CORRESPONDING SOCIETIES. 548 



EcienceS, or even between the different branches of the same science, is due to the 

 exagprated use of technical language where it is not necessary, so that a great deal 

 of scientific work is aluiost entirely unintelligible to the wurkers in other subjects. 

 The most useful function, in my opinion, that can be periorined by the Local 

 Societies, in addition to that of kindling an mterest in local problems and in the 

 methods by which they are to be studied, is to encourage a habit of expressing 

 ■ scientific results in simple and intelligible language that will appeal to the whole 

 society. There are very few scientific ideas or facts which cannot be expressed in 

 homely language freed from technical nomenclature, and though it is necessary for 

 purposes of brevity and precision to make use of this nomenclature in the journals 

 and at the meetings of the more specialised societies, it ought to be wholly un- 

 necessary to do so in societies which embrace a number of interests, and whose 

 members are to a considerable extent persons without scientific irainmg. Indeed, 

 nothing can be better or more useful for the scientific specialist himself than to 

 attempt to explain his own work in simple language to a ujixed audience; and if 

 the Local Societies can encourage the specialist to come to them and describe his 

 own researches in language which all their members can understand tbey will do 

 him as much good as they do themselves. 



It may justly be urged that there are not many persons able to describe 

 scientific observations or experiments in simple, untechnical language; they are 

 not trained teachers or lecturers. But surely that is all the more reason why 

 they should try to do so ; and the Local Society is precisely the place in which the 

 attempt may with advantage be made. It would perhaps be a different problem 

 if the communication were a set lecture of the sort given at schools and univer- 

 sities by professed teachers. For lectures of this kind educational trainino- and 

 experience are no doubt necessary. Perhaps, indeed, there is already too much of 

 the set lecture about the meetings of some Local Societies. But when a speaker 

 is describing something which he has done or seen himself, it ought with a little 

 practice to be easy to give an account that can be understood by a mixed audience 

 as well as by those who are engaged in the same work as the speaker. I believe 

 that the attempt is well worth the making. 



The educational opportunities which lie before the local scientific societies can 

 only be developed by co-operation between the professional and the amateur; let 

 the professional scientist become less professional and let the amateur become less 

 of an amateur when they come together at the meetings of such societies. The 

 difficulties with which they have to contend are twofuld: on the one hand, there 

 is always the danger lest a paper or a lecture be too special or too technical for 

 the audience because the professional cannot adapt himself to their need; on the 

 other hand, there is the danger lest the audience fall into the habit of expecting 

 too much novelty or entertoinment. Everyone must have seen Idw the utility of 

 a society is undermined by a single pedantic address, which only causes members 

 to drop their attendance, or by the reluctance of some members to a' tend unless 

 they can expect to be amused by lantern-slides or showy expeiiments or witty 

 talk. And yet where can better material exist for the teaching of science than 

 among the members of a society who have joined it voluntarily, and in the first 

 instance because they really wished to learn Y 



My suggestion is that the way to interest and to teach such people is through 

 the description, discussion, and criticism of new research. 



An account of some piece of original work actually in course of progress, and 

 described by the enthusiast who is himself carrying it; on, is far more interesting 

 and stimulating than any secondhand account in text-books and treatises of the 

 work that has been done at some previous time by others, and shcjuld not require 

 any additional embroidery to make it attractive. Anyone who hears a keen 

 naturalist describe the excitement with which he has watched something 

 new in the habits of animal or plant must catch the spirit of enthusiasm, and 

 feel the stir of interest that is the inspiration of all successful teaching and 

 learning. 



Perhaps this sort of living interest has been too exclusively confined to natural 

 history communications in some of the Local Societies, In reality the same 



