VIII 



Some Conditions of Progress in Biological 



Inquiry 



(Mmwhester University Biological Society. Openiti-g Address 



for the Session 1906-7) 



" You who speculate on the nature of things, I praise you not for 

 knoiving the processes lohich Nature ordinarily ejects of herself, but 

 rejoice if so be ilmt you know the issue of such things as your mind 

 conceives.''' — Leonardo da Vinci. 



Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen, 



Your in^'itatioll to me to read a paper to you at the 

 opening meeting of this session of your society gave me 

 great pleasure. If you had thought me an efficient demon- 

 strator, you would have made me a present of a silver clock ; 

 but it appears that you were clever enough to estimate at 

 its real value my ability in that capacity. If you thought 

 that I had on occasion something interesting to say to 3'ou, 

 you would invite me to give the opening paper of the session 

 to this society. And let me tell you that the verdict you 

 pronounce on me by having done so is far more gratifpng 

 to me than that expressible by the presentation of a silver 

 clock. '' He who can, does ; he who cannot, teaches." 



In the course of settling on a subject for my remarks I 

 have been struck with the fact that, notwithstanding the 

 great diversity of topics of addresses of this kind, and not- 

 withstanding the variety of the reasons alleged for choosing 

 them, they have one feature in common — namely, that they 

 are interesting to the lecturer. This common feature deter- 

 mining the choice of a topic is obviously in many ways a 

 desirable one. But a human mind is such that it often fails 



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