24 Sheppard: Yorkshire's Contribution to Science, 
I do not profess to be particularly patriarchal, but I can 
remember the time when I awaited the reports of these societies 
with pleasurable anticipation, and read them through from cover to 
cover. Andso did many others. Iwill be bold enough to say that 
to-day, in the case of practically every publication of any im- 
portance issued by the societies referred to, not a single individual 
outside a lunatic asylum, could read them through. Yet they 
are all necessary, all exceedingly valuable, all certainiy con- 
tributions to science. But the increasingly specialised nature of 
the memoirs appeals to a decreasingly small number of members. 
These societies are nearly all reaching a critical stage in their 
history, and without actually calling in the aid of stage oratory 
or the moving marvels of the camera, everything must be done 
to keep up an interest in che work, by ‘ beginning again,’ as it 
were. We must descend from the rarified atmosphere of the 
heights, and mix with those in the valleys and on the plains, 
where life is much more normal and much more healthy. 
I am very anxious to take advantage of the position in which 
I am now placed, and to do my very best to drive these facts 
home. Yorkshire’s contribution to science, of which I am now 
only able to deal with a very small section, is a glorious one. 
That of no other county can approach it. We must see to it 
that there is no falling back. 
The recent revival in ‘ Nature Study,’ which, quite properly, 
is now officially recognised by the Board of Education, and has 
been taken up in a most encouraging way by both teachers and 
scholars at most of our schools, has not, as yet, made the slightest 
difference to the work of our natural history societies. There is 
no increase in their membership directly due to this cause (few 
can boast an increased membership nowadays), nor to the number 
of published contributions to science. True, the book market has 
been flooded with ‘ popular’ books on various aspects of natural 
history, to most of which the adjective ‘so-called’ should be 
added; and the recent attempts to produce popular natural 
science magazines have been both ‘extensive and peculiar.’ 
But as a result of all this, the actual additions to the ranks of 
the field naturalist are practically nil. 
During the past twelve years we have lectured to several 
thousands of Hull’s scholars at the city museums; they are 
accompanied by their teachers, they come in single classes, and 
after the lecture spend the rest of the morning in examining the 
specimens. Scores of lectures have been delivered on natural 
history, geological or antiquarian subjects, and they have been 
given in simple language, easily understood by the children. 
Unquestionably the result is that the scholars are better acquainted 
with the things that happen in every-day life, they have a broader 
outlook, and we hope the result will be that in future years there 
will be a greater number of geologists, or field naturalists, or 
Naturalist, 
