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photographs, as shown us by Mr. Strunpel, in this room. 

 Galileo and his friend may have marvelled at the fly 

 "as large as a hen/' what would their thoughts be, could 

 they have seen, as we have, the antics of organisms 

 appearing the size: of dogs, in reality, but 1,000th of art 

 inch in length. 



A French writer remarks: " In a general way, one 

 gives the name of microscope to any instrument which, 

 interposed between the eye and the objects brought near, 

 has the property of making them appear greater than 

 they are." To-night I have endeavoured to trace the 

 history of the microscope and some of the things it has 

 shown to us. I do not think I have made them appear 

 greater than they are, but they are greater in importance 

 than they appeared to our ancestors. Nevertheless, I 

 would rescue from partial oblivion the names of some, 

 who in their day were often subjected to ridicule, but 

 who are still landmarks in the microsoopist's world long 

 after their critics have been forgotten. 



At school it is easy to win a prize amongst the 

 dufifers in the lowest forms, but amongst the picked 

 scholars, who strive for the honoured positions at the 

 top, it is no small matter to have one's name: mentioned 

 in the list of honours. 



In this Society of ours are men and women endowed 

 with education and attainments, from whom we hope to 

 leara much of value to us in our pursuit of microscopical 

 science. Some of us may attain pre-eminence and become 

 the picked scholars of the great School of Scientific 

 Research, names deserving honourable mention. Others, 

 who can only dabble in the subject during their moments 

 of leisure, may not achieve renown; but they are none 

 the worse for having passed an evening or two in dis- 

 tinguished company. Delicacy of touch, quickness of 

 perception, accuracy of observation, all these may be 



