616 PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION H. 
the nautical elevators, a city, or section of a city, may be 
just as concentrated and compact with less lofty buildings, 
even though it covers three times the acreage, and it must 
certainly be healthier and safer for its inhabitants. 
4. Communication.—Both from without and within. I 
have already briefly enumerated the long list of scientific 
inventions which have been enrolled for practical use in 
improving our means of inter-communication, and will not 
recapitulate. I would, however, like to say that the greatest 
demand put now upon science under this head is for a 
satisfactory treatment of the accoustic difficulty. How to 
ensure perfect accoustics in every part of a new hall is a 
problem not yet properly solved. 
5. Health.—It scarcely needs stating that a large build- 
ing accommodating its hundreds of inmates should possess 
an arterial system as perfect as (but probably more complex, 
because subject to more varying demands than) that even of 
the body. Its supplies of air, water, food, warmth, and its 
means for the discharge of the nitrated and waste pro- 
ducts, are as essential to the well-being of its inmates; 
and any failure of these is likely to be as fatal to those 
inmates as are failures of the corresponding organs to fulfil 
their parts in the human frame divine. 
We have much to accomplish in these directions yet, 
S. and G., before sanitary science can be considered to have 
attained perfection, and I am looking with great interest 
to the proceedings of Section H. in this Session. But it 
seems to me that these two sections overlap each other, and 
that the practical carrying out of the hygienic conditions 
which may be determined in Section H. as necessary to | 
enable us to dwell, assemble, and worship under the glorified 
roof can only be effected under one section—I. 
6. Comfort.—This is almost a necessary sequence of the 
former subdivision, and I will not dwell upon it, except 
just to say that the first object of all design should be 
“ suitability of purpose.’”’ Much design which is beauti- 
ful in itself has failed to fulfil the required condition of 
comfort because of some fancied necessity to adhere to the 
details of some particular school or style. Let me also 
point out that under this heading you will see again how 
wide is the application of the “ glorified_roof”’ conception. 
To perfect the appointments under this roof demands are 
made practically upon every useful art and science, as well 
as on the fine arts. 
7. Safety.—I have not arranged this list of requirements 
in any order of relative importance, otherwise I should 
