Historical Sketch of Minnesota Academy of Science 441 



find its main nourishment in the amateur spirit of voluntary intel- 

 lectual exercise for one's own stronger scientific manhood. 



The second inference is as to the most efficient methods of ex- 

 ercising this love of nature. First by each member's bringing into 

 the monthly meetings the finds in nature which have given him per- 

 sonally the greatest satisfaction. Then by exchanging these nature- 

 discoveries the members were mutually educated in the highest way, 

 — better than any cut and dried formal course of study could do. 

 The bringing in of real specimens for the museum, describing them 

 informally and untechnically, was the best stimulus for each mem- 

 ber's learning more in his special field of nature. The wider per- 

 spectives of the application of all these bits of knowledge to our- 

 selves, as preeminently gathered up in the great world-law of evolu- 

 tion, has often been presented most ably in the presidential addresses. 

 And the most that any guiding officer could do was in aiding or ar- 

 ranging the meetings for discussions and papers; his most stren- 

 uous oflficial fidelity is unavailing without a homogeneous body of real 

 lovers of and workers in nature. If the contribution made a fairly 

 complete chapter or even paragraph of knowledge they printed their 

 papers themselves to exchange with similar all over the world. 

 Here again they happily avoided a professionalism which, often un- 

 der the glamor of artificial light or obscurity, too often extracts 

 money from spectators to pay for publishing their personal victories. 

 The range of the Academy's collected studies thus naturally con- 

 fined itself to the knowledge of the nature of our own community 

 and state; similar scientific societies in other cities and states mak- 

 ing their local studies and exchanging with Minneapolis and Minne- 

 sota. The more abstract, technical, or ultra-scientific papers found 

 little expression in the four volumes of the Academy's Bulletins; 

 such articles should go to the few highly specialized scientific jour- 

 nals. 



Then, besides being a mutual knowledge-exchange, the Academy 

 made itself helpful to a larger circle through the educational means 

 of its public museum and public lectures. Both these public func- 

 tions have done much for the intellectual culture of our city. They 

 require mere financial support than the publishing function; but, 

 when any necessary or reasonable plans for museum growth or popu- 

 lar scientific lectures were made, there has been a timely and gen- 

 erous support from public-spirited men of intellectual and business 

 force of character. Where there has been scientific ideals and de- 

 termination the money has never failed. Thousands of children and 

 adults have gotten educational culture from the Academy's collec- 

 tions of the works of nature and of nature's children, or from the 

 Academy's public lectures on astronomy or physiology. Along with 

 the rich opportunities for literary and art culture which our city 

 generously offers to its children and citizens there is also the indis- 

 pensable need for the complementary side of human culture in know- 

 ing nature about us at first hand. And this function the Academy's 

 museum and public lectures can fulfill as none of our other educa- 

 tional means in schools and colleges try or can hope to do. 



Thus it is profoundly to be hoped that the spirit of loving to 

 know about nature for her own sake and the executive ability for 



