ON THE ORGANIZATION OF LOCAL SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES. 



A letter from Professor Henry ^ Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. 



* * * " In answer to your question, as to the plan of organi- 



zation and operation of a scientific association, I submit the following : 



" The object of your society being, as you inform me, to cultivate ' sci- 

 entific taste and knowledge among its members,' this object should be 

 kept constantly in view, and care be taken that it be not interfered with 

 by a tendency to waste the time of the meetings in the discussion of 

 irrelevant matters, especially those which relate to the government and 

 organization of the establishment. 1 have been a member of several 

 societies which failed to effect their object, by endless discussions on 

 points of order or propositions as to the constitution and by-laws. 

 There is in this country a tendency to express little thought in many 

 words, to cultivate a talent for debate, or the art of making the worse 

 appear the better cause, which is by no means favorable to either the 

 increase or the diffusion of knowledge. The object of your society is not 

 that of a mere debating club, but that of an establishment for the real 

 improvement of its members in knowledge and wisdom. 



" It has been from the first the policy of the Institution to encourage the 

 establishment of such societies, on account of the great advantage they 

 are to their members in the way of intellectual and moral improvement, 

 as well as in the way of positive contributions to science. 



" Such an association is an important organization for the advance of 

 adult education, and the diffusion of interesting and useful knowledge 

 throughout a neighborhood. The society must, however, be under the 

 care of a few enthusiastic and industrious persons ; it should adopt the 

 policy of awakening and sustaining the interest of the greatest num- 

 ber of persons possible in its operations, and for this purpose the meet- 

 ings must be rendered attractive; care should be taken to provide a 

 series of short communications on various subjects, on which remarks 

 should be invited after they have been read ; clergymen, lawyers, physi- 

 cians, farmers, mechanics, and others should all be pressed into the 

 service, and eftch solicited to contribute something, the object being to 

 make the special knowledge of each the knowledge of all. I once 

 belonged to a society conducted on this plan, which is still in existence, 

 and of which I had the pleasure of attending a meeting about ten years 

 ago ; and by way of ilhistrating what I have said, permit me to mention 



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