October i, 1903] 



NATURE 



539 



benefits against the ordinary ills of life, is one that ought 

 to appeal most strongly to the sympathies of the economist. 

 If it is the fact that trade unions make mistakes, as most 

 people do, those mistakes will be much fewer and less 

 mischievous when full legislative recognition and protec- 

 tion are afforded them than they were under the old 

 regime of suspicion and repression. 



Loan Societies under the Act of 1840 are societies for 

 lending sums of money not exceeding 15/. to the industrious 

 classes upon terms of a deduction of interest at the time of 

 granting the loan and a corresponding weekly repayment 

 fixed to commence at such a time that the rate of interest 

 earned by the society shall be about 12 per cent, per annum ; 

 another instance of the experience which always faces the 

 poor man that he has to pay for any small accommodation 

 he wants a higher relative price than the man has who 

 wants more. These societies are of two types : the Friends 

 of Labour Loan Societies, e.xisting mainly in the metro- 

 polis, having two classes of members, investing and borrow- 

 ing, but limiting the subscriptions of the one class to the 

 15/., which is the statutory limit of the loans to the other 

 class ; and what may be called the proprietary loan societies, 

 existing mainly in Yorkshire, making their loans to non- 

 members, and consisting of a small number of persons who 

 contribute the whole of the capital, the holding of each 

 proprietor sometimes amounting to several hundreds of 

 pounds. 



The Registry of Friendly Societies has for one of its 

 functions that of granting to societies which are exclusively 

 for purposes of science, literature, and the fine arts certifi- 

 cates exempting them from local rating. Though there 

 can be no question that these certificates are of great value 

 to many excellent institutions, such as public libraries, 

 picture galleries, museums, and scientific and learned 

 societies, which would find the liability to pay rates, in 

 these days when rates have increased and are increasing 

 so largely, a serious deduction from the scanty means at 

 their command for maintaining their useful operations, yet 

 I have very grave doubts whether on economic grounds any 

 such exemption from rates is capable of being defended. 

 The benevolent people who subscribe to maintain these 

 buildings for the public good increase the burden upon the 

 small ratepayer to the extent to which they fail to contribute 

 their share. The Act of 1843 has more than once been 

 scheduled in Bills for repealing exemptions from rating, 

 but those Bills have not been passed, and the Act is still 

 in force. 



There only remains to consider the case of Savings Banks, 

 which are brought in connection with the Registry of 

 Friendly Societies by the Acts which confer upon that office 

 exclusive and final jurisdiction in the settlement of disputes, 

 and effectually oust the jurisdiction of the Courts of Law. 

 Under these Acts many thousands of disputes have been 

 settled by my predecessors, my colleagues, and myself, and 

 at the present time an average of three appointments every 

 week during the busy time of the year has to be made to 

 hear the parties. We see much of the seamy side of life 

 in these cases — many family and other quarrels of a sordid 

 character are brought to light — and it has been noted as 

 a curious fact that persons guilty of fraud or embezzle- 

 ment seem frequently, but most unwisely, to select the 

 Savings Bank as the securest receptacle for their ill-gotten 

 gains. On the other hand many pathetic and touching 

 instances of thrift and self-sacrifice have been brought under 

 "ur notice, and much evidence has been accumulated as 

 the great value to the poor of these excellent institutions. 

 \-; compared with the several self-governing bodies to which 

 1 have already directed attention, the Savings Bank may 

 not unfairly be described as the elementary form of 

 organisation for thrift. The depositor entrusts his money 

 to it for mere safe custody and accumulation, and has no 

 voice in the application of it or control over its managers. 

 All he asks is that he may run no risk of losing it. Savings 

 Banks are of three classes : the 230 Trustee Savings Banks 

 of the old type which still remain, and have to their credit 

 nn undiminished amount of funds, though there were at 

 ne time more than twice as many banks; the Post Office 

 - ivings Bank, which is one of the many monuments still 

 rant to the financial genius of Mr. Gladstone, and not 

 -s to the administrative skill of the public servants who 

 tiled the lines upon which it works, and which has in- 

 roased the savings of the people more than threefold by 



NO. 1770, VOL 



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bringing almost to every man's door the opportunity of 

 making deposits. I hope that it may meet in its new 

 and splendid home at West Kensington with a continuance 

 and increase of the marvellous success which has hitherto 

 attended it. Thirdly, there are the Railway Savings Banks, 

 which have collected from the workmen employed and from 

 their families nearly five million pounds. It is right to 

 observe that they give a rate of interest exceeding by about 

 I per cent, that given by the Trustee and Post Office 

 Savings Banks. It is also to be borne in mind that the 

 deposits in Savings Banks are not drawn wholly from the 

 industrial population, but that many, especially women and 

 children, belonging to other classes make use of the banks. 

 Indeed, the Postmaster-General, in an approximate estimate 

 made some years ago, calculated that women and children 

 constituted 56 per cent, of the whole number of depositors. 

 School Savings Banks and Penny Savings Banks are also 

 to be mentioned as feeders of the ordinary Savings Banks, 

 and as greatly increasing the opportunities of saving 

 afforded to the young, and instilling into them valuable 

 lessons of thrift. 



Such is the story the department I am about to leave has 

 to tell of the free and spontaneous efforts of the industrial 

 population to better their condition by means of thrift and 

 economy. It is, I venture to think, one which speaks well 

 for the general body of that population and has great 

 promise for the future of the country. In times of de- 

 pression, as well as in times of prosperity, the gradual 

 increase of the funds of these various bodies has been main- 

 tained ; the members have not been compelled by the one, 

 nor tempted by the other, to relax their efforts and their 

 sacrifices. 



I ask forgiveness for having detained you so long on 

 S3 small a branch of the great subjects with which this 

 Section has to deal, and which will be well illustrated in 

 the important papers and discussions that are set down on 

 its programme. The course of events has given to one 

 group of subjects, that has often been considered in this 

 Section, a new and unexpected prominence ; and we await 

 with keen interest the teaching which economic science 

 has to offer on the questions of the day. 



SECTION H. 



ANTHROPOLOGY. 



Opening Address by Prof. Johnson Symington, M.D., 

 F.R.S., F.R.S.E., President of the Section. 



It is now nearly twenty years since Anthropology attained 

 to the dignity of being awarded a special and independent 

 Section in this Association, and I believe it is generally 

 admitted that during this period the valuable nature of 

 many of the contributions, the vigour of the discussions, 

 and the large attendance of members have amply justified 

 the establishment and continued existence of this Section. 



While the multifarious and diverse nature of the subjects 

 which are grouped under the term Anthropology gives a 

 variety and a breadth to our proceedings, which are very 

 refreshing in this age of minute specialism, I feel that it 

 adds very considerably to the difficulty of selecting a subject 

 for a Presidential Address which will prove of general 

 interest. 



A survey of the recent advances in our knowledge of the 

 many important questions which come within the scope of 

 this Section would cover too wide a field for the time at 

 my disposal, while a critical examination of the various 

 problems that still await solution might expose me to the 

 temptation of pronouncing opinions on subjects regarding 

 which I could not speak with any real knowledge or ex- 

 perience. To avoid such risks I have decided to limit my 

 remarks to a subject which comes within the range of my 

 own special studies, and to invite your attention to a con- 

 sideration of some problems arising from the variations 

 in the development of the skull and the brain. 



Since the institution of this Section the development, 

 growth, and racial peculiarities of both skull and brain, 

 and the relation of these two organs to each other, have 

 attracted an ever-increasing amount of attention. The 

 introduction of new and improved methods for the study 

 of the structure of the brain and the activity of an able 



