections of the illustrious lecturer1 completely master of the situation2 he had his audience at his command1 as he had himself and all his belongings2 he had nothing to fret him1 and he could give his eloquence full sway4 ,it was an irresistible eloquence1 which compelled attention and insisted upon sympathy4 ,it waked the young from their visions and the old from their dreams4 ,there was a gleaming in his eye which no painter could copy1 and which no poet could describe4444 ,his enthusiasm sometimes carried him to the point of ecstasy when he expatiated on the beauty of nature1 and when he lifted the veil from her deep mysteries4 ,his body then took motion from his mind2 his hair streamed out from his head1 his hands were full of nervous action1 his light1 lithe body seemed to quiver with its eager life4 ,his audience took fire with him1 and every face was flushed4444 ,a pleasant vein of humour accompanied his ardent imagination1 and occasionally1 not too often1 relieved the tension of thought imposed upon his pupils4 ,he would play with his subject now and then1 but very delicately2 his sport was only just enough to enliven the effort of attention4 ,he never suffered an experiment to allure him away from his theme4 ,every touch of his hand was a true illustration of his argument4 ,as he once remarked in giving advice to a young lecturer3 ,if ,i said to my audience1 ',this stone will fall to the ground if ,i open my hand1' ,i should open my hand and let it fall4 ,take nothing for granted as known2 inform the eye at the same time as you address the ear4 ,it is of interest here--after seeing how ,faraday as a lecturer impressed others--to note some of the remarks which he made on the subject of lectures1 lecturers1 and lecturing in his early correspondence with his friend1 ,benjamin ,abbott4 ,several long letters on this matter passed between the friends1 and ,faraday 7he was twenty-one at the time7 not only speaks in a discriminating manner with regard to lectures1 but he also treats with his native good sense of lecture rooms1 apparatus1 etc4 ,all his remarks1 he says in his earliest letter to ,abbott on the subject1 are the result of his own personal observation4 ,the most necessary quality for a lecturer1 says the youthful ,faraday1 is a good delivery2 he then dwells upon the necessity of illustrating a lecture with experiments wherever possible4 7,how well he carried this rule into practice has been seen in an earlier part of this chapter1 where we learned of some of his ,juvenile ,lectures being illustrated by upwards of eighty experiments47 ,a lecturer1 he goes on to say1 should appear easy and collected1 undaunted and unconcerned1#aj his thoughts about him1 and his mind clear and free for the contemplation and description of his subject4 ,he then says1 and we instantly think of the time card he had placed before him later1 ,i disapprove of long lectures2 one hour is long enough for anyone1 nor should they be allowed to exceed that time4 ,the last of this series of letters on lectures commences in a style of genial banter1 which1 as it illustrates the lighter side of ,faraday's character1 merits quotation4 ,dear ,abbott1 he writes1 ,as when on some secluded branch in forest far and wide sits perched an owl1 who1 full of self-conceit and self-created wisdom1 explains1 comments1 condemns1 ordains1 and orders things not understood1 yet full of his importance still holds forth to stocks and stones around--so sits and scribbles ,mike2 so he declaims to walls1 stones1 tables1 chairs1 hats1 books1 pens1 shoes1 and all the things inert that be around him1 and so he will to the end of the chapter4 ,this playful mood comes out1 also1 in one or two anecdotes which are told of him1 when his fame was established4 ,for instance1 an old lady friend being much troubled by some rancid butter1 thought that she had hit upon a method of improving it1 which she did by mixing with it a quantity of soda1 she having a somewhat high opinion of the purifying virtues of that alkali1 although1 it is to be presumed1 she little suspected the uses to which it was applied in the manufactures4 ,by this addition of soda1 she triumphantly claimed that her butter was greatly improved4 ,one evening1 when ,professor ,faraday called upon her1 the old lady produced a sample of her improved butter4 ,a merry laugh rang out from the philosopher's lips as he exclaimed1 ,well done1 ,mrs4 ,w41 you have improved your bad butter into very indifferent soap6 ,good-humoured and good-natured as ,faraday habitually was1 he did not like to be worried unnecessarily over unimportant matters2 and willing as he was to place even his invaluable time at the disposal of almost anyone who claimed his attention1 he had no patience with persons who came to him thoughtlessly1 as the following story shows3 ,a young man called on him one morning1 and with an air of great importance confided to him the result of some original researches in electrical philosophy4 ,and pray1 asked the professor1 taking down a volume of ,ree's ,cyclopoedia1 did you consult this1 or any elementary work1 to learn whether your discovery had been anticipated8 ,the young man replied in the negative4 ,then why do you come to waste my time about well-known facts that were published forty years ago8 ,sir1 said the visitor in self-excuse1 and hoping to flatter the philosopher1 ,i thought ,i had better bring the matter to headquarters immediately4 ,all very well for you1 but not so well for headquarters1 replied the professor sharply1 and he forthwith set his visitor to read the article in the ,cyclopoedia4 ,yet another story is told of a grave old gentleman who once waited upon ,faraday that he might show to him a new law of physics4 ,the gentleman asked for a jug of water and a tumbler2 they were brought1 and he then produced a cork4 ,you will be pleased to observe1 he then said1 how persistently this cork clings to the side of the glass when the vessel is half-filled4 ,just so1 replied the professor4 ,but now1 continued the discoverer of a new law of physics1 mark what happens when ,i fill the glass to the brim4 ,there6 you see the cork flies to the centre--positively repelled by the sides6 ,precisely so1 answered ,faraday in an amused tone1 which showed that the new law was more familiar to him than to his visitor1 who1 somewhat abashed1 said1 ,pray1 how long have you known this8 ,oh1 ever since ,i was a boy1 was the reply2 but the innate kindliness of his nature must show itself even in such a case1 for1 seeing the old gentleman's disappointed look1 he added that he was not to be grieved1 he might possibly some day alight upon something really new4 ,the last course of ,faraday's ,juvenile ,lectures--on ,the ,chemical ,history of a ,candle--has been referred to once or twice4 ,these lectures are indeed of very great interest1 not only in themselves as chemical illustrations1 but as being part of ,professor ,faraday's best known works1 and the only juvenile lectures of his which are obtainable in the form of a book4 ,the way in which he introduced his subject will show us how simple1 and yet how explicit he was in explaining to his young audience the phenomena which he brought before them4 ,i purpose1 he said1 to quote the beginning of the initial lecture of the series of six1 in return for the honour you do us by coming to see what are our proceedings here1 to bring before you in the course of these lectures1 the chemical history of a candle4 ,i have taken this subject on a former occasion1 and were it left to my own will1 ,i should prefer to repeat it almost every year--so abundant is the interest that attaches itself to the subject1 so wonderful are the varieties of outlet which it offers into the various departments of philosophy4 ,there is not a law under which any part of this universe is governed which does not come into play1 and is touched upon in these phenomena4 ,there is no better1 there is no more open door by which you can enter into the study of natural philosophy1 than by considering the physical phenomena of a candle4 ,i trust1 therefore1 ,i shall not disappoint you in choosing this for my subject rather than any newer topic1 which could not be better1 were it even so good4 ,and before proceeding1 let me say this also--that though our subject be so great1 and our intention that of treating it honestly1 seriously1 and philosophically1 yet ,i mean to pass away from all those who are seniors amongst us4 ,i claim the privilege of speaking to juveniles as a juvenile myself4 ,i have done so on former occasions--and1 if you please1 ,i shall do so again4 ,and though ,i stand here with the knowledge of having the words ,i utter given to the world1 yet that shall not deter me from speaking in the same familiar way to those whom ,i esteem nearest to me on this occasion4 ,and now1 my boys and girls1 ,i must first tell you of what candles are made4 ,some are great curiosities4 ,i have here some bits of timber1 branches of trees particularly famous for their burning4 ,and here you see a piece of that very curious substance taken out of some of the bogs in ,ireland1 called candlewood--a hard1 strong1 excellent wood1 evidently fitted for good work as a resister of force1 and yet withal burning so well that where it is found they make splinters of it1 and torches1 since it burns like a candle1 and gives a very good light indeed4 ,and in this wood we have one of the most beautiful illustrations of the general nature of a candle that ,i can possibly give4 ,the fuel provided1 the means of bringing that fuel to the place of chemical action1 the regular and gradual supply of air to that place of action--heat and light--all produced by a little piece of wood of this kind1 forming1 in fact1 a natural candle4 ,but we must speak of candles as they are in commerce4 ,here are a couple of candles commonly called dips4 ,they are made of lengths of cotton cut off1 hung up by a loop1 dipped into melted tallow1 taken out again and cooled1 then re-dipped until there is an accumulation of tallow round the cotton4 ,in order that you may have an idea of the various characters of these candles1 you see these which ,i hold in my hand--they are very small and very curious4 ,they are1 or were1 the candles used by miners in coal mines4 ,in olden times the miner had to find his own candles2 and it was supposed that a small candle would not so soon set fire to the fire-damp in the coal mines as a larger one2 and for that reason1 as well as for economy's sake1 he made candles of this sort--twenty1 thirty1 forty1 or sixty to the pound4 ,they have been replaced since then by the steel-mill1 and then by the ,davy lamp1 and other safety lamps of various kinds4 ,i have here a candle that was taken out of the ,royal ,george1 it is said1 by ,colonel ,pasley4 ,it has been sunk in the sea for many years1 subject to the action of salt water4 ,it shows you how well candles may be preserved2 for though it is cracked about and broken a good deal1 yet1 when lighted1 it goes on burning regularly1 and the tallow resumes its natural condition as soon as it is fused4 ,we have not space to quote further from these delightful lectures1 which however1 as ,i have said earlier1 can be got in a little volume by themselves4 ,these lectures were1 as indeed were most of ,faraday's lectures1 beautifully illustrated with a large number of experiments4 ,on one occasion1 when suffering much in health1 ,faraday yet insisted upon taking his place at the lecture table at the ,royal ,institution2 for an obstruction of voice1 which was indeed too painfully apparent1 he apologised1 saying that in an engagement where the contracting parties were one and many1 the one ought not on any slight ground to break his part of the engagement with the many1 and therefore1 if the audience would excuse his imperfect utterance he would proceed4 ,the audience murmured1 and there were cries of ,put off the lecture2 but ,faraday begged to be allowed to go on4 ,a medical man rose and said it would in his opinion be dangerous for the ,professor to proceed4 ,faraday still urged his desire to go on with the lecture2 he could not give people all the trouble of coming there1 having perhaps put off other engagements1 for nothing4 ,on this1 as by a single impulse1 the whole audience rose1 and ,faraday yielded to the generally expressed desire to spare him the pain and inconvenience of lecturing4 ,after a fortnight's rest he reappeared1 and continued the broken course1 carrying it on later that his audience should not lose any of the eight lectures which they had anticipated4 ,it was on a reappearance such as this after illness that as soon as his presence was recognised1 the whole audience rose simultaneously1 and burst into a spontaneous utterance of welcome1 loud and long4 ,,footnote3 #aj ,it is interesting here to see what ,tyndall says1 referring to ,faraday as a lecturer3 ,i doubt his unconcern1 but his fearlessness was often manifested4 ,it used to rise within him as a wave1 which carried both him and his audience along with it4 ,on rare occasions also1 when he felt himself and his subject hopelessly unintelligible1 he suddenly evoked a certain recklessness of thought2 and without halting to extricate his bewildered followers1 he would dash alone through the jungle into which he had unwittingly led them2 thus saving them from ennui by the exhibition of a vigour which1 for the time being1 they could neither share nor comprehend4 ,illustration ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,,notes ,,on ,,his ,,work4 ,so that ,i draw the breath of finer air ,station is nought1 nor footways laurel-strewn1 ,nor rivals tightly belted for the race4 ,god speed to them6 ,my place is here or there2 ,my pride is that among them ,i have place3 ,and thus ,i keep this instrument in tune4 ,,george ,,meredith4 ,in treating of the life-story of ,michael ,faraday ,i have let particulars as to his various experiments and discoveries interfere as little as possible with the continuity of the narrative1 and have thought it advisable to slightly refer to them in a special chapter4 ,the value of his contributions to our fund of scientific knowledge is made manifest by the fact that whatever book on electricity and allied subjects we may take up now--works even bringing the science down to the very latest date--we always find the name and experiments of ,michael ,faraday quoted with great respect as a leader and an unquestioned authority4 ,indeed1 our debt to him for his electrical work is incalculable2 we are now seeing the electric light carried day by day into more streets1 lighting more public places1 nay1 even being used in illuminating private buildings4 ,this light we owe1 primarily1 to ,michael ,faraday4 ,writing nearly a quarter of a century ago ,professor ,tyndall answers this question as to ,what is the use of it all8 thus explicitly and unhesitatingly--,as far as electricity has been applied for medical purposes1 it has been almost exclusively ,faraday's electricity4 ,you have noticed those lines of wire which cross the streets of ,london4 ,it is ,faraday's currents that speed from place to place through these wires4 ,approaching the point of ,dungeness the mariner sees an unusually brilliant light1 and from the noble phares of ,la ,hve the same light flashes across the sea4 ,these are ,faraday's sparks exalted by suitable machinery to sunlike splendour4 ,at the present moment the ,board of ,trade and the ,brethren of the ,trinity ,house1 as well as the ,commissioners of ,northern ,lights1 are contemplating the introduction of the ,magneto-electric ,light at numerous points upon our coasts2 and future generations will be able to refer to those guiding stars in answer to the question1 ,what has been the practical use of the labours of ,faraday8 ,but ,i would again emphatically say that his work needs no such justification2 and that if he had allowed his vision to be disturbed by considerations regarding the practical use of his discoveries1 those discoveries would never have been made by him4 ,in one of his very earliest lectures delivered before the ,city ,philosophical ,society on the subject of chlorine1#aa ,faraday referred to the question too often and too thoughtlessly put on hearing of a new discovery4 ,before leaving this subject1 he said1 ,i will point out the history of this substance1 as an answer to those who are in the habit of saying to every new fact1 ',what is its use8' ,benjamin ,franklin says to such1 ',what is the use of an infant8' ,the answer of the experimentalist is1 'endeavour to make it useful4' ,truly the infant ,electricity has already grown to goodly proportions4 ,it is to his researches in connection with electrical science that we must look for the chief result of ,faraday's work4 ,his later years were almost exclusively taken up in the investigation of this fascinating subject4 ,the value of his contributions to the sum of knowledge on this new branch of science was testified to in a remarkable manner during the past summer1 when the centenary of his birth was celebrated in a fitting manner at that ,institution which had been a home to him for so many years4 ,it was indeed an unique incident in the history of modern science1 when on the #agth of ,june1 #ahia1 many of the leading living scientists met in the theatre of the ,royal ,institution to hear a lecture by ,lord ,rayleigh on the life-work of one of ,england's greatest worthies4 ,a quarter of a century has not elapsed1 wrote a contemporary journal1#ab since his death1 and yet we find the highest nobles of the land vieing with the most illustrious professors of our own and of foreign universities in testifying their admiration for this man of the people1 who rose to be a leader of scientific men4 ,when the history of electricity comes to be written1 continues the same authority1 a chapter of great extent and first importance must be given to the prolific life-work of ,faraday4 ,he will be pointed to as the man who in the middle of the nineteenth century1 waged an energetic and relentless warfare against the two fluid theories in electricity and magnetism1 and who dealt its death-blow to the theory of action at a distance4 ,and to show the powerful influence his master-mind exercised over contemporary science1 the historian may merely refer to ,clerk-,maxwell1 ,sir ,william ,thomson1 ,rayleigh1 ,tyndall1 and others1 all admiring disciples and professed followers of the great ,michael ,faraday4 ,the meeting that thus did honour to the memory of ,faraday1 was probably the most fitting method of celebrating the anniversary of his birth that could have been devised2 it was1 we may feel sure1 just such a celebration as ,faraday would have felt most proud of4 ,wealth and social rank1 as we have seen throughout his life1 had no attraction for him2 but he did like to receive the appreciation of capable men1 in whose appreciation he found the highest honour to which it was possible to attain4 ,some of ,faraday's earliest experiments1 as was incidentally mentioned in an earlier part of this little book1 were in connection with chlorine1 etc41 and then on the making of glass for optical purposes2 and it was not1 indeed1 until he had been at the ,institution for about eighteen years that he really entered with any degree of success into his electrical research4 ,here it is of interest to note a remark which he once made in this connection to the effect that it requires twenty years of work to make a man in physical science1 the whole of the previous period being one of infancy4 ,once1 however1 he had reached this scientific manhood his work was done with remarkable rapidity2 he would1 once on the track1 so to speak1 of a discovery1 mature it in a space of time so short as to be nothing less than marvellous2 and one after another of his experimental researches were carried out1 completed1 described1 and the resultant paper submitted to the ,royal ,society with a rapidity1 and at the same time with an accuracy which has never been equalled4 ,he was asked once what was the secret of his success1 and answered that the whole secret might be told in three words1 they were these ,work--,finish--,publish4 ,perhaps the centre word is the one on which ,faraday would himself have lain most stress--he was always careful to finish everything before he announced it1 which makes his almost unexceptional accuracy1 considering the rapidity with which he worked1 even more remarkable4 ,it is1 however1 not inaccurate to say that the results which he definitely announced1 were never found to be wrong2 further developments have of course taken place1 but the result of a research as announced by him was never found to be untrue1 and has never had to be put aside4 ,he had said1 in the early part of his scientific career1 the thing that ,i am proudest of is that ,i have never been found to be wrong4 ,and after the death of his friend1 ,professor ,a4 de la ,rive wrote1 ,i do not think that ,faraday has once been caught in a mistake2 so precise and conscientious was his mode of experimenting and observing4 ,dr4 ,gladstone commenting upon this says1 ,the extreme rarity of his mistakes1 notwithstanding the immense amount of his published researches1 is one of those marvels which can be appreciated only by those who are in the habit of describing what they have seen in the mist-land that lies beyond the boundaries of previous knowledge4 ,the proper treatment of ,faraday's discoveries could of course only be undertaken by one who was himself a scientist2 the technicalities of the laboratory and the lecture-theatre would be somewhat out of place in a book such as this1 which but aims at presenting in a popular form the facts in connection with the life of one of the greatest of ,england's scientists--one of the best of her sons4 ,it may1 however1 here be pointed out that to those who would become acquainted with the details of ,faraday's scientific work1 with particulars of his numerous experiments1 a delightful introduction has been afforded by ,professor ,tyndall1 who in his little work on ,faraday as a ,discoverer1 has summarised much of the great man's work1 and explains in a clear and delightful manner much about the experiments which were undertaken and the discoveries which were made by his illustrious predecessor and friend4 ,it is of interest to notice here what discovery of ,faraday it is which ,tyndall selects as the greatest--it is the discovery of electro-magnetism1 of which he says3 ,the beauty and exactitude of the results of this investigation are extraordinary4 ,i cannot help thinking while ,i dwell upon them1 that this discovery of magneto-electricity is the greatest experimental result ever obtained by an investigator4 ,it is the ,mont ,blanc of ,faraday's own achievements4 ,he always worked at great elevations1 but a higher than this he never subsequently attained4 ,the following impromptu lines with reference to ,faraday's great discovery of magneto-electricity were written by ,herbert ,mayo3-- ,around the magnet ,faraday ,was sure that ,volta's lightnings play1 ,but how to draw them from the wire8 ,he drew a lesson from the heart4-- ',tis when we meet1 'tis when we part1 ,breaks forth th' electric fire4 ,of this same subject ,tyndall wrote shortly after ,faraday's death3--,seven and thirty years have passed since the discovery of magneto-electricity2 but1 if we except the extra current1 until quite recently nothing of moment was added to the subject4 ,faraday entertained the opinion that the discoverer of a great law or principle had a right to the 'spoils'--this was his term--arising from its illustration2 and guided by the principle he had discovered1 his wonderful mind1 aided by his wonderful ten fingers1 overran in a single autumn this vast domain1 and hardly left behind him the shred of a fact to be gathered by his successors4 ,this indeed is a quality which has been insisted upon by all who have as fellow scientists treated of the work which was done by ,michael ,faraday1--this quality1 that is1 of completion1 of thoroughness in finishing that which he had commenced2 he seemed to become aware almost as though by intuition of the full meaning of a discovery1 and of its true bearing with regard to previous knowledge4 ,great as was ,faraday's work in the service of science he not only did not aim at1 but he frequently declined to accept what many men would have considered but just reward4 ,he was a chemist1 a scientist1 a philosopher 7to give him the name which he best liked1 and of which he felt most proud71 and did his work as such from the purest love for it1 as ,i have tried to show in earlier chapters4 ,he did not seek worldly position--he was above it2 he did not seek for wealth1 he had no use for it1 as his wants were of the simplest2 he did not seek for popular applause1 for the suffrage of the multitude2 but what he did all his life long most earnestly and most faithfully strive for was--,truth4 ,he ever aimed at fulfilling what the ,laureate has beautifully expressed in his dedication to ,in ,memoriam wherein he says-- ,let knowledge grow from more to more1 ,and more of reverence in us dwell1 ,that mind and soul according well ,may make one music as before1 ,but vaster4 ,he sought to make knowledge grow from more to more1 but it is to be recollected that he never for one more moment swerved from his faithful adherence to his ,church4 ,in all his research among physical phenomena he was never led to doubt1 as some have done1 the truth of that religion in which he always maintained a sincere and beautiful faith2 his religion was1 indeed1 always a something far above his science1 a something sacred and of moment to himself1 as a single soul4 ,we saw in his reply to his wife on his formally entering the ,sandemanian ,church shortly after his marriage1 what was his attitude on this question4 ,it was1 as he had said1 a matter between himself and his ,god2 and thus we find in what he has written but very little about his religion1 although one or two of his letters to relations1 where he has been directly appealed to1 breathe the sincere and earnest devotion of the man1 and his true ,christian spirit4 ,his whole life was1 however1 a practical expression of his religious faith2 as is shown to us by what has been said or written by all who came in contact with him4 ,the following tribute to his memory from ,monsieur ,dumas is yet one further proof of the universal feeling which his friendship inspired1 ,i do not know whether there is a savant who would not feel happy in leaving behind him such works as those with which ,faraday has gladdened his contemporaries1 and which he has left as a legacy to posterity2 but ,i am certain that all those who have known him would wish to approach that moral perfection which he attained to without effort4 ,in him it appeared to be a natural grace1 which made him a professor1 full of ardour for the diffusion of truth1 an indefatigable worker1 full of enthusiasm and sprightliness in his laboratory1 the best and most amiable of men in the bosom of his family1 and the most enlightened preacher among the humble flock whose faith he followed4 ,the simplicity of his heart1 his candour1 his ardent love of the truth1 his fellow interest in all the successes1 and ingenuous admiration of all the discoveries of others1 his natural modesty in regard to what he himself discovered1 his noble soul--independent and bold--all these combined gave an incomparable charm to the illustrious physicist4 ,i have never known a man more worthy of being loved1--of being admired1--of being mourned4 ,fidelity to his religious faith1 and the constant observance of the moral law1 constitute the ruling characteristics of his life4444 ,there is more than one useful lesson to be learnt from the proper study of this illustrious man1 whose youth endured poverty with dignity1 whose mature age bore honours with moderation1 and whose last years passed gently away surrounded by marks of respect and tender affection4 ,several stories are told that illustrate the constant habit of experimenting which seemed to be innate in ,faraday's mind1 and also show how simple were the means which he often adopted to attain a required end4 ,an example of the latter is given us by ,sir ,frederick ,arrow in describing a visit which he1 as one of the ,committee of the ,elder ,brethren of the ,trinity ,house1 paid1 to observe the ,dungeness electric light1 in ,june #ahfb4 ,the committee accompanied ,faraday1 who had always been a most energetic worker in the cause of the ,trinity ,house4 ,we dined1 says ,sir ,frederick ,arrow1 ,i think at ,dover1 and embarked in the yacht from there1 and were out for some hours watching it1 to ,faraday's great delight--7a very fine night7--and especially we did so from the ,varne lightship about equi-distant between it and the ,french light of ,grisnez1 using all our best glasses and photometers to ascertain the relative value of the lights2 and this brings me to my story4 ,before we left ,dover1 ,faraday1 with his usual bright smile1 in great glee showed me a little common paper-box1 and said1 ',i must take care of this2 it's my special photometer1'--and then1 opening it1 produced a lady's ordinary black shawl pin--jet1 or imitation perhaps--and then1 holding it a little way off the candle1 showed me the image very distinct2 and then putting it a little further off1 placed another candle near it1 and the relative distance was shown by the size of the image4 ,he lent me this afterwards when we were at the ,varne lightship1 and it acted admirably2 ever since ,i have used one as a very convenient mode of observing1 and ,i never do so but ,i think of that night and dear good ,faraday1 and his genial happy way of showing how even common things may be made useful4 ,such men as had occasion to work in the laboratory with ,faraday1 were always struck by his lively enthusiasm1 and the great activity with which he worked--his motions were wonderfully rapid2 and if he had to cross the laboratory for anything1 he did not walk at an ordinary step but ran for it1 and when he wanted anything he spoke quickly4 ,in his methods of working he was most exact4 ,having carefully planned out in his own mind work to be done1 he would enter the laboratory1 and with his table unencumbered with anything beyond such things as he was using1 would set to work in a grave1 silent manner4 ,after a time1 however1 as the experiment proceeded and the result which he had anticipated began to manifest itself1 he would begin humming a tune1 and even speak to his attendant of the expected result4 ,on finishing such experimental work for the day1 everything had to be put carefully away1 all bottles stoppered1 open vessels covered over1 all instruments and materials returned to their various drawers1 all rubbish cleared from the floor1 and the laboratory left ready for the ,professor to start work again4 ,faraday would then go upstairs to his study1 and think further on the subject on which he happened to be working4 ,in his later years we are told that he invariably carried about with him convenient sized cards on which he could jot down at once--in the street1 in the lecture room1 at a friend's1 indeed anywhere--such thoughts as should flash across his mind4 ,a few words deserve to be said with regard to ,sergeant ,anderson1 who for over thirty years acted as ,faraday's laboratory assistant at the ,royal ,institution4 ,in #ahbi1 when ,faraday was working at experiments on the manufacture of glass for optical purposes1 a special furnace was erected at the ,royal ,institution1 and ,anderson was engaged to assist at it4 ,after the glass experiments were over1 however1 ,anderson1 who had demonstrated his usefulness1 was retained1 and he continued throughout the rest of ,faraday's life as his assistant1 having won the good opinion not only of the ,professor but of all with whom he had anything to do4 ,there is one good story told of ,anderson1 who had been chosen for his post on account of the habits of strict obedience1 which his military training had given him4 ,his duty was to keep the furnaces always at the same heat1 and the water in the ashpit always at the same level4 ,in the evening he was released2 but one night ,faraday forgot to tell ,anderson he could go1 and early next morning he found his faithful servant still stoking the glowing furnace1 as he had been doing all night long4 ,,footnotes3 #aa ,a non-metallic element first discovered in #aggd by ,scheele1 and the subject of much research to succeeding chemists4 #ab ,engineering for ,june #aith1 #ahia4 ,illustration ,,chapter ,x4 ,,about ,,the ,,royal ,,institution4 ,the heights by great men reached and kept ,were not attained by sudden flight1 ,but they1 while their companions slept1 ,were toiling upward in the night4 ,standing on what too long we bore1 ,with shoulders bent and downcast eyes1 ,we may discern--unseen before-- ,a path to higher destinies4 ,nor deem the irrevocable past ,as wholly wasted1 wholly vain1 ,if1 rising on its wrecks1 at last ,to something nobler we attain4 ,,longfellow4 ,the ,royal ,institution1 which for so many years was home to ,michael ,faraday1 must ever remain intimately associated with his name4 ,it is not a hundred years since it was founded1 yet its history is the history of ,sir ,humphry ,davy1 ,michael ,faraday1 and ,john ,tyndall--or perhaps it would be more correct to say that its history is in a large measure a history of experimental research during the century4 ,before regarding the ,institution as it is especially connected with the life-story of ,michael ,faraday1 it may be well to just glance at its origin4 ,early in the year #agii a party of noblemen and gentlemen met at the house of ,sir ,joseph ,banks for the purpose of forming themselves1 at the suggestion of ,count ,rumford1 into a ,society for bettering the condition of the poor4 ,count ,rumford and his friends were most anxious for the success of their undertaking2 and having once made a start did not remain idle1 but in ,january1 #ahjj1 succeeded in having their ,society incorporated by ,royal ,charter4 ,the ,society started perhaps on a somewhat narrower basis than that on which it now stands2 its original object was that it should be an institution for diffusing the knowledge1 and facilitating the general introduction of useful mechanical inventions and improvements2 and for teaching by courses of philosophical lectures and experiments1 the application of science to the common purposes of life4 ,in a guide to ,london published in the early part of the present century1 ,no4 #ba1 ,albemarle ,street is thus referred to3 ,here is also the ,society's house for the encouragement of improvements in arts and manufactures1 or the ,royal ,institution4 ,the front of this house is barricaded by double windows1 to prevent the entrance of cold in winter and heat in summer4 ,here is a room for experimental dinners1 and a kitchen fitted up on the late ,count ,rumford's plan4 ,adjoining this is a large workshop1 in which a number of coppersmiths1 braziers1 etc41 are employed1 and over this a large room for the reception of such models of machinery as may be presented to the ,institution4 ,it has been said that chemistry dates one of its chief epochs from the foundation of the ,royal ,institution laboratory4 ,the large building in ,albemarle ,street cannot be mistaken1 for there are along the front of it fourteen great fluted ,corinthian columns which give a striking appearance to the premises4 ,these columns were built on to the face of the building in #ahch1 at a cost of five hundred pounds1 by ,mr4 ,lewis ,vulliamy4 ,illustration3 ,from photo by ,,royal ,,institution1 ,,albemarle ,,street4 ,h4 ,dixon ,son4 ,that the ,royal ,institution is1 indeed1 well worth visiting it must be quite unnecessary to say4 ,even was there not much to be seen which is of itself interesting1 the place would have an attraction as being the place where so much has been done for the advancement of science by ,faraday1 his predecessors1 ,davy1 ,rumford1 and ,brande1 and by ,tyndall1 and other successors4 ,illustration3 ,from photo by ,,lecture-,,theatre1 ,,royal ,,institution4 ,h4 ,dixon ,son4 ,on entering the building we find ourselves in a lofty hall2 in front of us1 at the head of a short flight of stone steps1 is a large portrait of ,sir ,humphry ,davy1 while to the right we see ,foley's fine and striking statue of ,faraday1 which was placed there as being the most fitting memorial of the great man's connection with the ,institution4 ,on going up the flight of steps to the right1 we find ourselves in the well-appointed library1 where we are shown under a glass case a beautiful little statuette of ,faraday1 and also a large photograph portrait of the philosopher4 ,we next visit the lecture-theatre1 our eyes being immediately drawn to the seat over the clock1 where ,michael ,faraday as a boy first sat1 and listened and marvelled at the wonders of chemistry unfolded before him by the great ,humphry ,davy4 ,this theatre it may be noted is one of the best for its acoustic properties in ,london4 ,well may we pause here--thinking of the great men who have lectured here1 and of the great men who have come here to listen4 ,it may be mentioned that the lectures are not strictly confined to scientific subjects1 for it was here1 in #ahab1 that ,thomas ,campbell gave his course of lectures on poetry1 and that another poet--,thomas ,moore--was also invited to lecture4 ,from the lecture-theatre we are taken downstairs to see the room where all the numerous instruments and materials are kept4 ,here we are shown the primitive electrical machine1 which ,faraday early constructed for himself1 and many of the things which he used in his work2 here1 too1 we have pointed out to us a large glass-case running along one side of the room1 and divided into sections1 each section containing the tools and appliances used by one or other of the great men of the ,institution1 ,davy and ,brande and ,faraday himself4 ,in several of the smaller rooms through which we are permitted to pass1 we notice among the many portraits several of the subjects of this little work4 ,and among other interesting things especially pointed out to us there is a locked glass-case presented to the ,royal ,institution by ,michael and ,sarah ,faraday 7it was characteristic of ,faraday thus to put his wife in as one of the donors74 ,this case contains several books which ,michael had himself bound in those days when1 disliking trade1 he was seeking to enter the service of science4 ,there are1 besides1 several books of ,davy's and several manuscripts of his also1 which his assistant had carefully kept4 ,and not only is the building worthy a visit on account of the many interesting relics it contains of some of our greatest scientists1 and on account of the memoirs of its many great men1 but even to the unscientific there is much that is attractive in the ,friday ,evening ,lectures1 which since that year #ahbf1 when ,faraday may be said to have inaugurated them1 up to now1 have been regularly carried on4 ,no trouble is spared by the lecturers to make their matter understood1 and innumerable experiments are presented on these occasions4 ,the experiments1 too1 are such as often require a great expenditure of time and trouble in their preparation4 ,as an instance of this ,i may mention an experiment which was made on the occasion of my latest attendance at a ,friday evening4 ,the lecturer was ,professor ,harold ,dixon2 the subject of which he was treating was ,the ,rate of ,explosion of ,gases4 ,to show the rapidity with which an explosion of a certain gas travelled1 the lecturer had fitted up a leaden piping all round the theatre2 the ends of the piping rested upon either end of the table at which ,professor ,dixon was lecturing4 ,the piping was filled with gas1 and the ,professor applied a light at one end2 a sharp explosion took place as the gas was fired1 and was followed almost instantaneously by an explosion at the other end of the pipe--the explosion having in that very short time travelled through a length of two hundred and twenty feet of piping6 ,i quote this instance to show that no trouble is spared in preparing an illustrative experiment1 although such experiment may be demonstrated in a minute or less4 ,it may be appropriate1 while considering the long connection of ,faraday with the scene of his many experimental triumphs1 to refer more particularly to that unique meeting which took place last summer 7,june #hth1 #ahia7 in celebration of the hundredth anniversary of the birth of ,faraday1 and to which slight reference is made in the last chapter4 ,the meeting1 appropriately enough1 took the form of a gathering in the theatre of the ,royal ,institution of many of the most able and distinguished chemists of the day2 ,lord ,rayleigh delivering an address on the developments of ,faraday's discoveries4 ,the chair was taken by ,his ,royal ,highness the ,prince of ,wales1 who referred in his opening remarks to the time when he had sat in that theatre and listened to ,faraday himself4 ,the letter from ,h4,r4,h41 which is quoted on p4 #aca1 was read1 as was also the following letter which the ,prince wrote to ,mrs4 ,faraday on the occasion of her husband's death4 ,wiesbaden1 ,september #aj1 #ahfg4 ,dear ,mrs4 ,faraday1--,although ,i have not the pleasure of knowing you1 ,i cannot resist sending you a few lines to tell you how deeply grieved and distressed ,i am to hear of the death of your husband1 ,professor ,faraday4 ,having had the great pleasure of knowing him for some years1 and having heard his interesting lectures when quite a boy1 ,i can fully appreciate how great the loss must be1 not only to you1 but to the whole country at large1 where his name was deeply venerated by all classes4 ,his name will not only be remembered as a great and distinguished scientific man1 but also as a good man1 whose excellent and amiable qualities were so universally known4 ,pardon my trespassing so soon on your great grief1 and believe me1 dear ,mrs4 ,faraday1 yours very sincerely1 ,,albert ,,edward4 ,a very interesting yet pathetic letter was read from ,dr4 ,tyndall1 which1 coming as it did from a man who had so well known and so thoroughly appreciated ,faraday1 is of great interest to us4 ,as ,faraday recedes from me in time1 wrote ,tyndall1 he becomes to me more and more beautiful4 ,anything1 therefore1 calculated to do honour to his memory must command my entire sympathy4 ,but the utmost liberty ,i can now allow myself is to be shifted from my bed to a couch1 and wheeled to a position near the window1 from which ,i can see the bloom of the gorse and the brown of the heather4 ,thus1 considerations affecting the body only present an insuperable barrier to my going to ,london on ,wednesday4 ,not very far from ,albemarle ,street1 is ,blandford ,street1 where it will be remembered ,michael ,faraday began the battle of life as a newsboy4 ,mr4 ,riebau's shop 7,no4 #b7 is yet standing1 and is still a stationer's and bookseller's4 ,over the shop front is now to be observed a plaque1 on which are the simple words1 ,michael ,faraday1 ,man of ,science1 apprentice here1 #agia-ahfg4 ,professor ,tyndall tells us of a pleasing story of a visit which he paid with the ex-bookbinder to this scene of his early labours4 ,mr4 ,faraday and myself quitted the ,institution one evening together1 to pay a visit in ,baker ,street4 ,he took my arm at the door1 and pressing it to his side in his warm genial way1 said1 ',come1 ,tyndall1 ,i will now show you something that will interest you4' ,we reached ,blandford ,street2 and after a little looking about1 he paused before a stationer's shop1 and then went in4 ,on entering the shop1 his usual animation seemed doubled2 he looked rapidly at everything it contained4 ,to the left on entering was a door1 through which he looked down into a little room1 with a window in front facing ,blandford ,street4 ,drawing me toward him1 he said eagerly1 ',look there1 ,tyndall1 that was my working-place4 ,i bound books in that little nook4' ,a respectable-looking woman stood behind the counter2 his conversation with me was too low to be heard by her1 and he now turned to the counter to buy some cards as an excuse for our being there4 ,he asked the woman her name--her predecessor's name--his predecessor's name4 ',that won't do1' he said1 with good-humoured impatience2 'who was his predecessor8' ',mr4 ,riebau1' she replied1 and immediately added1 as if suddenly recollecting herself1 ',he1 sir1 was the master of ,sir ,charles ,faraday6' ',nonsense6' he responded1 'there is no such person6' ,great was her delight when ,i told her the name of her visitor2 but she assured me that as soon as she saw him running about the shop1 she felt--though she did not know why--that it must be ,sir ,charles ,faraday6 ,turning to our right on coming out of ,no4 #b1 ,blandford ,street1 we shall notice on the opposite side of the way a small turning down under an archway4 ,that turning is the beginning of ,jacob's ,well ,mews1 where the ,faraday family lived1 and of which an illustration has been given on an earlier page of this book4 ,the place is interesting and worthy of a visit1 as showing us that however poor and unpromising may be the surroundings of a man's childhood1 he may yet win for himself an enduring name1 as has ,michael ,faraday1 not only in the annals of his own country1 but in those of knowledge--whose annals are concerned not with one1 but with all countries4 ,a most interesting and pleasant trip1 too1 may be taken to ,hampton ,court ,green1 where a visit can be paid to the house1 the use of which ,her ,majesty the ,queen so kindly gave to the ,professor1 and where he passed the greater part of the last ten years of his life4 ,of the very many visitors to the famous palace and gardens of ,hampton ,court1 there are1 ,i fear1 not a very large proportion who notice the charming little house facing the ,green1 and not far from the entrance to the ,palace where the ,professor lived4 ,faraday ,house1 however1 appears much the same as it did when he whose name it now bears was living there4 ,with its front all overgrown with ivy and ,virginian creeper1 with its creeper-bowered archway from the gate to the front door1 with its trees and shrubs all along the front1 and with its view across the ,green to the trees in the ,palace grounds beyond1 the old-fashioned house has a delightful aspect1 and seems indeed an ideal spot to which a man of ,faraday's simple1 unpretentious1 yet nature-loving character1 could retire after a long life of arduous and useful work4 ,the following in memoriam poem1 which appeared in the pages of ,punch shortly after ,faraday's death1 so beautifully sums up much of the man's life and character1 that it may be fittingly quoted as a conclusion to this short account of the life of the illustrious philosopher1 a life which must impress all who have studied it as one of the purest and most unselfish of which we have any record4 ,statesmen and soldiers1 authors1 artists1--still ,the topmost leaves fall off our ,english oak3 ,some in green summer's prime1 some in the chill ,of autumn-tide1 some by late winter's stroke4 ,another leaf has dropped on that sere heap-- ,one that hung highest2 earliest to invite ,the golden kiss of morn1 and last to keep ,the fire of eve--but still turned to the light4 ,no soldier's1 statesman's1 poet's1 painter's name ,was this1 through which is drawn death's last black line2 ,but one of rarer1 if not loftier fame-- ,a priest of ,truth1 who lived within her shrine4 ,a priest of ,truth3 his office to expound ,earth's mysteries to all who willed to hear-- ,who in the book of science sought and found1 ,with love1 that knew all reverence1 but no fear4 ,a priest who prayed as well as ministered3 ,who grasped the faith he preached1 and held it fast3 ,knowing the light he followed never stirred1 ,howe'er might drive the clouds through which it past4 ,and if ,truth's priest1 servant of ,science too1 ,whose work was wrought for love and not for gain3 ,not one of those who serve but to ensue ,their private profit3 lordship to attain ,over their lord1 and bind him in green withes1 ,for grinding at the mill 'neath rod and cord2 ,of the large grist that they may take their tithes-- ,so some serve ,science that call ,science lord4 ,one rule his life was fashioned to fulfil3 ,that he who tends ,truth's shrine1 and does the hest ,of ,science1 with a humble1 faithful will1 ,the ,god of ,truth and ,knowledge serveth best4 ,and from his humbleness what heights he won6 ,by slow march of induction1 pace on pace1 ,scaling the peaks that seem to strike the sun1 ,whence few can look1 unblinded1 in his face4 ,until he reached the stand which they that win ,a bird's-eye glance o'er ,nature's realm may throw2 ,whence the mind's ken by larger sweeps takes in ,what seems confusion1 looked at from below4 ,till out of seeming chaos order grows1 ,in ever-widening orbs of law restrained1 ,and the ,creation's mighty music flows ,in perfect harmony1 serene1 sustained2 ,and from varieties of force and power1 ,a larger unity and larger still1 ,broadens to view1 till in some breathless hour ,all force is known1 grasped in a central ,will1 ,thunder and light revealed as one same strength-- ,modes of the force that works at ,nature's heart-- ,and through the ,universe's veind length ,bids1 wave on wave1 mysterious pulses dart4 ,that cosmic heart-beat it was his to list1 ,to trace those pulses in their ebb and flow ,towards the fountain-head1 where they subsist ,in form as yet not given e'en him to know4 ,yet1 living face to face with these great laws1 ,great truths1 great myst'ries1 all who saw him near ,knew him for childlike1 simple1 free from flaws ,of temper1 full of love that casts out fear3 ,untired in charity1 of cheer serene2 ,not caring world's wealth or good word to earn2 ,childhood's or manhood's ear content to win2 ,and still as glad to teach as meek to learn4 ,such lives are precious3 not so much for all ,of wider insight won where they have striven1 ,as for the still small voice with which they call ,along the beamy way from earth to heaven4 ,,the ,,end4 ,,london3 ,,knight1 ,,printer1 ,,middle ,,street1 ,,aldersgate1 ,e4,c4 99 99 99 99 99 ,transcriber's note3 ,footnotes have been moved to the end of each chapter and renumbered consecutively through the document4 ,illustrations have been moved to paragraph breaks near where they are discussed4 oe changed to oe3 p4 #ig 7,phoebus71 p4 #acf 7,cyclopoedia in #b places7 ,punctuation has been made consistent4 ,variations in spelling and hyphenation were retained as they appear in the original publication4 ,changes have been made as follows3 ,page #ace3 whe changed to who 7anyone who claimed his attention7 ,page #aeg3 precedessor changed to to predecessor 7predecessor8' ',mr4 ,riebau17 ,page #aeh3 virginian changed to ,virginian 7with ivy and ,virginian creeper7