MEETING. 9 
laborious duties which devolve upon him in connexion with that University, 
he has been so kind as to accept the position of President of this Institute. | 
heartily concur in the vote of thanks which this Resolution proposes to accord 
to all the members of the Council and the Officers of the Institute for their 
efficient and conscientious discharge of the duties imposed upon them, and 
T now have pleasure in presenting the Resolution for your acceptance. 
Mr. Gipss CrawrurpD Harrison.—lI have great pleasure in seconding the 
resolution, and in doing so I beg most heartily to endorse everything that 
has fallen from the very Rev. the Dean of Lichfield. 
The resolution was then put and carried unanimously. 
Mr. D. Howaep (V.-Pres. Chem. Soc.).—On behalf of the Council I beg 
to return their hearty thanks for the resolution you have just voted in recog- 
nition of their efforts in carrying out the objects of this Institute. I can 
only say it has been a labour of love to the members of the Council, some of 
whom have worked very assiduously, and, having done their best, they now 
feel that they are entitled to ask for thanks of a more substantial kind than 
the resolution just passed, in the shape of the help which all of you, more or 
less, can give to such a Society. There are a great many people who say in 
their heart of hearts, ‘Why don’t you leave things alone? why not let 
religion and science each go their own way?” We know by the best of all 
means—experience—that there is no contradiction between faith and science 
to those whose minds are attuned aright in the honest desire to get at the 
truth, and who are not endeavouring to find out differences where none 
exist—who, in fact, do not regard science as a useful weapon to fight with 
against religion, or, on the other hand, look upon science as the clumsy 
weapon we find it in unpractised hands for the defence of religion. I do 
not mean to say it would not be better if we could leave religion and science 
to themselves, but, unfortunately, there are many who understand so little of 
either, and who are so willing to be perpetually trying to find differences 
where they do not exist, that it is necessary to carefully and watchfully 
defend the truth, whether it be that of the revelation of God in His works 
or in His Word. It is easy to make mistakes in the attempt to do this, and 
I consequently appeal to all of you to give the Council of this Institute 
your help in the various forms that help is able to assume, whether it be by 
the contribution of papers for discussion at our meetings, or by taking office 
in the Council and working as one of its members, or, in other ways, generally 
promoting the objects of the society. All who care for the truth as a whole 
should assist by joining with those who are endeavouring to. maintain the 
unity of Truth. Of course, the whole tendency of modern thought is rather 
against this. Science is so wide, that those who have to work are severally 
content to dig a small allotment in some corner of the great field, and even 
there very often they find they have undertaken too much. There is a 
danger of thinking one’s own thoughts, and allowing at the same time the 
wider unities to pass by—a danger which affects those who know nothing 
about science, as well as those who are inclined to a too exclusive study of 
it. I thank you most heartily for the vote you have just accorded to the 
