OUR RETROSPECT. 



By Leonard Kip, President of the Institute. 



[Read before the Albany Institute, May 21, 1889.] 



It would seem as though it should be a very easy thing for men to 

 unite in the formation of societies for investigation and mutual im- 

 provement, — a thing so natural, indeed, as almost to be forced upon 

 them by the conditions of their existence. Men are gregarious ; and 

 when not living in a state of chronic distrust of each other are 

 somewhat socially inclined ; a little communicative, perhaps, by 

 nature, and very much disposed to rehearse to one another not only 

 their own actions and impressions, but also whatever they may have 

 chanced to discover concerning the actions and impressions of others. 

 How natural, then, one would think, that they should take pleasure 

 not only in disseminating the results of their investigations concerning 

 their fellow men, but also of their researches into the inanimate world 

 around them; each one doing his proper part not merely in examin- 

 ing the processes of nature as spread out on every side, but also in 

 bringing himself into fraternal association with other men, for the in- 

 terchange of similar observation and discovery. 



And yet the contrary seems generally to have been the rule. What- 

 ever the reason for it, it certainly appears that it must have been 

 necessary for the world to develop a very high civilization before it 

 could reach that plane of mutual interest, wherein personal distrust 

 could be cast aside, and the benefit of a fraternal interchange of knowl- 

 edge secured. For through all the pages of past history we cau read 

 little more than the constant avoidance of man by man regarding any 

 thing that may relate to general improvement ; nor, through the rec- 

 ords of long centuries, can we discern any thing approximating to our 

 modern fashion of assembling ourselves for interchange of thought. 



Looking back at our very earliest records of any description, 

 we examine the Egypt of four thousand years ago, during that most 

 promising state of its civilization which existed just previous to the 

 construction of the pyramids. What light do we there find? We 

 cannot accurately tell ; though perhaps some day, when the science of 

 deciphering hieroglyphics shall have been further advanced, we may 



