Excerpt from Popular Science Review, Vol. 1
There is a tale told of a wealthy farmer who had a lazy and improvident son, whom he called to his bedside in his dying hour, to inform him that in a certain part of his farm he had concealed a treasure. Before he had time, however, to state the precise locality in which it was hidden he was overtaken by death, and prevented from completing the revelation.
The narrative goes on to say that as soon as the old man's spirit was departed, the son delved over every portion of his farm in search of the treasure; and in order the better to conceal his object, he at once caused the soil to be prepared for the sowing season. The precious hoard was nowhere to be found; but owing to the thorough tillage to which his land had been subjected, his first crop was so prolific that it encouraged him to further industry; and growing in substance, he forsook his indolent ways and became a wealthy and respected yeoman.
This story, which is no doubt familiar to most of our readers, is remarkably figurative of man's progress in scientific knowledge. There is another Father; and one of the means employed by Him to develop the noblest powers of his children (often turning them from evil to good courses), is the appeal to their love of gain. A moment's consideration will suggest to every thoughtful reader familiar illustrations of this truth, and we venture to say that every number of this Journal will contain statements of facts by which it will be corroborated.
One example, however, appears to us more striking and appropriate than any other, and it is this:
The desire to become possessed of immense treasures induced the representatives of science, in former times, to deny themselves almost every earthly enjoyment.
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