president's address SECTION I. 177 



others elastic, and though I may seein to trespass on the 

 province of my brother President, who looks after Anthro- 

 pology, I should like to say a word on the study of the 

 disappearing languages of this end of the world. A few 

 years since I was talking to the editor of a well-known 

 London literary paper, and we were discussing the thrilling 

 subject of land tenure. " How the future will curse the 

 Australian Colonies for neglecting their opportunities ! " he 

 said. " You had a clear field, a tabula rasa, and you have 

 reproduced the old world. You ought to have tried experi- 

 ments for our behoof, for the world's good to have tested 

 theories ; but you have been content to follow beaten tracks." 

 To this kind suggestion there are obvious answers, for neither 

 a generation nor a colony cares to risk a sacrifice of itself, its 

 happiness, its future, in order that the world may enjoy the 

 advantage of an object-lesson on a magnificent scale. But 

 among the vanishing opportunities, soon to be reckoned lost, 

 must be counted the scientific study of the habits and the 

 languages of the Aborigines. It is the story of the Sibylline 

 books over again. Once such study was comparatively easy ; 

 there were numbers of natives brought into frequent contact 

 with British settlers. But for many reasons scientific 

 advantage was not, perhaps could not be, taken of this 

 constant intercourse. Settlers were busy, inquirers were not 

 trained. Meeting as we do in a Colony where the last 

 aboriginal is dead, considering that the last estimate of the 

 number of aboriginals in Victoria is 731, can anyone 

 maintain that there is anything like the same opportunity 

 now? We are reminded of the words of Bacon : — " Occasion, 

 as it is in the common verse, turneth a bald noddle after she 

 hath presented her locks in front, and no hold taken ; or, at 

 least, turneth the handle of the bottle first to be received, 

 and after the belly, which is hard to clasp." But a scientific 

 study of the native languages of Australia and of the islands 

 of the Southern Seas is yet possible. In a few years it will 

 be less possible ; in a few years more the opportunity will 

 have been lost. Research of the kind would need endow- 

 ment, but not a large sum. Probably even £500 a year for 

 five years would lead to valuable results, which would other- 

 wise be lost to the world, if only the investigation Avere 

 carried out in a scientific, systematic manner, the inquirers 

 trained for the work, the lines of work defined and regulated. 

 Our Universities might well train inquirers if only the money 

 were forthcoming. Nine years ago there was pubhshed in 



