In　Europe　the　number　of　socialists　steadily　increased　and　it
  was　soon　clear　that　the　Socialists　did　not　contemplate　a　violent
  revolution　but　were　using　their　increasing　power　in　the　different
  Parliaments　to　promote　the　interests　of　the　labouring
  classes。　Socialists　were　even　called　upon　to　act　as　Cabinet
  Ministers；　and　they　co…operated　with　progressive　Catholics　and
  Protestants　to　undo　the　damage　that　had　been　caused　by　the
  Industrial　Revolution　and　to　bring　about　a　fairer　division　of
  the　many　benefits　which　had　followed　the　introduction　of　machinery
  and　the　increased　production　of　wealth。
  THE　AGE　OF　SCIENCE
  BUT　THE　WORLD　HAD　UNDERGONE　ANOTHER
  CHANGE　WHICH　WAS　OF　GREATER
  IMPORTANCE　THAN　EITHER　THE　POLITICAL
  OR　THE　INDUSTRIAL　REVOLUTIONS。
  AFTER　GENERATIONS　OF　OPPRESSION
  AND　PERSECUTION；　THE　SCIENTIST　HAD
  AT　LAST　GAINED　LIBERTY　OF　ACTION
  AND　HE　WAS　NOW　TRYING　TO　DISCOVER
  THE　FUNDAMENTAL　LAWS　WHICH　GOVERN
  THE　UNIVERSE
  THE　Egyptians；　the　Babylonians；　the　Chaldeans；　the　Greeks
  and　the　Romans；　had　all　contributed　something　to　the　first
  vague　notions　of　science　and　scientific　investigation。　But　the
  great　migrations　of　the　fourth　century　had　destroyed　the　classical
  world　of　the　Mediterranean；　and　the　Christian　Church；　which
  was　more　interested　in　the　life　of　the　soul　than　in　the　life　of　the
  body；　had　regarded　science　as　a　manifestation　of　that　human　arrogance
  which　wanted　to　pry　into　divine　affairs　which　belonged
  to　the　realm　of　Almighty　God；　and　which　therefore　was　closely
  related　to　the　seven　deadly　sins。
  The　Renaissance　to　a　certain　but　limited　extent　had　broken
  through　this　wall　of　Mediaeval　prejudices。　The　Reformation；
  however；　which　had　overtaken　the　Renaissance　in　the　early　16th
  century；　had　been　hostile　to　the　ideals　of　the　‘‘new　civilisation；''
  and　once　more　the　men　of　science　were　threatened　with　severe
  punishment；　should　they　try　to　pass　beyond　the　narrow　limits
  of　knowledge　which　had　been　laid　down　in　Holy　Writ。
  Our　world　is　filled　with　the　statues　of　great　generals；　atop
  of　prancing　horses；　leading　their　cheering　soldiers　to　glorious
  victory。　Here　and　there；　a　modest　slab　of　marble　announces
  that　a　man　of　science　has　found　his　final　resting　place。　A　thousand
  years　from　now　we　shall　probably　do　these　things　differently；
  and　the　children　of　that　happy　generation　shall　know
  of　the　splendid　courage　and　the　almost　inconceivable　devotion
  to　duty　of　the　men　who　were　the　pioneers　of　that　abstract
  knowledge；　which　alone　has　made　our　modern　world　a　practical
  possibility。
  Many　of　these　scientific　pioneers　suffered　poverty　and　contempt
  and　humiliation。　They　lived　in　garrets　and　died　in　dungeons。
  They　dared　not　print　their　names　on　the　title…pages　of
  their　books　and　they　dared　not　print　their　conclusions　in　the
  land　of　their　birth；　but　smuggled　the　manuscripts　to　some　secret
  printing　shop　in　Amsterdam　or　Haarlem。　They　were　exposed
  to　the　bitter　enmity　of　the　Church；　both　Protestant　and　Catholic；
  and　were　the　subjects　of　endless　sermons；　inciting　the　parishioners
  to　violence　against　the　‘‘heretics。''
  Here　and　there　they　found　an　asylum。　In　Holland；　where
  the　spirit　of　tolerance　was　strongest；　the　authorities；　while
  regarding　these　scientific　investigations　with　little　favour；　yet
  refused　to　interfere　with　people's　freedom　of　thought。　It　became
  a　little　asylum　for　intellectual　liberty　where　French　and
  English　and　German　philosophers　and　mathematicians　and
  physicians　could　go　to　enjoy　a　short　spell　of　rest　and　get　a
  breath　of　free　air。
  In　another　chapter　I　have　told　you　how　Roger　Bacon；　the
  great　genius　of　the　thirteenth　century；　was　prevented　for　years
  from　writing　a　single　word；　lest　he　get　into　new　troubles　with
  the　authorities　of　the　church。　And　five　hundred　years　later；　the
  contributors　to　the　great　philosophic　‘‘Encyclopaedia''　were　under
  the　constant　supervision　of　the　French　gendarmerie。　Half
  a　century　afterwards；　Darwin；　who　dared　to　question　the　story
  of　the　creation　of　man；　as　revealed　in　the　Bible；　was　denounced
  from　every　pulpit　as　an　enemy　of　the　human　race。
  Even　to…day；　the　persecution　of　those　who　venture　into　the
  unknown　realm　of　science　has　not　entirely　come　to　an　end。
  And　while　I　am　writing　this　Mr。　Bryan　is　addressing　a　vast
  multitude　on　the　‘‘Menace　of　Darwinism；''　warning　his　hearers
  against　the　errors　of　the　great　English　naturalist。
  All　this；　however；　is　a　mere　detail。　The　work　that　has　to
  be　done　invariably　gets　done；　and　the　ultimate　profit　of　the
  discoveries　and　the　inventions　goes　to　the　mass　of　those　same　people
  who　have　always　decried　the　man　of　vision　as　an　unpractical　idealist。
  The　seventeenth　century　had　still　preferred　to　investigate
  the　far　off　heavens　and　to　study　the　position　of　our
  planet　in　relation　to　the　solar　system。　Even　so；　the　Church　had
  disapproved　of　this　unseemly　curiosity；　and　Copernicus　who
  first　of　all　had　proved　that　the　sun　was　the　centre　of　the　universe；
  did　not　publish　his　work　until　the　day　of　his　death。　Galileo
  spent　the　greater　part　of　his　life　under　the　supervision　of　the
  clerical　authorities；　but　he　continued　to　use　his　telescope　and
  provided　Isaac　Newton　with　a　mass　of　practical　observations；
  which　greatly　helped　the　English　mathematician　when　he　dis…
  covered　the　existence　of　that　interesting　habit　of　falling　objects
  which　came　to　be　known　as　the　Law　of　Gravitation。
  That；　for　the　moment　at　least；　exhausted　the　interest　in　the
  Heavens；　and　man　began　to　study　the　earth。　The　invention
  of　a　workable　microscope；　（a　strange　and　clumsy　little　thing；）
  by　Anthony　van　Leeuwenhoek　during　the　last　half　of　the　17th
  century；　gave　man　a　chance　to　study　the　‘‘microscopic''　creatures
  who　are　responsible　for　so　many　of　his　ailments。　It　laid
  the　foundations　of　the　science　of　‘‘bacteriology''　which　in　the
  last　forty　years　has　delivered　the　world　from　a　great　number　of
  diseases　by　discovering　the　tiny　organisms　which　cause　the
  complaint。　It　also　allowed　the　geologists　to　make　a　more
  careful　study　of　different　rocks　and　of　the　fossils　（the　petrified
  prehistoric　plants）　which　they　found　deep　below　the　surface　of
  the　earth。　These　investigations　convinced　them　that　the　earth
  must　be　a　great　deal　older　than　was　stated　in　the　book　of
  Genesis　and　in　the　year　1830；　Sir　Charles　Lyell　published　his
  ‘‘Principles　of　Geology''　which　denied　the　story　of　creation　as
  related　in　the　Bible　and　gave　a　far　more　wonderful　description
  of　slow　growth　and　gradual　development。
  At　the　same　time；　the　Marquis　de　Laplace　was　working　on
  a　new　theory　of　creation；　which　made　the　earth　a　little　blotch
  in　the　nebulous　sea　out　of　which　the　planetary　system　had
  been　formed　and　Bunsen　and　Kirchhoff；　by　the　use　of　the
  spectroscope；　were　investigating　the　chemical　composition　of　the
  stars　and　of　our　good　neighbour；　the　sun；　whose　curious　spots
  had　first　been　noticed　by　Galileo。
  Meanwhile　after　a　most　bitter　and　relentless　warfare　with
  the　clerical　authorities　of　Catholic　and　Protestant　lands；　the
  anatomists　and　physiologists　had　at　last　obtained　permission
  to　dissect　bodies　and　to　substitute　a　positive　knowledge　of　our
  organs　and　their　habits　for　the　guesswork　of　the　mediaeval
  quack。
  Within　a　single　generation　（between　1810　and　1840）　more
  progress　was　made　in　every　branch　of　science　than　in　all　the
  hundreds　of　thousands　of　years　that　had　passed　since　man　first
  looked　at　the　stars　and　wondered　why　they　were　there。　It
  must　have　been　a　very　sad　age　for　the　people　who　had　been
  educated　under　the　old　system。　And　we　can　understand　their
  feeling　of　hatred　for　such　men　as　Lamarck　and　Darwin；　who
  did　not　exactly　tell　them　that　they　were　‘‘descended　from
  monkeys；''　（an　accusation　which　our　grandfathers　seemed　to
  regard　as　a　personal　insult；）　but　who　suggested　that　the　proud
  human　race　had　evolved　from　a　long　series　of　ancestors　who
  could　trace　the　family…tree　back　to　the　little　jelly…fishes　who
  were　the　first　inhabitants　of　our　planet。
  The　dignified　world　of　the　well…to…do　middle　class；　which
  dominated　the　nineteenth　century；　was　willing　to　make　use
  of　the　gas　or　the　electric　light；　of　all　the　many　practical　applications
  of　the　great　scientific　discoveries；　but　the　mere　investigator；
  the　man　of　the　‘‘scientific　theory''　without　whom　no
  progress　would　be　possible；　continued　to　be　distrusted　until
  very　recently。　Then；　at　last；　his　services　were　recognised。　Today
  the　rich　people　who　in　past　ages　donated　their　wealth　for
  the　building　of　a　cathedral；　construct　vast　laboratories　where
  silent　men　do　battle　upon　the　hidden　enemies　of　mankind　and
  often　sacrifice　their　lives　that　coming　generations　may　enjoy
  greater　happiness　and　health。
  Indeed　it　has　come　to　pass　that　many　of　the　ills　of　this
  world；　which　our　ancestors　regarded　as　inevitable　‘‘acts　of
  God；''　have　been　exposed　as　manifestations　of　our　own　ignorance
  and　neglect。　Every