ORDINARY MEETING, Arrm 18, 1887. 
D. Howarp, Esq., Vicn-Pres., Cuem. Soc., In THE CHAIR. 
The Minutes of the last Meeting were read and confirmed. 
Works presented to the Library :—- 
“‘ Proceedings of the Royal Society.” From the same. 
“Memoirs of the Imperial University of Japan.” 55 ‘ 
“The Plants of New South Wales.” By Rev. W. Woo ts, Ph.D., 
F.L.S, 
The following Paper was read by the Author :— 
PRACTICAL OPTIMISM. By Canon W. Saumarez Suiru, 
B.D., Principal of St. Aidan’s College, Birkenhead. 
HE title of this Paper is derived from a passage in J. 
Sully’s able and interesting book on Pessimism. The 
information, the suggestions, and the arguments in that 
book are full of interest; but there is a fundamental defect 
in the treatment of his subject which prevents the book from 
being a complete presentation of the data which claim 
consideration from those who are seeking for the whole truth 
in the matter under discussion. Mr. Sully sets aside the 
“theological ” aspect of the question as consisting of ‘‘ trans- 
cendental conceptions’ which “anticipate”? experience, or 
explain it a priori, and must therefore be regarded as unscien- 
tific. And yet he admits that such conceptions are facts of 
human nature, and make for an optimistic as distinguished 
from a pessimistic view of life. ‘Theological truth,” he says, 
‘‘sometimes, at least, professes to rest to some extent on 
experience, and to be a fair inference from observable facts. 
Consequently, if—as must clearly be the only correct way— 
we interpret experience in its widest sense as including facts 
