134 Transactions. — Miscellaneous. 



ing them from " larrikinism." Scientific study should be 

 largely inculcated by kind and plain words, by manuals, and 

 by example, for science has extended into all portions of life. 

 What I mean by a scientific education is not the mere confined 

 knowledge of that one branch taught, or one thing brought 

 more particularly under consideration, whether Euclid's pro- 

 blems or natural science — the science of living things, as seen 

 in the w^ondrous, complex, yet perfect and beautiful structure 

 of a fly, a shell-fish, or a moss (for beauty's best in un- 

 regarded things) — the mention of which as a useful study is 

 too often met with a " Cui bono? " For the opinion is often 

 expressed that certain scientific pursuits are not compatible 

 with the business pursuits of life. But there is no greater 

 fallacy than this, as we may see in the living instances of 

 many eminent men of our time — Sir John Lubbock, for 

 example. A true scientific education is the teaching of the 

 power of observing, the teaching of accuracy, the difficulty of 

 attaining to a real knowledge of the truth, and the methods by 

 which one may pass from that which was proved to the 

 thought of that which was also capable of being proved. The 

 first thing to learn is the power of observing, the power of 

 seeing things in their relations to other things, and the modi- 

 fications they might undergo. This, though a rather difiicult 

 thing, is attainable. Science teaches not only how to observe, 

 but how to record facts, and how to arrive at general con- 

 clusions upon facts. The habit of accuracy which science in- 

 culcates makes a man accurate in the ordinary business and 

 pursuits of life. There are many people — good people — who 

 would not tell a lie, but for their lives they seem as if they 

 could not tell the exact truth. Now, science teaches the 

 difficulty of attaining truth, and shows how to arrive at it. It 

 is said of the celebrated John Hunter, who delighted in plain 

 language, that he oiace said, if he wished to sum up his 

 advice to students it would be, " Don't think ; try." What he 

 meant was, when one was satisfied about certain principles, do 

 not think that you can think what must necessarily follow, but 

 try, test, experiment, observe, record facts, then you would 

 see whether what you thought was true was really true. 



Moreover, scientific processes also gratify our love of 

 novelty, of wonder. All have an insatiable appetite for the 

 wonderful ; civilised man is still everywhere like the Athenians 

 of old, eagerly inquiring after " some new thing." And to a 

 certain extent (if, indeed, such should ever be limited) this 

 common trait is conducive of great good, as, in spite of many 

 failures, it continually leads to the advancement of our race. 



I have already barely mentioned the death of two of our 

 members. As, however, this is unusual with us, I would offer 

 a few observations concerning them. Those two gentlemen. 



