120 ANNIVERSARY ADDRESS 



descend lower in the strata of society could not occur 

 to him, but in ours the case is different; and that "want 

 of time " or " town life " cannot impede the study of 

 Nature by the masses, may be shown by the following. 

 Some years ago a society of artizans was formed in 

 Manchester for the pursuit of botanical research. These 

 men were in the habit of going forth in their spare 

 time, and, I believe, on Sundays, to make their investi- 

 gations in the surrounding country. In the evening 

 they would meet, and in succession produce and describe 

 the plants or flowers collected. If a doubt was expressed 

 as to the accuracy of description, reference was made to 

 the Chairman, who to the best of his ability pronounced 

 his verdict. If with limited education, and under cir- 

 cumstances of contracted means and somewhat squalid 

 surroundings, the pursuit of science could thus be 

 maintained, may we not assume that with dwellers more 

 fortunately placed the study of Nature need not be 

 seriously arrested ? 



By some it is urged as an objection to the study of 

 Botany that, besides the hard terminology that must be 

 acquired, investigation tends rather to the lare and curious 

 than to the beautiful ; and that thus Nature in the 

 garden of the scientist is not presented in an attractive 

 form. This raises the question — What is meant by " the 

 beautiful " ? The Rev. A. Alison in his work on " Taste " 

 endeavours to prove that beauty is not in the thing 

 viewed, so much as in the association of ideas that 

 arises therefrom. Thus that which is beautiful to some 

 may not be so to others, or even to the same person 

 under different circumstances. The botanist, however, 

 possessing plant-life in rare and curious development 

 sees, if only in the adaptation of means to ends, that 

 which is both wondrous and beautiful. To the naturalist 

 the ordered and protective plumage of the robin is 

 probably as wonderful and attractive as the "bravery" 

 of the peacock. It is to be admitted that the theory 



