FORTY-EIGHTH ANNUAL REPORT. 
Since our last Annual General Meeting was held, history 
has recorded great events. The most stupendous of all wars 
has come to an end. Right has triumphed over the might of a 
great and arrogant military nation, and we rejoice to be free 
from war and all its terrible consequences. In all 92 of our 
members joined His Majesty’s Forces for the period of the war, 
12 of whom will ‘‘ come not home again ”’ in the flesh. Although 
Wwe mourn the loss of so many gallant young lives, we are 
conscious that the signs of the times denote that we have 
emerged out of this terrible conflict a more highly organized 
nation, with a greater desire to be more perfect in all arts and 
sciences which are the most valuable assets of a peaceful and - 
prosperous nation. Remembering also that we are on the eve 
of the adoption of a higher standard of education, which will 
necessitate Natural Science, Literature and Art playing a more 
prominent part in our daily lives, there should be a_ bright 
future for Societies such as ours. Evidence of this is already to 
be seen in the fact that there will be submitted to you for 
election this evening no less than 143 names.of ladies and 
gentlemen and juniors, all of whom have expressed a wish 
to become Members of this Society. ‘This constitutes a record 
and brings us back to the proud position of having considerably 
over 1,000 members on the roll of the Society. 
The forthcoming Session will be unique in the history of 
the Society, from the fact that the Kingsley Centenary will be 
celebrated in the Museum on June 12th. Further reference to 
this will be found on pages 8 to 12 of this report. 
It has already been decided to return to the practice of pre- 
war times by holding the Annual Conversazione on October 16th 
in the Town Hall, where previous to 1914 a most successful 
i eater nnccnitiints ae 
