16 
not time to “look through” books on his work to see if they are good, 
with the idea that he will remember where to get the contained infor- 
mation at some future time. All reading must be done earnestly and 
keenly as though we should never again have an opportunity of seeing 
the book in question. Let all our labor be work, not play. I think it 
is John Ruskin who defines work as systematic effort with a definite 
end in view, while unsystematic effort, no matter how severe the labor 
may be, if it have no definitc end, is merely play. In the index book 
should be entered a reference to the page where any facts which strike 
us as useful are to be found. Some restraint will be necessary, when 
this work is once taken in hand systematically, not to index what is 
not useful, as well as that which is. It is very easy to get a mania for 
indexing, and then the gems we are picking out may soon be lost 
amongst less valuable matter. Whatever we have to read or whatever 
we have to see, let us give it our fullest possible attention with the idea 
that at some future time the information may be useful. A tale that is 
told about Henry Ward Beecher illustrates this very well, and is prob- 
ably known to many of you. Upon one occasion he was driving in the 
country and his horse cast a shoe. He had always made it a rule of his 
life that whenever he had to see anything done he gave it his fullest 
attention, with the idea that at some time he might require the knowl- 
edge so obtained. He had frequently stood by whilst his horse was 
being shod, and, consequently, when, after a time, he reached a country 
village and found that the smith was away from home, the tale goes, he 
felt so confident of the knowledge he had acquired from watching care- 
fully other horseshoes made that he lighted the fire, fashioned and fin- 
ished a shoe, and shod his horse. He drove on about 10 miles and reached 
another village. Upon passing the forge of the village blacksmith he — 
thought it wise to have his work examined, so went in and explained — 
the circumstances and asked the man to See if all were well. The smith — 
looked critically at the shoe, examined it from every point of view, 
looked at the nails and the way in which they were clinched, and then 
raising himself up, said: ‘* Look here, mister, if you made that shoe 
yourself and put it on, as you say, you had better give up preaching and 
take to smithing.” 
Gentlemen, | thank you for the kind hearing you have given me, and 
I trust we may have a pleasant and useful meeting. 
Mr. Osborn, in discussing the address, thought that the subject sug- 
gested by the President, of the great importance of careful statistics, 
could hardly be overestimated. He moved the appointment of a com- 
mittee of three to operate with Mr. Fletcher to prepare, if possible, ~ 
some careful statistics as to the amount of insect damage, and as to — 
the benetit resulting from the work of economic entomologists. 
Mr. Riley indorsed the suggestion. He had been greatly gratified 
with the address and with the many valuable ideas which the Presi- 
dent had put forward. Most entomologists who had treated of the 
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