Ixxxii. PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. 



of both the present nation and posterity. At the British 

 Association Meeting the Education Section discussed a 

 variety of points connected with that subject, amongst 

 others the advantages of making museums more educational. 

 I think myself that the first duty of a Museum such as ours, 

 is to collect and preserve what might otherwise be lost, and 

 the second to exhibit what it has in such a way that its 

 visitors may learn as much as possible about each object. 

 Spelling reform, by which I presume is meant phonetic 

 spelling, seemed to find some favour ; but I cannot under- 

 stand how any educated person can bear the sight of it ! 

 We should have no clue to the meaning of the many 

 unfamiliar words we so often now meet with. One thing 

 has struck me very forcibly of late years, and is, I believe, a 

 direct result of over-education and general civilization. 

 It is that now no one (with few exceptions) is able to do 

 anything for him or her self, but must go to a professional 

 for it. If people were less educated and more self-supporting 

 I am sure that the general comfort and happiness would be 

 vastly increased, and there would be less of that restless 

 spirit which is always wanting some new excitement. I 

 also think that they would have more general useful know- 

 ledge than they appear to have under the present system. 

 I am by no means against education, but I think that for 

 one thing the future walk in life of the pupil is not sufficiently 

 considered, and too many things are taught indiscriminately 

 to all. The President of the Education Section of the 

 British Association, at the beginning of his masterly address, 

 mentions the fact that we are now spending 34,000,000 per 

 annum on education, and says " it appears difficult to find 

 distinct evidence of improvement in any way commensurate 

 with the sacrifices which have been made." Anyone who is 

 interested in this subject should read the whole Address. 

 I have been speaking, of course, of general education. Higher 

 Education for those who have shewn themselves fitted for it 

 is a different matter, and must be kept at a high level in 

 order that the knowledge of the world may be preserved and 



