405 



Election of Office Bearers for 1869 : President — T. B. Gillies ; Council — 

 Rev. J. Kinder, T. Kirk, Dr. Stratford, F. Whitaker, F. W. Hutton, F.G.S., Dr. Purchas, 

 T. Peacock. 



Mr. Owen was requested to audit tlae accounts of last year. 



Second Meeting. June 7, 1869. 



T. B. Gillies, President, in the chair. 



A list of thirty-seven donations to the Library and Museum of the Institute, 

 received between 15th February and 5th June, was read by the Secretary. 



The President delivered the following 



ADDRESS. 



It is a remarkable fact in the statistics of mortality, that the large proportion of 

 deaths occur during infancy, childhood, and youth. Every year that the child survives, 

 greatly increases its chance of attaining to maturity. Infancy is the season of the 

 greatest risks. With a physical frame undeveloped, vital energies weak, and wholly 

 dependent on external aid for nourishment and protection, the chances are many against 

 the prolonged life of the infant. On its constitution, its internal vitality, it has mostly 

 to depend, so as to survive the carelessness of nurses, the foolish fondness of mothers, and 

 the dangerous attention of doctors. But even when infancy is over, the risks are only 

 reduced, not surmounted. Years must pass ere the physical and mental powers are 

 developed and consolidated — ere the man becomes a contributor to the progress of 

 humanity. 



As with the individual, so with schemes and societies. Infancy to vast numbers of 

 them is fatal- — childhood scarcely less so. On this, the opening of the second year of the 

 existence of this Society, I have to congratulate you on having successfully survived the 

 infantile stage, — not from having a robust physical frame, for our numbers are but small 

 compared to what they ought to be in so large a community, and the number of our active 

 working members smaller still. Our comparative success has, I think, been owing much 

 to the internal vitality, the intense interest evinced by many whom I see around me, and 

 to the same cause I confidently look forward for a prolonged existence for our Society. 

 Our constitution, too, the excellence of the objects for which we are associated, give me 

 hopes for the future. As in all nature, atoms have a tendency to find their affinities and 

 combine with them, so I believe that the very existence of this Society, having for its 

 object the promotion of scientific knowledge, will draw towards it many an unknown and 

 humble worshipper at the shrine of science, whereby the Society will be strengthened, 

 and its usefulness increased. That such may be the case is, I am sure, your earnest • 

 desire, as it is mine. 



And here, gentlemen, permit me, not for your sakes, but for the sake of some to 

 whom perchance these words of mine may reach, to endeavour to state clearly the position 

 which we, as a Society, assume, and to remove, if possible, some erroneous impressions 

 which have gone abroad and been propagated in regard to us. We assume to be a 

 scientific society, but this description seems to be greatly misunderstood. We do not 

 assume that each individual member of this Society should profess to be versed in science, 

 should be a man of scientific acquirements. All that is required or desired of members of 

 this Society is, that they should recognise the benefits which scientific knowledge confers 

 on the world, and may confer on this community ; that they should have a love for science 

 and a desire to see it progress, and that they should be willing to contribute, however 

 humbly they are able, to the advancement of scientific knowledge. This is all that I 

 and many others of this Society can pretend to, and although I see ^before me some who 

 may fairly aspire to the title of scientific men, yet these I know are the very men, who, 

 with the true humility of science, undei value their own attainments, who feel that what 

 they do know has only taught them how little they know, and has whetted their 

 appetite for an increase of knowledge. I fear, however, that the very terms science and 

 scientific knowledge convey to many nothing beyond a vague idea of something very 

 learned, something very abstruse, which it is hopeless for ordinary men to attempt to 

 have anything to do with. It is true that science in its more exalted sense means a 

 knowledge of the general laws which explain, and are deduced from, large bodies of isolated 

 physical facts. But it must ever be borne in mind that the facts must be determined 

 first ere the laws explanatory of or governing these facts can be deduced. The same man 

 cannot (except in very rare cases) both ascertain for himself the facts, and generalise upon 

 them, so as to elucidate the laws governing their existence. 



There must be in the field of science, as in all other branches of industry, workers as 

 well as masters — collectors of facts as well as generalisers upon the facts ascertained — and 

 the workers must come first, the facts first, the theories budt upon them afterwards, other- 



