autobiography and selected essays-第16章

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trained　in　youth　that　his　body　is　the　ready　servant　of　his　will；

and　does　with　ease　and　pleasure　all　the　work　that；　as　a　mechanism；

it　is　capable　of；　whose　intellect　is　a　clear；　cold；　logic　engine；

with　all　its　parts　of　equal　strength；　and　in　smooth　working　order；

ready；　like　a　steam　engine；　to　be　turned　to　any　kind　of　work；　and

spin　the　gossamers　as　well　as　forge　the　anchors　of　the　mind；　whose

mind　is　stored　with　a　knowledge　of　the　great　and　fundamental　truths

of　Nature　and　of　the　laws　of　her　operations；　one　who；　no　stunted

ascetic；　is　full　of　life　and　fire；　but　whose　passions　are　trained

to　come　to　heel　by　a　vigorous　will；　the　servant　of　a　tender

conscience；　who　has　learned　to　love　all　beauty；　whether　of　Nature

or　of　art；　to　hate　all　vileness；　and　to　respect　others　as　himself。



Such　an　one　and　no　other；　I　conceive；　has　had　a　liberal　education；

for　he　is；　as　completely　as　a　man　can　be；　in　harmony　with　Nature。

He　will　make　the　best　of　her；　and　she　of　him。　　They　will　get　on

together　rarely；　she　as　his　ever　beneficent　mother；　he　as　her

mouthpiece；　her　conscious　self；　her　minister　and　interpreter。







ON　A　PIECE　OF　CHALK　　　　　＇57＇





If　a　well　were　sunk　at　our　feet　in　the　midst　of　the　city　of

Norwich；　the　diggers　would　very　soon　find　themselves　at　work　in

that　white　substance　almost　too　soft　to　be　called　rock；　with　which

we　are　all　familiar　as　〃chalk。〃



Not　only　here；　but　over　the　whole　county　of　Norfolk；　the　well…

sinker　might　carry　his　shaft　down　many　hundred　feet　without　coming

to　the　end　of　the　chalk；　and；　on　the　sea…coast；　where　the　waves

have　pared　away　the　face　of　the　land　which　breasts　them；　the

scarped　faces　of　the　high　cliffs　are　often　wholly　formed　of　the

same　material。　　Northward；　the　chalk　may　be　followed　as　far　as

Yorkshire；　on　the　south　coast　it　appears　abruptly　in　the

picturesque　western　bays　of　Dorset；　and　breaks　into　the　Needles　of

the　Isle　of　Wight；＇58＇　while　on　the　shores　of　Kent　it　supplies　that

long　line　of　white　cliffs　to　which　England　owes　her　name　of　Albion。



Were　the　thin　soil　which　covers　it　all　washed　away；　a　curved　band

of　white　chalk；　here　broader；　and　there　narrower；　might　be　followed

diagonally　across　England　from　Lulworth　in　Dorset；　to　Flamborough

Head　＇59＇　in　Yorkshirea　distance　of　over　two　hundred　and　eighty

miles　as　the　crow　flies。



From　this　band　to　the　North　Sea；　on　the　east；　and　the　Channel；　on

the　South；　the　chalk　is　largely　hidden　by　other　deposits；　but；

except　in　the　Weald　＇60＇　of　Kent　and　Sussex；　it　enters　into　the

very　foundation　of　all　the　south…eastern　counties。



Attaining；　as　it　does　in　some　places；　a　thickness　of　more　than　a

thousand　feet；　the　English　chalk　must　be　admitted　to　be　a　mass　of

considerable　magnitude。　　Nevertheless；　it　covers　but　an

insignificant　portion　of　the　whole　area　occupied　by　the　chalk

formation　of　the　globe；　which　has　precisely　the　same　general

characters　as　ours；　and　is　found　in　detached　patches；　some　less；

and　others　more　extensive；　than　the　English。



Chalk　occurs　in　north…west　Ireland；　it　stretches　over　a　large　part

of　France；the　chalk　which　underlies　Paris　being；　in　fact；　a

continuation　of　that　of　the　London　basin；　it　runs　through　Denmark

and　Central　Europe；　and　extends　southward　to　North　Africa；　while

eastward；　it　appears　in　the　Crimea　and　in　Syria；　and　may　be　traced

as　far　as　the　shores　of　the　Sea　of　Aral；　in　Central　Asia。



If　all　the　points　at　which　true　chalk　occurs　were　circumscribed；

they　would　lie　within　an　irregular　oval　about　three　thousand　miles

in　long　diameterthe　area　of　which　would　be　as　great　as　that　of

Europe；　and　would　many　times　exceed　that　of　the　largest　existing

inland　seathe　Mediterranean。



Thus　the　chalk　is　no　unimportant　element　in　the　masonry　of　the

earth's　crust；　and　it　impresses　a　peculiar　stamp；　varying　with　the

conditions　to　which　it　is　exposed；　on　the　scenery　of　the　districts

in　which　it　occurs。　　The　undulating　downs　and　rounded　coombs；

covered　with　sweet…grassed　turf；　of　our　inland　chalk　country；　have

a　peacefully　domestic　and　mutton…suggesting　prettiness；　but　can

hardly　be　called　either　grand　or　beautiful。　　But　on　our　southern

coasts；　the　wall…sided　cliffs；　many　hundred　feet　high；　with　vast

needles　and　pinnacles　standing　out　in　the　sea；　sharp　and　solitary

enough　to　serve　as　perches　for　the　wary　cormorant　confer　a

wonderful　beauty　and　grandeur　upon　the　chalk　headlands。　　And；　in

the　East；　chalk　has　its　share　in　the　formation　of　some　of　the　most

venerable　of　mountain　ranges；　such　as　the　Lebanon。





What　is　this　wide…spread　component　of　the　surface　of　the　earth？　and

whence　did　it　come？



You　may　think　this　no　very　hopeful　inquiry。　　You　may　not

unnaturally　suppose　that　the　attempt　to　solve　such　problems　as

these　can　lead　to　no　result；　save　that　of　entangling　the　inquirer

in　vague　speculations；　incapable　of　refutation　and　of　verification。



If　such　were　really　the　case；　I　should　have　selected　some　other

subject　than　a　〃piece　of　chalk〃　for　my　discourse。　　But；　in　truth；

after　much　deliberation；　I　have　been　unable　to　think　of　any　topic

which　would　so　well　enable　me　to　lead　you　to　see　how　solid　is　the

foundation　upon　which　some　of　the　most　startling　conclusions　of

physical　science　rest。



A　great　chapter　of　the　history　of　the　world　is　written　in　the

chalk。　　Few　passages　in　the　history　of　man　can　be　supported　by　such

an　overwhelming　mass　of　direct　and　indirect　evidence　as　that　which

testifies　to　the　truth　of　the　fragment　of　the　history　of　the　globe；

which　I　hope　to　enable　you　to　read；　with　your　own　eyes；　tonight。



Let　me　add；　that　few　chapters　of　human　history　have　a　more　profound

significance　for　ourselves。　　I　weigh　my　words　well　when　I　assert；

that　the　man　who　should　know　the　true　history　of　the　bit　of　chalk

which　every　carpenter　carries　about　in　his　breeches…pocket；　though

ignorant　of　all　other　history；　is　likely；　if　he　will　think　his

knowledge　out　to　its　ultimate　results；　to　have　a　truer；　and

therefore　a　better；　conception　of　this　wonderful　universe；　and　of

man's　relation　to　it；　than　the　most　learned　student　who　is　deep…

read　in　the　records　of　humanity　and　ignorant　of　those　of　Nature。



The　language　of　the　chalk　is　not　hard　to　learn；　not　nearly　so　hard

as　Latin；　if　you　only　want　to　get　at　the　broad　features　of　the

story　it　has　to　tell；　and　I　propose　that　we　now　set　to　work　to

spell　that　story　out　together。



We　all　know　that　if　we　〃burn〃　chalk　the　result　is　quicklime。

Chalk；　in　fact；　is　a　compound　of　carbonic　acid　gas；　and　lime；　and

when　you　make　it　very　hot　the　carbonic　acid　flies　away　and　the　lime

is　left。



By　this　method　of　procedure　we　see　the　lime；　but　we　do　not　see　the

carbonic　acid。　　If；　on　the　other　hand；　you　were　to　powder　a　little

chalk　and　drop　it　into　a　good　deal　of　strong　vinegar；　there　would

be　a　great　bubbling　and　fizzing；　and；　finally；　a　clear　liquid；　in

which　no　sign　of　chalk　would　appear。　　Here　you　see　the　carbonic

acid　in　the　bubbles；　the　lime；　dissolved　in　the　vinegar；　vanishes

from　sight。　　There　are　a　great　many　other　ways　of　showing　that

chalk　is　essentially　nothing　but　carbonic　acid　and　quicklime。

Chemists　enunciate　the　result　of　all　the　experiments　which　prove

this；　by　stating　that　chalk　is　almost　wholly　composed　of　〃carbonate

of　lime。〃



It　is　desirable　for　us　to　start　from　the　knowledge　of　this　fact；

though　it　may　not　seem　to　help　us　very　far　towards　what　we　seek。

For　carbonate　of　lime　is　a　widely　spread　substance；　and　is　met　with

under　very　various　conditions。　　All　sorts　of　limestones　are

composed　of　more　or　less　pure　carbonate　of　lime。　　The　crust　which

is　often　deposited　by　waters　which　have　drained　through　limestone

rocks；　in　the　form　of　what　are　called　stalagmites　and　stalactites；

is　carbonate　of　lime。　　Or；　to　take　a　more　familiar　example；　the　fur

on　the　inside　of　a　tea…kettle　is　carbonate　of　lime；　and；　for

anything　chemistry　tells　us　to　the　contrary；　the　chalk　might　be　a

kind　of