20 INAUGURAL ADDRESS. 



efforts of those in charge of the department of art, may 

 definitely assist in this good work of educating the mind 

 that is common to us all, and that in spite of the diffi- 

 culties which are thrown in the way by a too ambitious 

 and captious literature, abounding with visionary theo- 

 ries, conflicting criticisms, changing standards, inflated 

 opinions and meaningless twattle, many here may be 

 helped more and more clearly to see that " God has made 

 everything beautiful in His time," and has given to every 

 soul that faculty of taste, through whose exercise he 

 comes to the knowledge and appreciation of the beautiful. 



These mere glimpses at the fields which the Institute 

 has appropriated and which its members propose to work, 

 show that we have undertaken a serious business ; seri- 

 ous in the senses — laborious, difficult, responsible. 



There are those who greatly affect science, and yet 

 reach scientific conclusions as easily as the political editor 

 writes the virtues of his party. They leap startling dis - 

 tances and land upon the mere theoretic suggestions of 

 acknowledged scientists, which seem to support their 

 prepossessions, and glory, as if they were standing firmly 

 on the rock of truth. Yet some measure of "the im- 

 mense amount of precaution," which John Stuart Mill de- 

 clares to be necessary to a scientific experiment, is need- 

 ed in proper scientific investigation. 



In discussion too, the distinction between science and 

 philosophy, between theory and fact, between inference 

 from the most striking analogies and sober demonstra- 

 tion, between cause and method, between the names of 

 things and the things themselves, so often overlooked, 

 must be maintained. As we purpose and shall effect the 

 promotion of useful scientific knowledge by investiga- 

 tion and discussion, all the conditions that have been 

 found necessary to success elsewhere, must here be ful- 

 filled. And contentment with anything less than a real- 

 ization of our proclaimed object, will be a surrender to 



