president's address — SECTION I. 171 



more than could be expected of human nature that she 

 should forego an opportunity of turning the tables on the 

 elder sister. " Let me show you a little hospitality," she very 

 civilly said, but she with difficulty repressed a chuckle as she 

 said it, and she swept out a small back room (I is the ninth 

 letter of the alphabet) for her elder sister, and then she put 

 another sister. Art, in with her, without making any kind of 

 inquiry how the two were likely to agree. According to 

 most inquirers this is the origin of Section I. But as a 

 faithful investigator, I am bound to add that another, though 

 less plausible, explanation has been offered, viz., — that it is 

 based upon the official toast list of public banquets. " The 

 Queen, God Bless Her," *' The Governor, God Guide Him," 

 " Army, Navy, and Volunteers," " Clergy of All Denomi- 

 nations," " The Parliament," " The Ministry," " The Guest 

 of the Evening," " Our Financial Interests." So the 

 banqueters pass gaily through the list, when suddenly it 

 occurs to some one that there is such a thing as mind ; and 

 just before the toast, the insulting position of which marks 

 banqueting man's estimate of his fairer partner, and just ere 

 the revellers leave the banquet-hall deserted, comes the 

 conglomerate toast, " Literature, Science, and Art." These 

 inquirers maintain that Science never appreciated being thus 

 sandwiched, and is now taking a sly revenge. This theory 

 of the origin does not wholly satisfy me, but it does serve to 

 explain what would otherwise be inexplicable, namely, — the 

 conjunction of Literature and Art. To ordinary minds there 

 is a closer connection between mineralogy and geology, 

 which are in different sections, between geology and biology, 

 than there is between letters and the fine arts. Of course 

 an ingenious mind can discover connecting links : what 

 cannot an ingenious mind discover ? And when later on I 

 pass from one subject to the other you shall test my ingenuity 

 in discovering a satisfactory bridge by which to cross. 



1 thank the men of science who rule this Association for 

 doing me the honour of electing me a President. I am 

 officially bound to be grateful for the hospitality which Science 

 thus shows to literature and the fine arts, but especially at 

 a time when it is proposed that the Section should be ended I 

 have a deeper duty to fulfil. I must speak frankly, and I 

 take for my text the words, " Literature will take care of 

 itself." Do you know who uttered those words? It was 

 one of the strongest of England's Prime Ministers, WiUiam 

 Pitt, in the plenitude of his power. Application had been 



