



!5S 



GAZETTE 



SATURDAY, MAlU-'II 13,1868. L 



I Academy of Sciences, 



Or, C. €. Parry's Farewell 

 Address. 



AH ABLE SPEECH. 



p 



Changes ia L.o*aI Flora and 



S\TEKEST2NG REraiPTtSCESC £8. 



Oanatlcus Peeetvfcd«-ttew Itlembers«*- i 

 Ilia Gocd Eye. 



The regular monthly meeting of the Dav- 

 enport Academy of Natural bcienees was 

 held iaat evening. The occasion was one 

 being expected that Dr. 

 O.jO. Parry, Preefclentof the Association, 

 would deliver a farewell address, he having 

 bsen appointed Superintendent of the Na- 

 t onal Botanical Gardens at Washington, to 

 which city he is about to remove. There 

 was a urge aUrn-Jance of members and 

 citizai ...r with several ladies. Dr, 



Perry pros: 



after the usual order of business fcad 

 >, several 



EONATIOys 



(o the Library and Cabinet of the Associa- 

 most prominent of 

 *hich were : Owgu'l Geological .Survey of 

 the Northwest, Mcaolas Ft-jervary doaor ; 

 a box of Geological Specimens iromOitawa, 

 Illinois, r>r. Paul, donor; Report of Ex- 

 ploration for Kansas Pacific Railroad, Dr. 

 Parry, donor ; Marina Plants and Shells 

 ral HMD] y Society, Me. 



KhW MfMBERS 



ware then elected. Dr. B. B. Cochran, W. 

 P. R-.S3 and rf. J. canger were admitted ae 

 regular memDers, and W*. N. Byer, of Den 

 ver, C. T.,M. N iioKiidei, of San Fran 



Yvislizemus, ot St. Louis, antl Dr. John 

 Torrey, of New York, were elected corres- 

 ponding members. 



Dr. Baz n read a very interesting paper 

 on Optic*- 



PSEHDKKT PARBl'S ADDRESS 



was then delivered. The Doctor spoke as 



follows : 



Qentkmen of the Davenport Academy of 

 Natural Sciences: 



It had been my intention in watching 

 the practical workings of this Academy, to 

 suggest certain modifications, and courses 

 ofacticn, such as in my judgment might 

 conduce to its present efficiency and pros- 

 pective usefulness; but- 1 did not expect thus 

 ear,y and prematurely to be called on to 

 dissolve my pleasant connection with Its 

 active membership. While, under these 

 circumstances, I feci that any extended con- 

 siderations would be unwarranted, I can- 

 not, ia justice to my own feelings, and ihe 

 friendly courtesy which has placed me in 

 the.position of your presiding officer, neglect 

 this opportunity to make a few suggestions 

 in reference to the Academy's future man- 

 agement and prospects. 



The objects of such an Academy of Natn- 

 r«l Sciences, ?.3 indicated in its constitution, 

 are the cultivation of a taste for Natural 

 H fctory pursuits, and the stimulation of 

 research in the different branches *of sci- 

 ence, bv those whose cultivated tastes and 

 educated abilities qualify them for such 

 work. 



The first obiec 4 specified exhibits the re- 

 lations which such an institution sustains 

 to the community in which it is located. 

 The second has particular regard to its ac- 

 tive membership. How can these most de- 

 sirable objects be best accomplished? is the 

 pjraciical question tor our consideration. 



And in or-Mer to awaken a general inter- 

 est in the observation and study of natural 

 objects and local phenomens, we need, first 

 and foremo3t, collections in all the separate 

 departments of Natural History, classified 

 aEd properly displayed before the eye, so 

 ugge^tj Bt ones ideas of order, sys- 

 tem and plan— in brief, we mu§t have mu- 

 seums, and their contents must be accessi- 

 ble and attractive to the observing public, 

 and thus serve to convince those who may 

 be otherwise absorbed in business pursuits, 

 that there are objects of study at least 

 deserving the attention and regard 

 of a progressive, utilitarian age. 

 VVhen such collections are once fairly 

 commenced, even on the most limited 

 scale, the peculiar individual tastes, and 

 appetites, or even the accidental biases ot 

 different minds, will be attracted to the var- 

 ious brancbes oi science so exhibited, and 

 wt> shafi =eo gradually growing up under its 

 influence - prepared to follow out 



particular lines of research and investiga- 

 tion. In this way the objt-Cts and aims of 



