President's Address. 3 



their observations on Eurypterids ; whilst Mr Kidston has 

 given us the results of a part of his work on the Ferns of 

 the Coal-measures, and on the fructification and affinities of 

 Arcliwopteris hiheryiica. But the Society has also had the 

 benefit of several papers on more general subjects : thus Mr 

 J. Arthur Thomson gave an elaborate synthetic summary of 

 the influence of the environment upon the organism ; Mr 

 G. J. Ramage contributed an account of his visit to 

 Fernando Noronha ; and Dr Woodhead described the fittings 

 of the new pathological laboratory founded by the Eoyal 

 College of Physicians. This brief narrative of the papers 

 communicated to the Society is evidence of the activity 

 of its members, and affords, I hope, a satisfactory indication 

 that this vigorous life will be continued during the present 

 and many succeeding sessions. 



To keep up, however, our position amongst scientific 

 societies, we should ever be on the look out for fresh 

 recruits. We must strive to enlist under our flag the 

 younger generation of those interested and engaged in 

 scientific work. In this city, which for so long has been a 

 great educational centre, and where a scientific spirit so 

 strongly prevails, there ought to be no difficulty in procuring 

 new members to fill up the vacancies in our ranks caused 

 either by death or through the change of residence of 

 members to other places. 



Advances in science are made not only by the older and 

 more highly trained experts who bring to bear on the con- 

 sideration of the problems which engage their attention, 

 mature experience, and long continued reflection, but also 

 by the younger minds, fresher and perhaps more active in 

 their working, and less under the control of prevailing 

 theories and modes of thought. These can look at things 

 from new points of view, and can adapt themselves more 

 readily to those aspects of questions which are so frequently 

 underooino- modification in connection with new observations 

 and a wider range of knowledge. It is by the combination 

 of both the experience of maturity and the activity of youth 

 that real progress is to be made, and in its arrangement and 

 conduct of business the Society must take care that both of 



