The Period from 1861 to 1870 13 



III. THE PERIOD FROM 1861 TO 1870 



During' the twelve years between the organization of the Association in 

 1848 and the beginning of the period now to be considered the Association 

 held 14 meetings. Many addresses delivered at these meetings contained 

 enthusiastic and eloquent passages concerning the progress of civilization, 

 the dissipation of dark superstitions, the increase in understanding of the 

 beneficent purposes of the Creator and confident predictions of a Utopian 

 future. Alas for their dreams that they were almost at the gates of Paradise ! 

 The Civil War broke out ! 



In the tragic hours in which these words are being written (May 17, 

 1940) a large fraction of the peoples who have made the greatest contribu- 

 tions to science, who through science have created unlimited comforts, 

 stamped out diseases, revealed the majesty of the universe, taught us the 

 long course of our evolution, pointed the way to unlimited progress — these 

 are the peoples who are engaged in a struggle that appears about to destroy 

 civilization. Our present apprehensions about the future should help us to 

 understand conditions in 1861. 



In April, 1861, the blood of men ran hot. Those who together had won 

 their political freedom became bitter enemies ; the aid of the Almighty was 

 invoked in plans for slaughter ; mutual hatreds flamed in the hearts of those 

 who had been friends ; families were divided by undying enmities ; large 

 sections of the country were laid waste and all of it was impoverished. For 

 six years the Association held no meetings. 



The first meeting of the Association after the termination of the Civil 

 War was held at Buffalo, N. Y., in August, 1866. But it was not such a 

 meeting as the previous ones had been. It was not such a meeting as the 

 one scheduled for Nashville, Tenn., for April, 1861, would have been if it 

 had not been for the outbreak of the war. Yet 79 members of the Associa- 

 tion attended the meeting and 67 papers were presented, 18 of which were 

 printed in the Proceedings of the meeting. Of these 18 papers, only one was 

 in zoology and only one was in botany. 



Presidential Addresses 



Isaac Eea (geology) was president of the Association for the meeting- 

 held at Newport, R. I., in August, i860, and was consequently retiring 

 president at the next meeting held six years later at Buffalo, in August, 

 1866. Instead of delivering an extended formal address, he made a few re- 

 marks, in part as follows, in introducing F. A. P. Barnard, president at this 

 meeting in Buffalo (vol. 15, p. 108) : 



In opening this meeting, it may be my duty to say that when we adjourned last, in 

 Newport, R. I., in i860, it was then proposed that we should meet in 1861, at Nashville, 



