22 INAUGURAL ADDRESS. 
severe and perilous task, have to a vast extent gathered, fixed 
and systematised the languages of savage tribes, doubtless 
primarily in duties of holy call, but thereby collaterally affording 
means for comparative linguistic studies and the philologic 
subjects connected therewith. Indeed, the Bible is now trans- 
lated into more than 300 languages or their diversified dialects. 
What an incalculable treasure is stored up by these biblic 
translations also in wordly aspects! Could the Association 
possibly do some further good in insisting, that by the force 
of logic, should be suppressed any defectiveness of thought in 
much of commonplace conyersational and perhaps also literary 
phraseology, ever without reflection reiterated. Some appella- 
tions, vernacular or otherwise, are also here and there open to 
improvement yet; thus, to quote only one familiar instance, 
“‘Gumtrees,” professionally speaking, would apply here to the 
Wattle-Acacias, not to the Eucalypts. For the advantage of 
conversing in several languages, and simultaneously to have 
disclosed the treasures of literature in originality, to learn 
two, three or even four, is at early childhood hardly more 
dificult than one, if facilities in family-life can be offered to the 
youthful retentive mind. Even to orphan-children, provided for 
by the State, this benefit could be extended, inasmuch as some 
juvenile inmates of orphanages might be readily transferred from 
the institution of one country to that of a neighbouring one 
without any additional expenditure for support, and with this 
philanthropic view, that nations, who unhappily nourish mutual 
sentiments of asperity, would through the rising generation by 
closer social contract draw nearer to. each other also as great 
communities, would learn more to respect national character, 
would recognise more individual worth of their adversaries, 
would gradually be disabused of hostile prejudices, and would 
abandon supposed or exaggerated notions of their neighbour's 
faultfulness or enmity. This principle might perhaps be extended 
to all classes, with domesticities sure to arise out of it with all 
their happy influences. 
It is most pleasing, to see assigned to the highly scientific art 
of music so distinct a position at this gathering, the division, ° 
constituted for it, being moreover enhanced in importance through 
a renowned composer being identified with it. At all periods 
of human existence the soul found its sublimest expression 
in harmonious tones. Emblematically the sacred Scripture 
seizes on this mode of expression, as conveying to the utmost 
the ideas of mental loftiness! By nearly a thousand symbols 
vocal and instrumental sounds were fixed from almost mythologic 
remoteness down to the olympian festivals; and well might 
it be wished, that some records of those melodies were left, 
enchanting as they were even at the dawn of mental culture, 
to be deciphered or restored at this age. To judge from 
