302 PROF. WILLIAMSON’S ADDRESS TO THE 
faction by thoughtful men. Let me not be misunderstood 
here: far be it from me to underrate the value of God’s 
substantial blessings; they are amongst his choicest gifts 
to man, aud properly used are designed to make him 
happy whilst they are employed for his Creator’s glory. 
The pursuits in which you intend to engage have no such 
material purpose; on the contrary, by fillimg the mind 
with less selfish aims and loftier conceptions, they are cal- 
culated to bring man nearer to his Maker, and help to fit 
him for the position he is finally destined to occupy. I 
trust that the members of this Society, shunning high 
sounding titles and airy assumptions, will continually keep 
the highest objects in view; so that whilst they are lowly 
in profession they may be lofty in their aspirations. 
There appear to be three definite purposes which may 
have influenced us in the establishment of this section: 
1st, Amusement; 2nd, Self-instruction; 3rd, Instruction 
of others and the enlargement of the common stock of 
knowledge. The first of these objects is the lowest, but 
still a legitimate one. No thinking man can witness 
without pain the frivolity of the amusements popular even 
in fashionable society at the present day; many of them 
are unworthy of dignified manhood ; consequently an im- 
portant advantage is gained if we can substitute some- 
thing which, whilst amusing, tends also to elevate and 
instruct. 
That the second object is still a higher one needs no 
demonstration; but the third purpose to which I have 
referred merits a moment’s attention. It behoves every 
thoughtful man to feel himself responsible for helping to 
leave the world wiser and better than when he entered it. 
On questions of religion and morality God has made to 
man a direct revelation of His will; but on questions of 
science He has made no such revelation: the solution of 
these He has intrusted wholly to human instrumentality. 
