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But, it might be said, what had he for them in the shape 

 of suggestions for the future. He had two suggestions. One was 

 that papers should occasionally be read, dealing with the elementary 

 aspect of the subjects of which they treat. Many of them, he was 

 sure, oftentimes failed to appreciate some of the papers as much as 

 they would like for the want of elementary knowledge respecting 

 the particular questions referred to. 



The other suggestion was that papers should also be read 

 occasionally explaining the cant scientific terms now coming into 

 use; such, for instance as "The conservation of energy," "The 

 correlation of physical forces," " Natural selection," " The survival 

 of the fittest," and "Evolution." Very frequently these terms 

 were used as bugbears, for they were often used by persons in a 

 very random and careless manner, showing that they were really 

 ignorant of their true meaning. Let him, however, not be mis- 

 understood ; he did not wish to make these subjects of controversy 

 — that would be unwise, and would sure to be productive of evil. 

 On the other hand, papers explaining these terms, and showing in 

 what sense they were used and understood by the master minds of 

 the day would, he was quite convinced, be useful to them. Though 

 the sphere of the society was small, he believed it had been, and 

 would still continue to be, very useful to the town, helping to elevate 

 some, at least, of its inhabitants into something higher than they 

 would have been but for its influence. 



It was with great pleasure that he vacated the chair in favour 

 of such a man as Alderman Cox — one of the ex-Mayors of 

 Brighton — who, he was sure, would preside over their gatherings 

 in a manner which he had never been able to attain to. 



The President, Mr. Alderman Cox, in taking the chair, said it 

 was not usual, he was told, for the incoming President to make any 

 remarks on first taking the chair ; but he would take this oppoi*- 

 tunity of thanking them for the honour they had done him, and of 

 saying that if he succeeded in performing the duties of his office as 

 well as the President who had just retii-ed from the cbaii-, he should 

 consider that he had performed them well. 



Mr. M. Penley said he had been asked to propose that a warm 

 vote of thanks be given to Mr. Haselwood for his able conduct as 



