T. C. WHITE ON PAPERS FOR THE CLUB. 175 



possess that startling and novel character which mark the papers 

 read at societies whose aims are the elucidation of deeper mys- 

 teries of natural science than come within the scope of microscopy. 

 Now here, I conceive, the root of the difficulty lies, a root spring- 

 ing up into that gloomy shadow obliterating the " cheerful con- 

 verse" which should characterise the meetings of men whose tastes 

 and pursuits are of a kindred nature. 



Allow me then, in the first place, to assert, on behalf of the 

 founders of the Club, that it never was their intention to aim at 

 being a scientific society, or to place the Quekett Microscopical 

 Club on the same level as that occupied by the scientific societies 

 of Great Britain ; it was founded for a different purpose, and was 

 based more upon the social assistance it renders in working out all 

 that appertains to the microscope than the scientific work it accom- 

 plishes. Let members, then, disabuse their minds of this lofty 

 imagination, if they harbour it ; let them content themselves with 

 the practical, social, and valuable work they have performed and 

 are destined still to perform, and not be like Icarus of old, who, 

 soaring too high, melted the wax of his wings, and ended in an 

 ignominious and fatal descent. 



Now, what is the nature of the papers required ? 1st, they 

 need not be long. We are all, I suppose, men of business, 

 aad not men of leisure ; and, therefore, it would of necessity 

 be an obstacle of considerable importance were we required to 

 fill up the time of the Club by the reading of a paper of half-an- 

 hour's duration. If a man has a subject at his finger's end he can 

 easily throw it together in a short and condensed form, without 

 sacrificing its integrity, therefore I would advocate short papers. 

 2nd, What should be their subjects ? And here we enter upon a 

 wide field, for it embraces nearly the whole realm of nature ; but 

 there are without doubt in the Club men who have worked in each 

 or all of these departments, and who are competent to tell us of the 

 results of their enquiries in these several departments ; they may 

 not be able to tell us any startling facts, but on the other hand, the 

 probability is that they could acquaint us with a great deal that we 

 were not aware of, or at least they could corroborate the investiga- 

 tions of others. And here I would urge upon the attention of the 

 members the value of systematic work. The path of the microscopist 

 lies through a vast plain of interesting facts, but the temptation 

 besets him at every step to turn aside from the straight path to 



n 2 



