PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS. 



By Charles Edward Fawsitt, dSo., Ph.D. 



[Delivered to the Royal Society of N. S. Wales, December 3, 1919.'] 



Before proceeding with the particular subject of my 

 address, I desire to congratulate the Society on the large 

 and unprecedented increase in its membership during the 

 past year. The success of this year has been largely due 

 to the efforts of Mr. R. H. Cambage, whom I should like to 

 mention specially on account of his valuable services in 

 the interests of the Society. The Society is also much 

 indebted to Professor Chapman, Professor Pollock, and 

 Dr. R. Greig-Smith. 



The Council of the Society has graciously consented to 

 my accepting the Presidential Chair with the knowledge 

 that I would not be able to deliver an address at the usual 

 time for such anaddress, May 1920, and the Council agreed 

 to this being delivered in December 1919. In accepting 

 the position under these circumstances, I am trespassing, 

 to some extent on the generosity of members, but if I am 

 excused, I may say that I hoped to find men of this gener- 

 ous nature among members of the Royal Society of New 

 South Wales. A scientific training has surely failed, if it 

 does not inculcate in a man breadth of view, and charity 

 in judgment on his fellows and in particular his fellow- 

 scientists. 



THE UNIFORMITIES OF NATURE. 



We have all heard from time to time such expressions as 

 "The Uniformity of Nature," "The Principle of Con- 

 tinuity," "Nature never makes jumps,' 1 "The Laivs of 

 Nature," "The Law of Universal Causation." 



A-May 5, 1920. 



