472 REPORT — 1903. 



those things, for if once a boy is taught these things he takes a violent 

 interest in theru, more so than one would imagine. Any little chemical 

 experiment greatly interests a boy. If you show him the escapement of 

 a watch, he will at once take an interest in clocks, and he will have 

 gained his first taste in the rudiments of mechanics. Teach him a little 

 about electricity, and he will take a great interest in that subject : he 

 will spend his pocket money in buying an electric bell for the cottage, 

 or knock one together for a shilling or so, and tliat will give him his 

 start in science. I want to say what we are doing at the present time, 

 and to call the attention of this Conference to it. A large nuinber of our 

 societies exist merely for a certain object. Many of them are collecting 

 societies, botanical or geological, or are interested in photography. We 

 have in my particular district, the Croydon district, some 2,000 students 

 studying science at the polytechnics. If the local societies would affiliate 

 themselves in any way through their committees to the polytechnics, 

 they would be able in some way to draw the strings together in the 

 manner Sir Norman Lockyer has suggested. But what strikes me as 

 being what working men require, and, in fact, what we all require, is to 

 have some initiatory system in oi'der to gain a taste for science. I have 

 been much surprised at the very excellent results of our polytechnics. 

 I am sure anyone who has read or even looked through the papers on 

 science, will say that very able work is being done in my own particular 

 district, which is most gi'atifying. There are 10,000 inhabitants in the 

 immediate neighbourhood of South Norwood, and we have over 1,200 

 class entries, which shows that 12 per cent, of the people are taking an 

 interest in science. I think if our societies can affiliate themselves to the 

 polytechnics, and have representatives on the committees of these societies, 

 which, so far as I am aware, are very anxious for their admission, we 

 shall have begun to unite our societies together, and we shall be able to 

 draw them to a focus. 



Mr. Garstang (Southport Literary and Philosophical Society) : As I 

 have been invited to attend this Conference I will explain what our local 

 society is doing. Our society is about twenty years old, and we have 

 done useful educational work. We have influenced the town council, 

 because in the first instance we started the science and art classes which 

 have since been taken over by the town council ; and also another work 

 which is hai'dly municipal, the University Extension Lectures, which 

 have recently been taken over by an association formed for the purpose, 

 with the result that Southport is now one of the most successful centres 

 in England. After listening to the President's admirable address, I 

 thought how we could effect the particular object of influencing public 

 local opinion. It occurs to me that if local opinion is influenced it 

 will be principally by local organisations influencing the votes of 

 members of local bodies. The President subsequently voiced this par- 

 ticular idea, and I do not see why a scientific society, not associated 

 with any particular party, should not try to influence local opinion 

 in this respect. I hope the scheme will be given a very earnest trial, 

 and that it will be attended with successful results. It seems to me that 

 in municipalities a great object would be achieved if it were possible to 

 influence the opinions of the town councils and the district councils — 

 those bodies which have it in their power to put into force the provisions 

 of the Technical Instruction and kindred Acts I'elating to the promotion 

 a,nd advancement of science in the locality. As to returning special 



