1882.] 



MicRoscoriCAL jour:nal. 



207 



Association, there have been felt and 

 expressed grave doubts not only of 

 the necessity but also of the proprie- 

 ty of raising the Permanent Subsec- 

 tion of Microscopy to any higher dig- 

 nity : while the extension and associa- 

 ted limitation of its province which 

 the new name of the Section connotes, 

 though they have so far satisfied 

 these objections as to lead to its esta- 

 blishment, have called forth from 

 others even stronger criticism, as rai- 

 sing to the rank of a distinct depart- 

 ment of science that which they had 

 hitherto regarded as holding a far sub- 

 ordinate position. Respect for the 

 candor and the ability of our critics, 

 as well as for their zeal for the wise 

 ordering of the affairs of the Associa- 

 tion, would of itself demand that these 

 objections be met and answered. I 

 shall deal with them to the best of 

 my ability ; should my arguments fail 

 to carry conviction, I trust that the 

 weakness will be attributed to the ad- 

 vocate rather than to the cause. 



To the question first referred to it 

 has been considered a sufficient an- 

 swer to urge the fact, which will, I 

 think, be universally conceded, that 

 there is no other instrument of re- 

 search known to scientific men that 

 has attained so high a degree of de- 

 velopment as the microscope ; no 

 other whose parts both mechanical 

 and optical have been the subject of 

 so much prolonged, earnest, and fruit- 

 ful discussion ; none which has so 

 many and so varied accessory appli- 

 ances pertaining to it, in relation 

 with its almost endless diversity of 

 uses. Furthermore, this high degree 

 of development calls for a proportion- 

 al degree of training in the worker. 



There is a great amount of study 

 of the instrument itself demanded of 

 him, side by side with an equally great 

 amount of labor that may be regarded 

 as gymnastic in its nature (in which 

 we see the final cause of diatoms for 

 all but cryptogamic botanists, and of 

 ruled plates for all mankind) ; while 

 the various processes by means of 

 which objects of study themselves 



are brought into a suitable condition 

 for examinatton and preservation call 

 for no little skill and practice. It is 

 urged, therefore, in view of the pecu^ 

 liar character and wide applicability 

 of the instrument in question, and 

 of the extent and arduousness of the 

 discipline that its skilful use requires, 

 that they who have in greater or less 

 measure acquired this discipline are 

 by virtue of that fact drawn together, 

 forming a body of sufficient coheren- 

 cy to be entitled to independent stan- 

 ding as a Section of this Association. 



I have endeavored to state the ar- 

 gument in favor of a Section of Mi- 

 croscopy briely but fairly. Love of 

 justice makes me anxious not to un- 

 derstate it, for, as many of you are 

 well aware, I am one of those who 

 have questioned strongly the proprie- 

 ty and wisdom of organizing such a 

 Section ; and I must confess that 

 after an honest endeavor to put the 

 case as strongly as possible in my own 

 mind for those who think otherwise, 

 and to convince myself of the truth, 

 whatever it may be, I am still of the 

 same opinion. 



For I do not see what more we can 

 say of Microscopy than that it is a 

 technique ; so elaborate, so complex, 

 that its acquirement in any conside- 

 rable measure is in itself a valuable 

 discipline, but a technique still. No 

 one feels more strongly than I its 

 fascination ; no one is more alive to 

 the feeling of sympathy that unites the 

 brotherhood of the tube. I have as 

 lively and practical faith in the value 

 of societies of microscopists and in 

 journals of microscopy, as I have in 

 other technical societies and periodi- 

 cals. I believe, as I have already 

 said, that they can, under certain cir- 

 cumstances, do a work for science 

 that can be done in no other way as 

 well ; but I cannot see the propriety, 

 in an Association whose aim is first, 

 last, and always the advancement ojf 

 science, of establishing a Section on 



a purely technical basis. 



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I know that this will be regarded by 



