Excerpt from Sparks From a Geologist's Hammer It is especially desirable that persons of the requisite aptitudes should seek to possess themselves of a wide range of scientific knowledge; since it is only by this means that the connections Of the sciences can be discovered, and their relations to a system of universal truth adequately under stood. Only by such means can the jealousies and bigotries which have sometimes defaced the pages of the history of science be avoided. Most of all, it seems desirable to infuse into scientific thought a more philosophic spirit; since all the great problems propounded by modern science are essentially philosophic in character, and rapidly lead the analytic mind into the domain Of metempirica] phenomena and conceptions. It is hoped, therefore, that the meta physical turn which the author's thoughts have sometimes taken will be recognized as sustaining most legitimate relations to the system of science. Some parts Of the present work will be found conceived in a Spirit of playful irony, at which, it is hoped, no reader will discover occasion for Offense. Certain errors have seemed to call for animadversion, but no word has been recorded wherein has been inserted any intentional sting. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.