44 JOURNAL OF THE [April, 



attendance of ladies, and thereby increase the social features of 

 our gatherings. To most of you now present the request to 

 attend is superfluous, as you have appeared here with regularity 

 and may be expected to do so in the future. We have, however, 

 numerous members, and among them some of our ablest thinkers, 

 who seldom grace these rooms with their presence, although they 

 occasionally make amends by an excellent paper or address. 

 Should the last-mentioned class appear more frequently, the So- 

 ciety's work would be greatly enhanced, while it would be the 

 means of bringing others here, who would discuss the papers and . 

 participate in extending the desirable work now sustained by the 

 faithful few. 



Exhibitions of apparatus and demonstrations of manipulation 

 are exceedingly desirable. Even if there is not anything ab- 

 solutely novel in such presentations, there are doubtless many, 

 not yet adepts, who would thankfully receive the instruction. 

 The expected address this evening by Dr. Julien on " Micro- 

 scopical Technique," together with the novel apparatus now dis- 

 played before us, gives hopes that the influence of this session will 

 be a valuable incentive to the holding of many future ''working 

 sessions " Work of this nature was frequently accomplished at 

 the earlier meetings of this Society, the incidents of which our 

 older members will recall with delight. 



Let more objects be brought for exhibition. Announcement 

 of these on the programmes is urgently requested. But let not 

 inability to make timely announcement prevent the desired ex- 

 hibition. In this manner we have frequently received valuable 

 instruction from those engaged in special research, and in the 

 preparation and mounting of special classes of objects. 



There are those, whose time is not entirely taken up by their 

 regular avocations, who might derive much pleasure themselves, 

 and be of great service to others, if they would undertake the ex- 

 amination of foods, food products, drugs, textile and other fab- 

 rics, with the view of the detection of adulterations and admix- 

 tures. In conjunction with a friend, who is an analytical chemist, 

 I have recently had occasion to critically examine white writing 

 papers. In the course of our investigation we have discovered? 

 among other things, that much of the fine paper, water-marked 

 " pure linen paper," is more or less mixed with cotton and other 



