THE LATE SAMUEL C. SOTHERN. 617 
President of the Club. In his address in June, 1877, he 
remarked : — 
“ No doubt we may not be quite free from the dilettante spirit . . . But 
if we are open to the charge I have mentioned, there is another side. Does 
not the meeting together of congenial minds for a common purpose, promote 
the spirit of inquiry? ... So we will invite our critics to come among us, 
and, perchance, in the future before us, we may be reminded of that famous 
picture of Solomon’s, ‘ The Scoffers,’ and those who come to scoff may remain 
to pray. We will show our censors that the reverent spirit of inquiry is not 
absent from us, though not wrapped in the hard jargon of the schools.” 
The foundation of the Science Gossip Club was a memorable 
achievement, and it is good to know that the Club has steadily 
gained a higher position, while still maintaining the informal 
and social character of its gatherings. 
Mr. Sothern became a member of the Norfolk and Norwich 
Naturalists’ Society in 1873, resigning, however, in 1878, as 
his interests in Natural History were practically confined to 
geology. 
Those who knew him at home, in the meeting-room of the 
Science Gossip Club, or in the field, will recall with pleasure 
his sanguine and enthusiastic temperament. An optimist, 
amid many trials, and with a constitution never robust, his 
philosophy was at all times salutary and an example to 
weaker brethren. 
