BRAIN-POWER AND HISTORY. 75 



any subject. (3) An annual meeting at a time when people can pay 

 attention to the deliberations, and when the newspapers can print 

 reports. (4) The possibility of beating up recruits and establishing 

 local committees in different localities, even in the King's dominions 

 beyond the seas, since the place of meeting changes from year to 

 year, and is not limited to these islands. 



We not only, then, have a scientific parliament competent to deal 

 with all matters, including those of national importance, relating to 

 science, but machinery for influencing all new councils and com- 

 mittees dealing with local matters, the functions of which are daily be- 

 coming more important. 



The machinery might consist of our corresponding societies. We 

 already have affiliated to us seventy societies with a membership of 

 25,000; were this nmnber increased so as to include every scientific 

 society in the Empire, metropolitan and provincial, we might even- 

 tually hope for a membership of half a million. 



I am glad to know that the Council is fully alive to the importance 

 of giving impetus to the work of the corresponding societies. During 

 this year a committee was appointed to deal with the question; and 

 later still, after this committee had reported, a conference was held 

 between this committee and the corresponding societies committee to 

 consider the suggestions made, some of which will be gathered from 

 the following extract : 



In view of the increasing importance of science to the nation at large, 

 your committee desire to call the attention of the council to the fact that in 

 the corresponding societies the British Association has gathered in the various 

 centers represented by these societies practically all the scientific activity of 

 the provinces. The number of members and associates at present on the list 

 of the corresponding societies approaches 25,000, and no organization is in 

 existence anywhere in the country better adapted than the British Association 

 for stimulating, encouraging and coordinating all the work being carried on by 

 the seventy societies at present enrolled. Your committee are of opinion that 

 further encouragement should be given to these societies and their individual 

 working members by every means within the power of the association; and 

 with the object of keeping the corresponding societies in more permanent touch 

 with the association they suggest that an official invitation on behalf of the 

 council be addressed to the societies through the corresponding societies com- 

 mittee asking them to appoint standing British Association sub-committees, 

 to be elected by themselves with the object of dealing with all those subjects 

 of investigation common to their societies and to the British Association com- 

 mittees, and to look after the general interests of science and scientific educa- 

 tion throughout the provinces and provincial centers. . . . 



Your committee desire to lay special emphasis on the necessity for the 

 extension of the scientific activity of the corresponding societies and the expert 

 knowledge of many of their members in the direction of scientific education. 

 They are of opinion that immense benefit would accrue to the country if the 

 corresponding societies would keep this requirement especially in view with the 

 object of securing adequate representation for scientific education on the edu- 



