16 



not time to " look through " books ou his work to see if they are good, 

 with the idea that he will remember where to get the contaiued iufor- 

 mation at some future time. All readiug must be done earnestly and 

 keenly as though we should never again have an opportunity of seeiug 

 the book in question. Let all our labor be work, not play. I think it 

 is John Euskiu who defines work as systematic eiibrt with a definite 

 end in view, while unsystematic eflbrt, no matter how severe the labor 

 may be, if it have no definite end, is merely play. In the index book 

 should be entered a reference to the page where any facts which strike 

 us as useful are to be found. Some restraint will be necessary, when 

 this work is once taken in hand systematically, not to index what is 

 not useful, as well as that which is. It is very easy to get a mania for 

 indexing, and then the gems we are picking out may soon be lost 

 amongst less valuable matter. Whatever we have to read or whatever 

 we have to see, let us give it our fullest possible attention with the idea 

 that at some future time the information may be useful. A tale that is 

 told about Henry Ward Beecher illustrates this very well, and is prob- 

 ably known to many of you. Upon one occasion he was driving in the 

 country and his horse cast a shoe. He had always made it a rule of his 

 life that whenever he had to see anything done he gave it his lullest 

 attention, with the idea that at some time he might require the knowl- 

 edge so obtained. He had frequently stood by whilst his horse was 

 being shod, and, consequently, when, after a time, he reached a country 

 village and found that the smith was away from home, the tale goes, he 

 felt so confident of the knowledge he had acquired from watching care- 

 fully other horseshoes made that he lighted the fire, fashioned and fin- 

 ished a shoe, and shod his horse. He drove on about 10 miles and reached 

 another village. Upon passing the forge of the village blacksmith he 

 thought it wise to have his work examined, so went in and explained 

 the circumstances and asked the man to see if all were well. The smith 

 looked critically at the shoe, examined it from every point of view, 

 looked at the nails and the way in which they were clinched, and then 

 raising himself up, said : " Look here, mister, if you made that shoe 

 yourself and put it on, as j'ou say, you had better give up preaching and 

 take to smithing." 



Gentlemen, I thank you for the kind hearing you have given me, and 

 I trust we may have a pleasant and useful meeting. 



Mr. Osborn, in discussing the address, thought that the subject sug- 

 gested by the President, of the great importance of careful statistics, 

 could hardly be overestimated. He moved the appointment of a com- 

 mittee of three to operate with Mr. Fletcher to prepare, if possible, 

 some careful statistics as to the amount of insect damage, and ac to 

 the benefit resulting from the work of economic entomologists. 



Mr. Eiley indorsed the suggestion. He had been greatly gratified 

 Avith the address and with the many valuable ideas which the Presi- 

 dent had put forward. Most entomologists who had treated of the 



