The Man of Science Speaks by Harriett Monroe

The Man of Science Speaks

by Harriett Monroe

Throw your little dreams away,

Scrap philosophies and creeds.

Can your vision of truth climb higher 

Than our calculation leads?

While you speculate in vain,

Making little gods, forsooth,

We fathom infinities —

Mathematics is the truth.

You put limits of your own

On the illimitable power —

We explore immensities

Beyond our little place and hour.

With small beliefs or coward doubts

You lean upon the rotted past.

We neither believe nor doubt — we know;

Our rock of faith is anchored fast.

Yesterday’s failure is today

The take-off for tomorrow’s goal.

We watch you trembling while we win

New spaces for the searching soul.

You dream the same old idle dreams,

You move not in the drift of years.

We count the paces of the stars,

We hear the singing of the spheres.