THE BBITISH ASSOCIATION MEETING. 



489 



dial and his handshake as hearty as at the beginning. For each mem- 

 ber, and particularly for all visitors from outside England, ho had a 

 kindly word, ami a greeting which while most hospitable was never over- 

 done; which carried the pleasure of a friendly welcome without losing 

 at any moment the stamp of good breeding. Except perhaps President 

 McKinley, I have never seen a man in public station who could receive so 

 many persons in a public reception and so successfully make each one 

 feel that he had been given a special welcome. As an American who 

 has seen much of political life remarked, ' A man who can shake hands 





Peterhouse. 



like that would be a successful politician in any country.' Mr. Bal- 

 four was in fact an ideal president of the association, democratic, yet 

 dignified. He left on those who saw him for the first time the im- 

 pression of a man who had not only intellectual power, but also one 

 who combined with this good breeding, good nature and common sense. 

 A very interesting comparison between the American and the Brit- 

 ish Association could be found in a study of the sectional addresses 

 and other leading papers of the one as contrasted with the other. In 

 such a comparison the American would find little to minister to na- 

 tional vanity. The presidents of the sections in the British Associa- 

 tion are almost always men of assured scientific standing and reputa- 

 tion. Their audiences include many of the best known men of science 

 in England. The addresses are prepared with more care and are gen- 

 erally given in a more interesting and effective manner. The occasion 



