PROCEEDINGS MANCHESTER INSTITUTE 



What, now, is it that you as an Institute of Art and Science 

 can do ? 



First, you will be a nucleus, a center, toward which will be at- 

 tracted the people who love science and art. Whether this class 

 of people be large or small they need organization, they need 

 union and they need fellowship. All things, both good and bad, 

 are fostered by union. In this day of clubs and fraternities let 

 us by all means have a fraternity devoted to the study of scientific 

 truth and the production and appreciation of beautiful things. 

 Moreover, people who have a liking for these things may need 

 stimulus ; for the cares of the world are with us all and often 

 enough we feel like laying down the weapons of our intellectual 

 warfare because no comrade stands by our side to urge us on. 

 Then it does us good to feel the esprit de corps of a society like 

 this, to drink from the fountain of a common inspiration, and 

 hear the bugle blow from time to time from some leader who has 

 gone further and seen more than we. It seems to me that this 

 Institute will be a great help to its members, in the way of sus- 

 taining interest in useful studies when for any reason it falters ; 

 in furnishing direction, hints as to method, in keeping well in- 

 formed concerning progress, and in establishing a stable centre 

 for growth. 



In the second place you ought to be able to do a good work in 

 counteracting certain tendencies to deterioration which exist in 

 every young civic community like ours. Our city is young, only 

 a little more than a half-century old. There has not been time 

 for culture to make a very deep and rich deposit. Considering 

 our age. we need not be discouraged. Perhaps with older cities 

 we compare very favorably ; but no spirit of boastfulness should 

 prevent us from seeing where we are weak or from making an 

 effort to strengthen ourselves. An institute of art and science 

 ought to be able to make valuable contributions to that deposit 

 of culture which, next to religion, makes life worth living. 



Our city is a centre for manufacture. Its chief interests are 

 industrial. Practically all of our citizens are engaged in making 

 money. The spindles whirr and traffic hums up and down our 

 river. Why not .■' There is no dishonor in that. There is bread 



