Life of Count Ritmford. 441 



Young, but little more. I had some hopes of getting some cor- 

 respondence of Sir J. Hippesley, who, next to Bernard, took the 

 most active part in the Institution, but am disappointed." 



The Royal Institution has had an honorable history, 

 and for the most part one singularly free from acrimo- 

 nious contentions, personal variances, and dividing 

 issues about elections to membership or the choice of 

 officers. In this peaceful and quiet course it has been 

 favorably distinguished above even the Royal Society, 

 which has passed through many severe agitations and 

 many critical periods. The courses of lectures given 

 successively before the Institution by Drs. Young and 

 Dalton, by Sydney Smith, Faraday, and Tyndal, have 

 kept it before the public as acting with fresh vigor 

 among the higher agencies alike for engaging the high- 

 est professional talent and for advancing and popular- 

 izing science among the masses. Undoubtedly it has 

 yielded to some modifications of the original design and 

 intent of its founder; not more so, however, than to 

 admit of the adaptations which time requires of all 

 organized bodies and of all institutions working by a 

 code of rules which, because they are admirably adapted 

 to the exigencies first served by them, would becom.e 

 antiquated if they did not yield to, and in fact assimi- 

 late, the new elements of progress. Yet, as we read over 

 the pamphlet prepared by Count Rumford nearly three 

 quarters of a century ago, and note how comprehensive 

 and elastic was the scheme proposed by him, and how 

 directly and enthusiastically it assumed the office of 

 working in every way for the good of common people, 

 we can hardly apply the terms "modification" or 

 "change" to its adoption of any means which would serve 

 its great end. Perhaps if we could imagine the Count 



i 



