L ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



both as a master of historical researcli and a writer of unusual merit. 

 In the literary career which followed this auspicious beginning he proved 

 himself one of the most industrious and prolific writers of the day. To 

 the sixty-eight volumes of the Canadian Methodist Magazine, his pen 

 jnade every month the largest and most important contributions. In 

 addition to this he prepared and issued from the press every quarter, 

 twenty-seven Sunday-school periodicals, the circulation of which rose 

 during his lifetime from 46,000 to 400,000. Meantime pen and brain 

 were busy with works of a more permanent character, the list of which 

 comprises no less than fifteen volumes in various fields of history, bio- 

 graphy, and historical fiction. It would probably be difficult to name any 

 Canadian writer who has equalled him in the amount of original matter 

 prepared for the pi-ess. That his work was appreciated by the reading 

 public is proved by the fact that some of his books reached six and seven 

 editions. All his writings, especially of later years, were prepared to meet 

 some pressing need or to take advantage of some important occasion in 

 iho history of the country, or of the Church. At the time his history of 

 Canada Avas issued a popular and compendious summary of our history 

 was a recognized want. " Ileligious Progress in the Nineteenth Century" 

 was the title of an important centennial volume. " The Makers of Meth- 

 odism " was another. All that he wrote tended to' stimailate high 

 patriotism, intelligent piety, and a thorough sympathy with the history 

 and institutions of Christian religion. His work in the field of historical 

 fiction was solidly grounded in liistory, the facts of which he so clothed 

 with life as to give them a secure hold upon the attention and memory 

 of the young. And herein lay the inspiration and motive of all his work. 

 He lived and wrote for the young. His sunny heart — and no man had a 

 temperament more replete with sunshine than he — gave the little children 

 the " Sunbeams." For the boys and girls coming up into the romance 

 of life he had " Lawrence Temple,'" "Barbara Heck ' and '' Valeria." 

 For the young men ahd women desiring to be well informed on religious 

 matters he had the " Catacombs of Rome," " The Makers of Method- 

 ism," ''Religious Progress in the Nineteenth Century," " Great 

 Preachers," "Tbc Romance of Missions " and " Harmony of the Gos- 

 pels," the last his one work of a specially theological character. From 

 the editorial chair and from his own study he became the educator of a 

 m.illion of Canadians, and our country will long continue to reap the 

 golden harvest of his abundant and gracious sowing." 



8. — Election of a New Hon'orary Secretary. 



The death of Dr. Fletcher liaving rendered necessary the appoint- 

 Uicnt of a new honorary secretary to serve during the remainder of the 



