ON the first broaching of any new branch of knowledge, there is ever a great commotion and combination among the old-established schools, which have thriven on the wisdom of their ancestors, and desire nothing more than "stare super vias antiquas," satisfied with things as they are, and content to "let well alone"; and there is also a general dislike in society to have its mind unsettled, and to be called upon to think again about matters supposed to have been set at rest long ago.