THE HAMILTON ASSOCIATION. 97 



Already we find a powerful body of the Church of Eng- 

 land known as "the Broad Church" party, while accepting- 

 the historical accuracy of the Jewish records from the time of 

 Abraham, prepared to abandon as non-historical the events of 

 an earlier period. They would save the battered hull of Ec- 

 clesiasticism by flinging part of the cargo overboard. 



The little interest taken in Scientific matters here was 

 clearly shown wdien the British Association for the Advance- 

 ment of Science recentlv visited Toronto. While full reports 

 of the proceedings of the different sections appeared in the 

 daily papers of that city, the Hamilton ones did not afford a 

 single column for the purpose. Why should they? The edi- 

 tors arid manasrers were well aware that their respective read- 

 ers, as a general rule, took little interest in things of that sort, 

 and therefore abstained from publishing what they felt an en- 

 lightened public in this city did not require. 



The splendid address of the new President of the British 

 Association (Sir John Evans), I find, has been published in 

 pamphlet form, a copy of which I received from Toronto since 

 its delivery. Perhaps among the many Old World Geologists 

 and Antiquarians you cannot find a more cautious Scientist 

 than the distinguished one selected to fill the Presidency of 

 "the British Association." If even a particle of doubt exists, 

 he is only too ready to put forth the verdict of "Not Proven," 

 and to counsel we had better await further development. He 

 may as an- individual be perfectly satisfied as regards the cor- 

 rectness of the views of others submitted for investigation, but 

 he never fails to impress on his hearers the absolute necessity 

 of slowdy and surely proceeding in scientific matters. To 

 take nothing for granted, but seek proof which admits of no 

 denial and which cannot be by any possibility evaded. Once 

 satisfied that he stands on firm ground, he fearlessly expresses 

 himself, utterlv indifferent to hostile criticism. The proofs 

 ddduced at Toronto regarding the Antiquity of Man were so 

 irresistible that no attempt at refutation has been attempted, 

 I believe. Are the clergy of our day less fettered by old tra- 

 ditional beliefs than their predecessors? It may be so. One 



