President's Address. 199 



which became in time dormant, and finally altogether extinct. 

 History is said to repeat itself, but however this may be, I 

 prefer to dwell, not on the gloomy, but on the bright side of 

 the picture. I shall take up such an imaginary position, 

 from which I can look forward to a time in the future so 

 effulgent that, on glancing back to the present age, it w^ould 

 seem as having been only the Eocene, the dawn of popular 

 learning. 



Let us ask the question. How has this evolution of light 

 from darkness so pleasingly burst upon us ? Are the causes 

 as evident as the effects ? I answer in the affirmative. I do 

 not hesitate to name what, in my opinion, are some of the 

 leading causes ; they may be cited as follows : first and foremost 

 the concession of constitutional, political, and social liberty, 

 freedom of the press, the action of applied science in per- 

 fecting art, the reflex action of art in furthering science by its 

 improved machinery, as, for instance, the steam printing press, 

 lithographic, photographic, automatic, and other processes ; 

 appliances of light, heat, electricity, and steam ; sanitary im- 

 provements, removal of taxation on newspapers and on paper, 

 cheap postage, railways, and telegraphs, all these have had their 

 influence less or more in advancing popular science. The 

 foundation of normal schools for the training of teachers has 

 also resulted in the introduction of a better and higher edu- 

 cated class of public instructors. Philosophical and mechani- 

 cal institutes, in which popular lectures are delivered by 

 trained teachers and by amateur lecturers (peers of the 

 realm as w^ell as commoners taking part), have also gTeatly 

 assisted in the advancement of public education, and the out- 

 come has been a healthy and growing desire and taste on the 

 part of the people for scientific information, as evinced by the 

 many cheap periodicals at present current and in increased 

 demand. 



Early in this half-century, about 1830, 1 think, the Society 

 for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge w^as established on a 

 very broad basis. It had a large and influential committee, 

 composed of men of all shades of opinion, but which were 

 recognised by all as occupying the foremost rank in the 

 world of science. This committee had for its chairman Lord 



