26 HISTOKICAL ACCOUNT OF THE ORIGIN OF THE 



months after the adoption of the amended rules. On 

 that day they adopted additional rules for the ad- 

 mission of Corresponding Members, defining their 

 duties and privileges. They also heard a paper read 

 on the mutual attraction of various substances, with 

 a number of experiments. The name of the author 

 is struck off. 20 



It is remarkable that there does not appear to have 

 been any discussion as to the substitution of this new 

 name to that of the Junto. The thing was probably 

 settled in private conversations between the members. 



It is impossible not to be struck with the great 

 difference that there is between the title of this So- 

 ciety as expressed in the heading of the rules and the 

 new name now given to it. The one contemplates 

 an association of students, as it were, for their mu- 

 tual improvement and the rules to which it is prefixed 

 correspond with that title, the other aims at much 

 greater objects, "the promotion, " and if that were 

 not enough, the " propagation ' of knowledge. Here, 

 then, is a learned Society at once formed; the design 

 is manifest, the foundation is laid and a suitable 

 superstructure only is wanting. The Committee who 

 reported the rules did not dare to wander out of 

 the road traced by Franklin; but there was a man 

 of genius, Charles Thomson, whose views extended 

 further, who did not communicate them at once, in all 

 their extent, but gradually led his associates into the 



20 Minutes, 2d part, 29, 31. 



