Michael Faraday, Man of Science

by Walter Jerrold

An interesting story is told by Dr. Scoffern of an incident that happened during this year; 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 years. Professor Brande was lecturing at the time on a newly-discovered method of purifying sugar by sugar of lead; while they were in the laboratory Scoffern accidentally let fall a retort of corrosive liquid. In an instant, he tells us, Professor Faraday "threw some soda upon the floor; then down on his hands and knees he went, slop cloth in hand, like any humble housemaid. Laughing, I expressed my desire to photograph him then and there; he demurred to the pose, begged me to consult his dignity, and began laughing with a childish joyousness. Hilariously boyish upon occasion he could be, and those who knew him best, knew he was never more at home, that he never seemed so pleased as when making an 'old boy' of himself, as he was wont to say, lecturing before a juvenile audience at Christmas."

Faraday, as has been said earlier, attended some of the annual meetings of the British Association; in this year of 1851 the meeting was held at Ipswich, and on that occasion Dr. J. H. Gladstone says he first met Faraday to have any intercourse with him. "I watched him," he writes, "with all the interest of an admiring disciple, and there is deeply engraven on my memory the vivacity of his conversation, the eagerness with which he entered into some mathematico-chemical speculations of Dumas, and the playfulness with which, when we were dining together, he cut boomerangs out of card, and shot them across the table at his friends."

Yet another story of Faraday's remarkable disinterestedness is given us by Dr. Scoffern, who, writing of the year 1852, says that he had made an abstract of a course of lectures which Faraday had delivered on the subject of the non-metallic elements; this abstract he wished to embody in a book which he was about to publish. The kindly old chemist at once gave his permission, and would not even listen to any proposal as to sharing the profits of the work. Scoffern immediately suggested that he would be misunderstood by the publisher, who would not be able to comprehend such a piece of generosity on the great professor's part. "Oh," said Faraday, "we'll soon settle that by writing;" and he wrote out a formal letter of assignment.

Despite the fact that his time was always fully occupied, Faraday found time to write many letters, not only the long friendly, yet scientific letters to such men as De la Rive and Schönbein, but letters of advice and sympathy to his nephews and nieces, and other friends. His advice was always given in so kindly a spirit that it could not be taken amiss, and his sympathy was tendered in that rare manner—sincere and unostentatious—which characterises this feeling in its highest manifestation. The following passage, from a letter to his nephew, Frank Barnard, who was just starting life, is an illustration of this: "And so you are hard at work, and somewhat embarrassed by your position; but no man can do just as he likes, and in many things he has to give way, and may do so honourably, provided he preserves his self-respect. Never, my dear Frank, lose that, whatever may be the alternative. Let no one tempt you to it, for nothing can be expedient that is not right; and though some of your companions may tease you at first, they will respect you for your consistency in the end; and if they pretend not to do so it is of no consequence. However, I trust the hardest part of your probation is over, for the earliest is usually the hardest, and that you know how to take all things quietly."

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 life; it becomes necessary here to refer to the part which Faraday took in exposing a popular delusion which was widely believed in at the time, and which yet has many supporters—the delusion as to table-turning. He wrote a long account fully exposing the error which so many people were willing to believe; and although his exposure convinced most persons who troubled themselves to follow him in his investigations, the popular mind refused to be disillusionised, and the turning of the tables was referred to electricity, magnetism, spirits, a new natural force, and other agencies. This occasion perhaps drew more emphatic utterance from Faraday than any other; he had no patience with people who would not be enlightened, and his feeling is shown in a letter written in July, 1853, to Professor Schönbein: "I have not been at work except in turning the tables upon the table-turners, nor should I have done that, but that so many inquiries poured in upon me, that I thought it better to stop the inpouring flood by letting all know at once what my views and thoughts were. What a weak, credulous, incredulous, unbelieving, superstitious, bold, frightened,—what a ridiculous world ours is, as far as concerns the mind of man. How full of inconsistencies, contradictions, and absurdities it is. I declare that, taking the average of many minds that have recently come before me (and apart from that spirit which God has placed in each), and accepting for a moment that average as a standard, I should far prefer the obedience, affections, and instincts of a dog before it. Do not whisper this, however, to others. There is One above who worketh in all things, and who governs even in the midst of that misrule to which the tendencies and powers of men are so easily perverted."

In his Juvenile Lectures, delivered at Christmas of the same year, he again referred to this popular error, giving at the same time some sound advice to his young friends. "In conclusion, I must address a few words to the intending philosophers who form the juvenile part of my audience. Study science with earnestness—search into nature—elicit the truth—reason on it, and reject all which will not stand the closest investigation. Keep your imagination within bounds, taking heed lest it run away with your judgment. Above all, 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 age, and which afford astonishing proofs of the vast floods of ignorance overflowing and desolating the highest places.

"Educated man, misusing the glorious gift of reason which raises him above the brute, actually lowers himself below the creatures endowed only with instinct; inasmuch as he casts aside the natural sense which might guide him, and in his credulous folly pretends to discover and investigate phenomena which reason would not for a moment allow, and which, in fact, are utterly absurd.

"Let my young hearers mark and remember my words. I desire that they should dwell in their memory as a protest uttered in this Institution against the progress of error. Whatever be the encouragement it may receive elsewhere, may we, at any rate in this place, raise a bulwark which shall protect the boundaries of truth, and preserve them uninjured during the rapid encroachments of gross ignorance under the mask of scientific knowledge."

Faraday's high position in the world of science and his well-known thoroughness in investigating any subject in which he interested himself, made his utterances on the subject of spirit-rapping and table-turning convincing to a large number of people. He was, however, for many years occasionally pestered with questions about it, by persons who thought they could prove to him that he was wrong; perhaps in no matter did Faraday so nearly lose his patience as over this; at no other time did he so nearly exhibit that volcano of fiery passion which, according to Tyndall, underlay the sweetness and gentleness of disposition which were his ever-obvious qualities. He had, as Tyndall well puts it, "through high self-discipline converted the fire into a central glow and motive power of life, instead of permitting it to waste itself in useless passion. 'He that is slow to anger,' saith the sage, 'is greater than the mighty, and he that ruleth his own spirit than he that taketh a city!' Faraday was not slow to anger, but he completely ruled his own spirit; and thus, though he took no cities, he captivated all hearts."

Miss Barnard, from her long and intimate acquaintance with her uncle, quite endorses what Professor Tyndall says. She says that a most fiery passion was kept under by the most perfect master, and during all the years she knew him she could not recollect above two occasions when Faraday, even for a moment, let his passion get the better of him.