MECHANICS AND USEFUL ARTS. 115 



BRITISH ASSOCIATION FOR THE PROMOTION OF SOCIAL SCIENCE. 



Among the interesting and important occurrences of the past year, is the 

 successful inauguration in Great Britain of a " National Association for the 

 Promotion of Social Science." The project was due to Lord Brougham, 

 and the initiatory steps for giving it form and substance, were taken at a 

 private meeting at his house, sometime in the spring of last year. The gen- 

 eral object of the association is to bring together persons interested in the 

 various plans and studies which have for their end the improvement, pro- 

 gress, or happiness of society, all philanthropists on a large or small 

 scale, whether dealing with moral, political or material means of influence, 

 for the purpose of bringing their information, their themes, and the results 

 of their investigations to definite and practical uses. The advantage of com- 

 bined effort in reaching the public mind in such a way as to bring a general 

 influence to bear upon special measures, and in presenting to the legislature 

 those measures prepared in a well-considered, practical, and so to speak an 

 authentic form, are apparent enough. The difficulty of obtaining these ad- 

 vantages by a permanent organization, without wholly covering them up 

 with cumbrous formalities, or losing them in the disputes or jealousies of 

 contending theories, are almost equally manifest. 



Notwithstanding the difficulties, the attempt was decided upon, and the 

 organization of the association took place at Birmingham, the first session 

 being held on the evening of the 12th of October, 1857. An inaugural ad- 

 dress was delivered by Lord Brougham, the first President of the General 

 Association, which consisted of an able review of what had been done pre- 

 viously for amelioration of society, what remained to be done, and, in a cer- 

 tain sense, the way to do it. He dwelt particularly upon the important 

 beneficial influences upon legislation in Great Britain, which have been pro- 

 duced within the last twenty years, by similar associations of less comprehen- 

 sive character than that now inaugurated. Of these he instanced with the 

 most particularity, pointing out many marked instances of their usefulness, 

 the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, the Society for the Pro- 

 moting the Amendment of the Law, and the Mercantile Conferences, by 

 which Boards of Trade and Commerce have in several instances had united 

 action, and which have been the means of encouraging the formation and 

 extending the usefulness of those boards. Speaking of the Law Amend- 

 ment Society, he said: "Since its establishment in 1844, most of the 

 bills which I have brought forward, and of which many have been passed, 

 making a great change in our jurisprudence, either originated in the in- 

 quiries and reports of that society's committees, or owed to the labors and 

 authority of that body valuable help towards, first, their preparation, and 



then their adoption Of the nine bills which were presented by me 



to the Hou>e of Lords in 1S45, and six of Avhich are now the law of the 

 land, two of the six were suggested by the society, and another, the most 

 important of the whole, and which has entirely changed the course of proce- 

 dure, the Act for the Examination of Parties in all Suits, I never could 

 have succeeded in carrying but for the society's correspondence with all the 



