PROCEEDINGS FOR 1917 XXXVII 



The Royal Society of London. I would, with your permission, call it 

 the daughter of the latter. There are other Royal Societies in the 

 Empire, those of New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and South 

 Africa, which, like our own, had their origin, each in its own con- 

 stituency, in the desire to emulate in some measure. The Royal Society 

 of London. The movement that led to their foundation was in nearly 

 every case initiated by members of the older Society, and this deter- 

 mined a filial relationship between them and it. The Royal Society 

 of London is, of its kind, the oldest organization in existence, as the 

 only learned Society of earlier origin, L'Institut Français, was founded 

 to cultivate literature rather than science. Later, in other countries, 

 there were established royal academies and societies more or less 

 fashioned in their constitution after The Royal Society of London, 

 with which, however, they had no connection by membership or other- 

 wise. They may, therefore, be called sister Societies while ours may, 

 from the circumstances of its origin, be appropriately ranked as a 

 daughter Society. 



Our Royal Society was founded for the purpose of concentrating 

 all the intellectual forces of the country on the development of science 

 and literature in Canada. How well it has so far succeeded it is not 

 for me to dwell upon at this moment, but it can be said that for its 

 thirty-five years of history, it has achieved according to the hopes of 

 its founders. It will achieve still more in the years to come. The 

 Royal Society of London had after thirty-five years' existence, a 

 higher prestige than ours, simply because it was the only one of its 

 class in existence and the hopes of all the intellectual world concerned 

 in the advancement of natural philosophy, as it was then called, 

 turned to The Royal Society, and that helped in furthering its objects 

 and enhancing its position in the world of learning. The Royal 

 Society of Canada has not had any extraneous or adventitious advant- 

 ages, but it has already achieved a position «of high distinction as 

 representing Canadian thought, Canadian literature and Canadian 

 science. Its service to Canada will be continued in the many years to 

 come and even this generation will see its prestige enhanced and its 

 influence for good extended in every direction. 



As to the Universities Conference: I have less to say concerning 

 that, because I am a casual member of it and can only speak for it 

 as an outsider. One's thoughts turn wistfully and yearningly to some 

 association or federation in our country which will permit our Uni- 

 versities to band themselves together in a brotherhood for furthering 

 the intellectual life of the country. (Hear, hear and applause.) 

 There is in the vast extent of the country a great deal of isolation. 

 The small groups of university teachers here and there are, as it were, 



