In Faraday's eyes the new
principle was a higher boon than the appliance which was founded upon
it.
Tried by his own standard, however, Siemens was a conspicuous
benefactor of his fellow-men; and at the time of his decease he had
become our leading authority upon applied science. In electricity he was
a pioneer of the new advances, and happily lived to obtain at least a
Pisgah view of the great future which evidently lies before that
pregnant force.
If we look for the secret of Siemens's remarkable success, we shall
assuredly find it in an inventive mind, coupled with a strong commercial
instinct, and supported by a physical energy which enabled him to labour
long and incessantly. It is told that when a mechanical problem was
brought to him for solution, he would suggest six ways of overcoming the
difficulty, three of which would be impracticable, the others feasible,
and one at least successful. From this we gather that his mind was
fertile in expedients. The large works which he established are also a
proof that, unlike most inventors, he did not lose his interest in an
invention, or forsake it for another before it had been brought into the
market. On the contrary, he was never satisfied with an invention until
it was put into practical operation.
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