THE AGE OF ELECTRICITY.' 



By M. Mascart, 



rresident of the Frmich Jssociationfor Ike Adranrouod of Science. 



I. 



The city of Caen, whicli so cordially greets us this day, was the 

 cai)itnl of Normandy, and some of the greatest events of our national 

 history are recorded in its aniuils. 



Here was formed the little army tliat achieved the conquests of 

 England, a glorious campaign indeed, but one from which, by a cruel 

 tnrn of events, sprung a long period of struggle and misery when the 

 heirs of the conquerors, merged in the great nation they had invaded, 

 returned to enforce ever increasing claims upon the Kingdom of 

 France. 



Few provinces have been the birthplace of so many illustrious sons — 

 soldiers, sailors, politicians, magistrates, historians, orators, jurists, 

 l)oets, artists, men of letters and of science. Your city has long been 

 a center of learning and it still maintains its intellectual predominance 

 over the neighboring departments which in former years were part of 

 its territory. Your literary and scientific societies have been famous 

 lor centuries. Y^ou are even now one of the principal headquarters of 

 the university, and the Palace of the Faculties which you inaugurated 

 a few days ago shows that your hearts are set uj)on maintaining that 

 noble tradition. 



The sojourn of the French Association might afford an opportunity 

 ibr paying homage to the celebrities of your place, but I am too obvi- 

 ously unfit to do so. I shall confine myself to recalling; the names of 

 some of the scientists of whom you may justly be proud. 



Unless we go as far back as the celebrated Graindorge family 

 we mnst first mention the name of Pierre Varignon, born at Caen in 

 1(354, a geometrician and mechanist, a member of the Academy of 

 Sciences, whom students still hear mentioned at lectures when care is 

 taken to acquaint them with the founders of science. The chemists 



' Address before I'Association FraiKjaise pour I'Avancement des Scieaees. Congrt-a 



de C'aeu, 1894. Translated from Revue Scieutilique, August 11, 1894, 4th series, 



Vol. II. 



153 



