1898-99. ] THE EARLY DAYS OF THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE. 15 
must be earned before it can be enjoyed ; that there is no royal road to 
knowledge in any of its branches? But I feel that in pursuing this 
theme I am in danger of mistaking the authority of my office as your 
Vice-President for the weight of the speaker. It is not for me before 
such an audience, to enlarge on subjects which many around me could 
enforce much better. Well has Bacon said, that ‘all works are over- 
come by an amplitude of reward, by soundness of direction, and by 
conjunction of labour. The first multiplieth endeavour, the second pre- 
venteth error, and the third supplieth the frailty of man; but the 
principal of these is direction.’ Suffer me, gentlemen, to conclude my 
remarks by expressing the hope that few of those gentlemen whose 
responsible and honoured positions give us a right to appeal to them, 
will quit this room without resolving to give to our young Institute the 
weight of their support and the aid of their experience.” 
Dr. Melville, a member of the Council of the Institute, expressed 
gratification at seeing so many distinguished visitors present on the 
occasion of their first meeting after having obtained their charter. He 
was highly delighted at seeing the presidential chair so admirably filled, 
and begged to return the thanks of the Council for the eloquent address 
the Chairman had delivered. It had been said that this country was 
too young for such an Institution, but he thought a cursory glance 
around the room would nullify such an opinion. He believed that, with 
few exceptions, the models and works of art which so gracefully adorned 
the Hall, were the productions of residents in Canada. The list of papers 
which they had just heard read by the Secretary were an evidence of 
the energy and zeal brought to bear upon the objects of the Institute. 
Many a delightful and agreeable evening they had enjoyed listening to 
the discussions of these papers. It was true that the interests of general 
literature appeared to have been neglected by the charter; but he 
trusted that this would be remedied, now that they had the prospect of 
being connected with the Atheneum. He begged to return the thanks 
of the Institute to the Hon. Attorney-General, whom he was happy to 
see present, for the great interest he had manifested in obtaining their 
charter, which, but for his exertions, they would not have obtained. As 
a proof of the energy displayed by the Institute he might say that the 
figure of a warrior they saw standing on the table to the left, was grow- 
ing two months ago in the woods of Etobicoke. This, however, was 
but a small earnest of what would be accomplished through the instru- 
mentality of this Institute. 
The Chairman declared a truce of half an hour, during which, a pretty 
general promenade was made to an adjoining room, where tea, coffee 
