122 GEOEGE JOHN EOMANES i88i- 



resolve on a tentative policy of silence, with the view 

 of seeing whether the agitation would not bum itself 

 out. It is now thought that this policy has been 

 tried sufficiently long, and that we are losing ground 

 by continuing it. After much deliberation, there- 

 fore, the society has resolved to speak out upon the 

 subject, and the ' Nineteenth Century ' has been in- 

 volved as the medium of publication. Arrangements 

 have been made with Knowles for a symposium-like 

 series of short essays by all the leaders of biology and 

 medicine in this country — each to write on a branch 

 of the subject chosen by himself or allotted to him by 

 the society. In this matter of organising the con- 

 tributions, the society is to be represented by Dr. Pye 

 Smith, who combines science, medicine, and literary 

 culture better than any other member of our body. 



As secretary I am directed to write to all the men 

 whose names are mentioned in a resolution passed by 

 the society in accordance with the report of a com- 

 mittee appointed by the society to consider the sub- 

 ject. Hence these tears. 



Of course, your name in this matter is one of the 

 most important, and as the idea is to get a body of 

 great names, it would be a disappointment of no small 

 magnitude if yours should fail. It does not matter 

 so much that you should write a long dissertation, so 

 long as you allow yourself to stand among this noble 

 army of martyrs. Two or three pages of the ' Nine- 

 teenth Century ' on one, say, of the following topics 

 would be all that we should want : — 



' The limits and safeguards desirable in carrying 

 on scientific experiments on animals.' 



