W. H. PRATT. president's ANNUAL ADDRESS. 159 



proper cabinet cases now much needed, will answer our purposes 

 very well for some time to come, and it seems to me wisest to util- 

 ize it as completely as j^ossible before entering- upem th(^ undertak- 

 ing of completing- the final structure. 



Another suggestion which Dr. Pariy strongly urged, that it would 

 be "very desirable to commence the issuing of })ublications and 

 transactions as early as possible" has also happily been put in execu- 

 tion, chiefly thi-ough the arduous labors and persistent energy of our 

 worthy Corresponding Secretary and Chairman of the Publication 

 Committee, Mr. J. Duncan Putnam, and the result fully demon- 

 strates the wisdom of the rcconnnendation, as well as its practicabil- 

 ity, concerning which latter point considerable doubt was expressed. 



One other remark 1 would call to mind. He said: "When such 

 collections (in natural history, etc.,) are once fairly commenced, the 

 peculiar individual tastes, or even the accidental biases of diiFerent 

 minds, will be attracted to the various branches of science so exhib- 

 ited, and we shall see, gradually growing up under its influence, 

 workers prepared to follow out particulai- lines of research and in- 

 vestigation." 



This also has been realized to some extent — would it were to a 

 much greater. 



The question, who are to take the places of the actuu- members 

 as they drop off, one by one, and even to swell the list to a more effi- 

 cient force, is one which occasions some solicitude. 



To attain any great degree of success, an institution of this kind, 

 unless richly endowed so as to be enabled to command the best abil- 

 ity by good salaries, must depend upon amateur work, and upon the 

 svipport of the community. 



To secure these, it must not only contribute something toward the 

 culture of taste and increase of interest in natural science, by museum, 

 meetings, publications, and occasional lectures, l)vit should also de- 

 vise some means of instruction in the scientific subjects of most di- 

 rect importance, and in the form most practically adapted and applica- 

 ble in daily life. 



Though some efforts have boen made, we have not yet found the 

 way in which to co-operate with the public schools as was always de- 

 sired and ho})ed, and as we still hope to do. 



In the Presidential address of Prof. W. H. Barris, four years since, 

 I find the following very important suggestion, Avhich, I am sorry to 

 say, has not yet been realized, though I believe it can be. He says: 



