110(80) THE WORK OF THE SCIENTIFIC SECTION. 



This would appear to be the more appropriate and de- 

 sirable on account of the series of exercises by which the 

 Institute has already endeavored to place its character 

 and aims before the community for whose benefit it has 

 been created. The Institute as a unit, the Literary Sec- 

 tion as one of its parts and the Art Section as another, 

 have, each in its turn, exhibited its form and its motives. 

 But there is another section of the organization — about 

 which you may not have lately heard — which is quite as 

 ambitious as they to do an honorable share of the work 

 of the Institute. 



Of this section, for which by the accident of office, I 

 am to-night called on to speak, T will say in the outset 

 that it is 



A PURELY SCIENTIFIC SOCIETY. 



The constitution of the Institute brings this Scientific 

 Section into close relations with two others. It binds 

 the three together in 'mutual sympathy and pledges 

 their united efforts for mutual support. At the same 

 time it recognizes the diversity of their aims and secures 

 their independence in the pursuit of them. While the 

 confederation is for mutual protection in business affairs, 

 yet a separate and distinct organization compels each 

 section f<> pursue its appropriate objects by methods of 

 its own choosing. Neither general literature, nor the 

 tine arts, can be recognized by us, for in the language 

 of the by-law. " The object of the Scientific Section is to 

 promote useful knowledge in the departments of Natural, 

 Physical and Biological Science by investigating sub- 

 jects pertaining thereto and by establishing and main- 

 taining a museum and library in furtherance thereof." 



It will be observed that this law defines our work with 

 considerable precision. It declares that what we do for 

 the promotion of science is to be accomplished by efforts 

 in two specific directions : there is to be first, the investi- 

 gation of scientific subjects, and there is to be second, 

 the collection and preservation of materials of scientific 

 value. I am inclined to speak somewhat in detail con- 

 cerning the character of these two departments of our 

 work, and first in regard to 



