Royal Physical Society. lib 



tell you that I consider myself here chiefly in the capacity of 

 a learner. I come here because I love science, and, from 

 sympathy, like to be among its cultivators ; also with the 

 view of communicating any novelty in nature that may occur 

 to my observation ; but even in a greater degree, because I 

 feel myself to be but slightly informed on most subjects, and 

 wish to be more largely and more accurately informed on all. 



Upon the spirit in which men come to and work in a scien- 

 tific society, will manifestly depend, in a great measure, its 

 success. May I be permitted to remark, that if men come to 

 it with views confined to the gratification of their self-love, 

 seeking praise for every little labour they perform, jealous of 

 the merits of their fellow-labourers, eager to advance favourite 

 dogmas, and consequently intolerant of the convictions of 

 others, they will act as impediments to its success \ It seems 

 to me that the spirit that ought to guide us in our capacity as 

 members of a scientific body is one the very contrary of all 

 this. Here, almost as much as in the temple itself, the self- 

 hood and all its concerns ought to be set aside. Our proper 

 purpose being to study the natural system of the universe, 

 and ultimately, as I hope is the case with most, the God who 

 is the author of that system, and whose will it expresses, we 

 should enter the hall of science with, as far as possible, pure 

 hearts, glad for the time to leave all worldly and arrogant 

 feelings behind us, and thinking only of how we may increase 

 the number and the lustre of those truths on which the welfare 

 of God's creatures so much depends. If so we approach this 

 table, I think we shall find a true and lasting, instead of a 

 false and unsatisfactory, reward. We shall, in the first place, 

 delight to feel that there is one spot in this world's waste 

 where its heart-sickening warfare is stilled, — one hour in the 

 day or the week during which we do not need to look on our 

 fellow-man as a rival and an enemy. We shall, in the second 

 place, have the permanent happiness of reflecting that we 

 have not given our whole life to the support of its daily and 

 material needs, but done some little thing in our time to per- 

 fect the illustration of our Master's works and his praise. 



On the motion of Professor Fleming, a vote of thanks was unami- 

 mously given to Mr Chambers for his address. 



