EDITOR'S TABLE. 



499 



historical research the study of science, art, 

 and natural history ? Every locality already 

 has its military, fire, debating, literary, so- 

 cial, or charitable society. It is incredible 

 that there should be so few simply for the 

 pursuit of knowledge to the acquisition of 

 which ail men are so naturally impelled and 

 in which they manifest so deep an interest. 

 The same motives, which dispose some of 

 the leading minds of a place to associate for 

 the sake of preserving its history, must be 

 operating in the minds of others, their 

 neighbors, to desire to acquire and commu- 

 nicate knowledge in other forms. On the 

 part of those interested in history it should 

 be regarded as a strong reason for extend- 

 ing the scope of their society, the consider- 

 ation that when confined to a single subject 

 it will depend for its permanence on the ac- 

 tivity of two or three members. It does not 

 afford a basis sufficient for the active co- 

 operation of more than a small portion of 

 the cultivated minds of the place ; the topics 

 either soon become exhausted as matters 

 of continual research, or the information 

 is meagre and accumulates slowly, and the 

 popular interest diminishes ; the meetings 

 cease to be attended, and the society either 

 dies of inanition or languishes while stand- 

 ing in the way of a new organization on a 

 more comprehensive plan. 



" It may be urged as an objection that 

 some of our societies have commenced with 

 the title of ' historical and philosophical,' 

 and have not been remarkably successful. 

 Others, however, have tried the plan of 

 conjoined aims, and congratulate themselves 

 on the result. The Essex Institute of Sa- 

 lem, Massachusetts, was formed in 1848 

 from the union of a county historical and a 

 county natural history society, and organ- 

 ized on a popular basis of large member- 

 ship, having at the present time four hun- 

 dred and eighty members. With the aid 

 of historical and scientific workers it is 

 prosecuting both branches with an efficien- 

 cy, as shown by its publications, which 

 must compel imitation. The Albany Insti- 

 tute, New York, has been perpetuated with 

 varying fortunes for forty-six years, and 

 has four departments of research physical 

 science and the arts, natural history, his- 

 tory, and general literature. It has at no 

 time been so promising an organization as 

 at the present, when it has been extended 

 to a membership of two hundred and four. 

 A similar successful society is the Literary 

 and Philosophical Society of Liverpool, 

 England, founded in 1846, which has over 

 two hundred members, and has published 



twenty-eight volumes of its ' Transactions.' 

 The subjects treated of in these conform, 

 in fair proportion of literature, history, and 

 science, to the name of the society. One 

 motive assigned in its constitution for or- 

 ganizing the society, ' to modify the local 

 tendency to the pursuit of commerce,' is 

 capable of receiving a wider application. 



" We have purposely alluded to the large 

 membership in these three societies, be- 

 cause a late scientific writer, speaking of 

 the frequent failures of the learned socie- 

 ties of the United States, declares that they 

 have died from ' a constant enlargement of 

 the range of membership, and consequent 

 lowering of the tone of the society ' {North 

 American Review, October, 1874). And yet 

 we draw from this same writer the two 

 facts that the membership of the leading 

 English societies ranges from four hundred 

 to one thousand or several thousand mem- 

 bers, and that the annual tax on each mem- 

 ber is from two to four guineas. We should 

 infer from these facts that, by a large mem- 

 bership, an abundant income is secured for 

 the purposes of a society, and that the 

 original papers of the men of science who 

 are joined with them can be published, and 

 the expense of their investigations pro- 

 vided for. A large membership secures 

 friends, an audience, an income, and ele- 

 vates the purposes and aims of all. Some 

 aid by active efforts, some by pecuniary 

 help, and all by the sympathy of a common 

 purpose. Membership is not a reward of 

 merit, acquired for achievements in litera- 

 ture or science, but an encouragement and a 

 stimulus both to the less learned and the 

 most learned. It ought not to be difficult 

 to combine the man of research with the 

 intelligent aspirant for knowledge, who ed- 

 ucates himself for similar researches by 

 means of the companionship. To the man 

 of science or invention it must be desirable 

 that he should have the encouragement of a 

 listening audience, and be brought in con- 

 tact with men of varied pursuits, outside 

 of his specialty. It affords him an opportu- 

 nity at least to utter his words of scientific 

 truth before his fellow-citizens. To make 

 an addition to the sum of human knowl- 

 edge, or to diffuse and inspire a love of it, 

 may be of equal importance to humanity. 



" In suggesting this combination of varied 

 objects of pursuit, we are not, of course, 

 supposing that academies of scientists can 

 be founded everywhere ; but we cannot re- 

 sist the belief that in most counties and 

 towns there will be found a sufficient number 

 of men of education, of all professions, occu- 



