ANNUAL ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT, 
LeB. Botsfoed, M. D. 
ETHICS OF LAW. 
\_Bead 20th February^ 1885.] 
FEW WORDS to define what is meant by law, before entering 
upon my subject. The term law is understood to mean or 
infer a force which causes similar results under similar conditions. 
In calling it a law we, however, merely state a fact, we do not reach 
nor explain the source of the fact. This principle is manifested or 
acknowledged in the realm of matter, in organic life, in intellectual 
and moral phenomena. 
Thus in matter we accept the fact that liquids ever tend to take 
a level position. Numerous observations establish the fact, and we 
regard it as one law of their condition. In calling it a law, how- 
ever, we do not explain the source of that fact. Looking into it 
further, we find that owing to gravity, or, in other words, the 
attraction of a large mass of matter, the earth for instance, every 
molecule of a liquid is virtually acted upon equally and is forced 
to take its place until each molecule of the upper layer occu- 
pies the same distance from the attracting body. This is, however, 
a mere statement of a fact. So also it is with the law of gravity. 
Gravity is a term only, it signifies the result of observations upon 
matter. We are led by many observations to recognize the sense of 
weight, and this eventually drives us to the conclusion that the idea 
of weight arises from an unseen force which draws matter towards 
matter. Further observations lead us to conclude that attraction is 
in relative proportion to the masses and their distance. To call this 
gravity or attraction does not explain the why nor the wherefore ; 
