Harker : Petrology in Yorkshire. 39 



tion, a jealous localisation of operations, a becoming earnest- 

 ness, and a good working organisation — we may, I think, 

 attribute in great measure the continued vitality of the Union. 

 None the less it behoves us to remember, with gratitude as 

 regards the past and for admonition as regards the future, 

 that the ultimate strength of any human institution resides 

 not merely in the framework of the system, but in the energy 

 and devotion of those to whom the trust is committed. 



While each of us must accept his share of this responsibility, 

 the burden rests, in practice, mainly upon the officers of the 

 Union, and of the Sections, and, above all, upon the Secretary, 

 who is indeed the main-spring of the whole machine. In the 

 early times, to which we look back with interest to-day, there 

 was, we are told, no President but only a Secretary, and the 

 Union seems to have prospered admirably under his sole 

 ministrations. As regards the actual management of affairs, 

 the situation has not been materially different during the present 

 year, for an absentee President, I am afraid, rather aggravates 

 than lightens the burden of the really responsible officer. 

 The Union has been fortunate in a succession of active and 

 able secretaries, and Mr. Sheppard, from whom we reluctantly 

 part to-day, has worthily upheld that tradition. He carries 

 with him on his retirement the assurance that, in every branch 

 of its work, the Union stands to-day the stronger for his nine 

 years of devoted service. 



Not the least flourishing of our sections is that devoted to 

 geology, and it seems to have grown decidedly in popularity 

 in recent years. In some respects it stands, I think, rather 

 apart from the other sections. The entomologists or the 

 botanists may always hope to bring home from a day's excur- 

 sion some distinct contribution to the fauna or flora of the 

 county ; and such records, brought together in the annual 

 reports, constitute very definite additions to the sum of know- 

 ledge. Field geology, on the other hand, if it is to result in 

 discoveries of value, often involves ^detailed survey, protracted 

 search, and repeated visits ; nor is its success always promoted 

 by a large number of participants. True, a lucky ' find ' will 

 sometimes remind us that twenty hammers may be better than 

 one ; but, on the whole, the immediate results of geological 

 excursions are of the nature of instruction and preparation 

 rather than research. The geologist has here the incentive 

 of comradeship, the advantage of comparing views and dis- 

 cussing knotty points on the ground, the opportunity of 

 collecting specimens for study at home. For actual research 

 in this department we must look rather to individual contribu- 

 tions in the pages of ' The Naturalist ' and elsewhere, often 

 inspi'"ed by the excursions, and to the organised work of the 

 committees. In confirmation of this view, I ma}^ point to 



1912 Feb. I. 



