ADDRESSES 29 



ing was, before the outbreak of the war, being erected for it in 

 Berlin. Twenty-four years later (1724) Peter the Great in- 

 augurated the Petrograd Imperial Academy. Then came the 

 Copenhagen Royal Academy founded by Christian VI (1744) ; 

 the Hungarian Royal Academy, which now has such fine 

 buildings, museums, etc., founded by Count Szechenyi,; and 

 the Vienna Royal Academy, founded by Ferdinand I. All 

 these rulers, from Alexander the Great to Ferdinand, were 

 men of unusual sagacity and character and nothing which they 

 did was more wise or more instrumental in perpetuating their 

 fame than the foundation of these academies which were 

 centers of the intellectual life of their times. The academies 

 mentioned are provided with ample quarters, with libraries, 

 with museums and with laboratories. 



The buildings which they occupy make an imposing array — ■ 

 sometimes being old palaces rich with historical settings, some- 

 times exquisite new buildings fitted especially for the needs of 

 the institutions. 



Their libraries are often remarkable repositories of scientific 

 literature ; their museums contain extensive and valuable col- 

 lections ; and their laboratories are in many instances well 

 fitted for scientific investigations. 



The list of their members includes men who have made con- 

 tributions to knowledge which are immeasurable in value. 



In the French Academy were such men as La Place, Buff on, 

 Lagrange, D'Alembert, Lavoisier, Fresnel, Ampere, Biot, Gay 

 Lussac, Cuvier, Pasteur; in the Royal Society, Newton, Sir 

 Humphrey Davy, Michael Faraday, Huggins, Lord Lister. 

 These men met in their academies, announced their discoveries, 

 performed their experiments, received criticism, listened to dis- 

 cussions, gave and received inspiration and stimulus. As a re- 

 sult men are today wiser, better and richer. 



In return for the $20,000, which the Royal Society receives 

 annually to aid its investigations, it has done much valuable 

 work for the state. It has been called upon in hundreds of in- 

 stances to furnish expert knowledge and advice. It has been 

 consulted by the English government in a multitude of cases of 

 which the following are instances : The equipment of the 

 Royal Observatory ; the question of calendar reform (the very 

 question which our own State academy is considering at pres- 

 ent) ; measurements of various kinds — the length of a degree 

 of latitude, of the seconds pendulum, of standards of length ; all 

 kinds of surveys; expeditions to various parts of the world; 

 questions having to do with health and sickness, malaria, trop- 



