AN ADDRESS ON THE CLOSE OF THE YEAR. 8 
beral employment of that language which, while it is calcu- 
lated to support their own views or opinions, may yet do 
so without offending an opponent’s self-respect, or endea- 
vouring to lessen him in the estimation of others. Fair and 
just criticism is rather to he encouraged than otherwise, for 
by the collision of opinion truth is to be elicited ; but truth 
has a double value when conveyed to the mind in terms of 
courtesy, than when attempted to be thrust upon us in harsh 
terms, or accompanied by wide and unmerited abuse. 
It would afford me much pleasure could I persuade some 
of the younger portion of your readers who have not yet con- 
tributed to the pages of u The Veterinarian ” to do so with- 
out further delay, certain as I am that by throwing their mite 
of knowledge into the general stock they would obtain a quid 
pro* quo in the esteem of their brethren, and be, at the same 
time, greatly benefitted by the occasional practice of recording 
their cases and opinions, and by the efforts of the mind ne- 
cessary to enable them to do so with facility ; a result that 
would assuredly be speedily and almost imperceptibly at- 
tained. 
Among the publications of the past year it is also pleasing 
to notice the re-appearance of some of our most useful 
works, with several valuable additions to our former stock : 
an undoubted proof of steady progress, the advance of a 
science being better estimated by occasional reference to its 
literature than by any other means. 
Your Obituary of the past year is very meagre ; yet Time 
has, doubtless, wrought his usual changes, and the inexorable 
tyrant, Death, claimed his customary tribute, leaving sad 
traces of his melancholy visits in the hearts and homes of 
some of our contemporaries : 
“For wliat is Life? — an hour-glass on the run, 
A mist retreating from the morning sun, 
A busy, bustling, still-repeated dream, — 1 
Its length ? — a minute’s pause, or moment’s thought ; 
And Happiness ? — a bubble on the stream, 
That in the act of seizing shrinks to nought.” 
Such, indeed, is humanity ; and it will be well fo> us to reflect 
that we, too, may be soon called hence, and numbered among 
those who were ; and happy will it be for us if we are sup- 
ported by the consciousness of having endeavoured to leave 
the world, in some small degree, better than we found it. 
“ Yet a few days and thee 
The all-beholding sun shall see no more 
In all his course ; nor yet in the cold ground 
