17 



is more fertile than another in growths of sufficient 

 prominence to arrest the attention of the general public, 

 and to supply topics suitable for the address. On these 

 accounts apparently such a Presidential survey has 

 ceased to bQ annual, and has dropped into an inter- 

 mittence of longer period. Some Presidents have made 

 a scientific principle, such as the Time-element in natural 

 phenomena, or Continuity, or Natural Selection, the 

 theme of their discourse, and have gathered illustra- 

 tions from various branches of knowledge. Others 

 lagain, taking their own special subject as a fundamental 

 note, and thence modulating into other kindred keys, 

 have borne testimony to the fact that no subject is so 

 special as to be devoid of bearing or of influence 

 ion many others. Some have described the successive 

 stages of even a single but important investigation ; and 

 iwhile tracing the growth of that particular item, and of 

 the ideas involved in it, have incidentally shown to the 

 outer world what manner of business a serious investiga- 

 tion is. But there is happily no pattern or precedent 

 iwhich the President is bound to follow ; both in range of 

 ^subject-matter and in mode of treatment each has 

 :exercised his imdoubted right of taking an independent 

 nine. And it can hardly be doubted that a judicious exer- 

 :cise of this freedom has contributed more than anything 

 else to sustain the interest of a series of annual dis- 

 courses extending now over nearly half a century. 



The nature of the subjects which may fairly come within 

 ;the scope of such a discourse has of late been much dis- 

 cussed ; and the question is one upon which every one is 

 of course entitled to form his own judgment ; but lest 

 there should be any misapprehension as to how far it 

 concerns us in our corporate capacity, it will be well to 



B 



