SIMPLE LESSONS FROM COMMON THINGS 411 



THE PEOGRESS OF SCIENCE 



THE WINNIPEG MEETING OF THE 

 BRITISH ASSOCIATION FOR THE 

 ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE 

 The British Association has in re- 

 cent years taken seriously its imperial 

 duties. Twenty-five years ago it first 

 met outside the British Islands. The 

 .step was not taken without long con- 

 sideration and considerable opposition, 

 but the meeting in Montreal in 1884 

 proved remarkably successful, no fewer 

 than 910 members crossing the sea. 

 In 1897 the association met in Toronto, 

 and after an intervening meeting in 

 South Africa in 1905, it has now for 

 the third time visited Canada. The 

 registration of members at Winnipeg 

 was about 1,400, of whom about 500 

 crossed the Atlantic, and about 150 

 came from the United States. The at- 

 tendance at meetings of the British 



Association is always greatly increased 

 by local and visiting associate members 

 who join for the year from interest in 

 the general and social events or from 

 public spirit. The meetings of the 

 British and American associations are 

 of about the same size, but there is a 

 noticeable difference in the composition 

 of the membership. In the case of the 

 British Association there are a large 

 number of amateurs dominated by a 

 few leaders, whereas at the annual 

 meeting of our association and the 

 affiliated societies the average working 

 man of science is the main factor. 

 This appears to represent a typical 

 difference between an aristocracy and a 

 democracy, for though Great Britain 

 may be in its government more demo- 

 cratic than the United States it re- 

 tains its social aristocracy. 



Dr. A. E. Shipley, 



of Cambridge University, President of 



the Zoological Section. 



Dr. Arthur Smith Woodward, 

 of the British Museum (Natural His- 

 tory), President of the Geological 

 Section. 



