PRESIDENT S ADDRESS. 13 



organization, on account of its bearing on the wants of mankind.'^ 

 But when the University has done its duty by Science, and the 

 Faculty of Science, in its turn, is prepared to do its duty by the 

 Science Student, the latter, before committing himself to the 

 Faculty, may do well to ponder such words as these : — " If a 

 student of my own subject shows power and originality, I dare 

 not advise him to adopt a scientific career; for, supposing he is 

 able to maintain himself until he has attained distinction, I 

 cannot give him the assurance that any amount of proficiency in 

 the Biological Sciences will be convertible into, even the most 

 modest, bread and cheese." 



One circumstance in particular — the date of the Will in which 

 he incorporated his scheme for Fellowships — seems to show clearly 

 that, concomitantly with the inauguration of the Faculty of 

 Science, Sir William's attention was arrested by this question of 

 the science student's disabilities; and that out of its consideration 

 arose the idea of establishing Fellowships, and a little later, that 

 of offering Exhibitions* for country students; and also his recog- 

 nition of a duty, to which he directed the attention of this 

 Society, in an address delivered on the occasion of his dedication 

 of the Linnean Hall to the Society, in October, 1885, in the 

 following words: — "The importance of the subjects [Natural 

 History in all its branches] coming within the scope of this 

 Society can scarcely be over-estimated; and one of our chief 

 duties, it seems to me, is to keep prominently before the public 

 the advantages to be derived from scientific education and 

 training." (The continuation of his remarks on this point, and 

 their bearing on the question of the improvement of the status 

 of the science student, will be found in the extract given below, 



P- 17.) 



Sir William's determination to establish Fellowships, once 

 arrived at, must have taken definite shape rather rapidly. The 



* For particulars, see Proceedings of this Society. Vol. viii. p. 548. One 

 Exhibition was awarded; the oEev of others was eventually withdrawn, a 

 the candidates for them were not up to Matriculation standard. 



