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the afternoon lectures, which are supposed to be of a somewhat more 

 elementary nature, botany will also take a somewhat prominent place, 

 while the chemistry of food, a somewhat new branch in connection with 

 the work of this club, but one of very great practical importance, will 

 also be ably discussed. It may, therefore, be safely predicted that both 

 the evening and afternoon courses of lectures for the coming winter will 

 ecpial in every respect any which the management of this society has 

 ever vet been able to provide, and will amply repay any who may be 

 able to attend them for the amount of time and effort therein involved. 

 1 must not omit in this connection to call the attention of the 

 members to a new departure in the matter of sub-excursions for the 

 coming winter. In former years these sub-excursions, as you all know 

 were supposed to terminate in October or with the coming on of cold 

 weather, but this year, owing to the courtesy ot the Director and staff 

 of the Geological Survey Department, it has been at ranged that these 

 excursions will be continued on the alternate Saturday afternoons of 

 each munth during the winter to the museum on Sussex street, and 

 some one of the branches of Natural History as there displayed will be 

 discussed and illustrated by one of the officers in charge. Several of 

 these gentlemen have already expressed their readiness to explain the 

 leading features in the several collections, and it may be safely stated 

 that the hour or two there spent will not be wasted. 



While I do not propose to-night to go into any elaborate discussion 

 on the comparative merits of any of the sciences, I think it is only fair 

 to point out, in a working society like this, some of the great benefits 

 that may be derived from the study ot some one of the various branches 

 of Natural History, more particularly since it has always been the aim 

 of this club to keep prominently before the general public the higher 

 education along these lines. And just here it is fitting to remark that 

 it would seem that our present location in the buildings of the Normal 

 Hchool is one particularly adapted to forward our aims in this direction. 

 Here we have annually a large number of students from many portions 

 of the country, young men and women, who may be supposed to repre- 

 sent the more progressive elements in either sex, and who have arrived 

 at that stage of life when, as instructors of youth, they are supposed 

 to have a very fair idea of what constitutes the best and most useful 



