“In answer, you will say, that ’to admit the existence of any such rights is not only impossible, but inexpedient, even were it possible.  Knowledge advances by slow and almost imperceptible steps, and each is but the precursor of a new and more important one.  Were each discoverer of a new truth to be authorized to monopolize the teaching of it millions of men, to whom, by our aid, it is communicated, would remain in ignorance of it, and thus would farther advance be prevented.  In all times past, such truths have been regarded as common property; and so,’ you will add, ’they must continue to be regarded.  Rely upon it, the best interests of society require that such shall continue to be the case, however great the apparent injustice to the discoverer.’

“Here, you will observe, you waive altogether the question of right which you so strongly enforce in regard to yourselves.  It may be that you have reason; but if so, how do you yourselves stand in your relations with the great mass of human beings whose right to this common property is equal with your own?  For thousands of years working men, collectors of facts and philosophers, have been contributing to the common stock, and the treasure accumulated is now enormously great; and yet the mass of mankind remain still ignorant, and are poor, depraved, and wretched, because ignorant.  Under such circumstances, justice would seem to require of the legislator that he should sanction no measure tending to throw unnecessary difficulty in the way of the dissemination of knowledge.  To do so, would be to deprive the many of the power to profit by their interest in the common property.  To do so, would be to deprive the men who have contributed to the accumulation of this treasure of even the reward to which, as you admit, they justly may make a claim.  If they are to be satisfied with fame, we must do nothing tending to limit the dissemination of their ideas, because to do so would be to limit their power to acquire fame.  If they are to be satisfied with the idea of doing good to their fellow-men, we must avoid every thing tending to limit the knowledge of their discoveries, because to do so would be to deprive them of much of their small reward.  The state of the matter is, as I conceive, as follows:  On one side of you stand the contributors to the vast treasure of knowledge that mankind has accumulated, and is accumulating—­men who have, in general, labored without fee or reward; on the other side of you stand the owners of this vast treasure, desirous to have it fashioned in a manner to suit their various tastes and powers, that all may be enabled to profit by its possession.  Between them stand yourselves, middlemen between the producers and the consumers.  It is your province to combine the facts and ideas, as does the manufacturer when he takes the raw materials of cloth, and, by the aid of the skill of numerous working men, past and present, elaborates them into the beautiful forms that so much gratify our eyes in