PRESIDENT S ADDRESS. V 



scientific societies, conveniently arranged, within ready access of 

 onr place of monthly meeting, and accessible daily not only to our 

 own members bnt to the general public and especially to students 

 of pure and applied science. The material in our library is, as far 

 as it goes, just the kind which the scientific investigator needs. 

 No library of text-books could take its place, and as it is the kind 

 of library which would not have been collected in this Province 

 but for the efforts of this Society, we have here an achievement in 

 which it may be permitted us to glory. At the same time, as an 

 antidote to excessive pride, we may remember that there are many 

 serious gaps on our shelves and that in particular the most 

 important journals of Physics and Chemistry are conspicuously 

 absent, as these cannot be obtained by exchange but only by 

 purchase. 



When we turn to the other two directions specified in which 

 an eflBort has been made to promote research we do not find the 

 record so successful. The Institute has not yet succeeded in 

 organizing and associating the scientific interests in its territory; 

 and little direct effort has been made to awaken general interest 

 in scientific work. 



Now let us consider briefly what it is desirable for us to 

 accomplish in these two directions. 



Enthusiasm in advancing science like religious or political 

 enthusiasm, or indeed any other kind, is powerfully promoted by 

 close association and frequent meetings of those of similar ways of 

 thinking. The exhortation of tlie Apostle to the early Christians 

 not to forsake the assembling of themselves together, was founded 

 upon a knowledge of the needs of human nature. The scientific 

 . investigator is cheered and stimulated by frequent association with 

 fellow-workers, and his zeal tends to languish if he finds himself 

 cut oft' from them. Hence a disproportionately large amount of 

 research work is done in the centres where men meet each other 

 frequently. In this Province we have no large communities; and 

 we can only very imperfectly at best overcome the isolation of 

 individual workers. In order to do what we can in this direction 

 the first step is to have all actual or potential workers so far as 

 possible become members of the Institute. We should carefully 



