~ YO ANNUAL MEETING. 
doubt, has had arduous duties to perform,—more so than ever 
during the past term on account of the Institute having had 
suddenly to seek new apartments during the most busy time of the 
year. Task you to join with me in presenting the thanks of the 
Members and Associates to the Council, Honorary Officers, and 
Auditors in the words of the resolution. 
Admiral Sir F. Leorotp McCuintocxr, R.N., F.R.S.—I have the 
honour and pleasure of seconding the resolution which has been 
proposed, for Iam sure it is a source of gratification to us to observe 
the spread and prosperity of the Institute. 
The Preswwent having put the resolution to the meeting, it was 
carried unanimously. 
Mr. D. Howarp, F.C.S.—Mr. President, my lords, ladies, and 
gentlemen: I can assure you on behalf of the Council of the 
Victoria Institute that we accept most gratefully the vote of thanks 
that has been passed to us, as being an expression that you approve 
of what we have done during the past year. I can assure you 
our labours are no sinecure. The change of premises has given us 
some trouble, but that is a small matter compared with the anxiety 
attendant on handling subjects of deep importance, and in endeavour- 
ing, in some measure, to modify or influence the current of public 
opinion. Might I, as I believe I have done before, briefly express 
the opinion of the Council that what is wanted is patience in in- 
vestigation, More and more it is evident that the danger of 
modern thought lies in the hurry and superficiality of thought. 
Of real deep investigation we have no fear, There surely cannot be 
any need for, and we should not allow the possibility of, truth re- 
quiring to be kept in the background; but half truth,—half- 
understood truth,—does very often require very careful and drastic 
treatment. We constantly find a subject taken up and suddenly 
discussed, that is hardly known, even to those who have studied 
the history of past thought, and put forward as a satisfactory answer 
for the most vital problems. Takeanexample. Suddenly the British 
public took an interest in Buddhism, and a great deal was written 
and was said that is chiefly characterised by a total ignorance of what 
Buddhism is, and we welcome most heartily in this Institute the 
wise and powerful words on that subject which fell from the lips of 
perhaps the greatest master of the subject in England, in this hall. 
And so, on other questions, what is wanted and what we endeavour, 
as far as lies in us, to obtain, is that patient and quiet hearing for 
the real results of science,—not for the half-understood and _ half- 
