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to answer the arguments advanced against Scriptural truth. He would 
allude, for mstance, to the nebulous theory advanced in the Essays and Reviews 
against the Mosaic Cosmogony. It was stated by those who upheld that 
theory, that this universe was originally one great mass of fire. Now, fire, as 
was very well known, was the great destroyer of life : and, in the face of that 
fact, it was argued that everything in this world was brought out of that mass 
of fire, without the aid of a Creator, whose existence was altogether ignored 
by some of those gentlemen ! He did not think a more stupid notion could 
be entertained. It was much the same in other matters. They were told by 
Hr. Colenso last May, in the Anthropological Society, that a universal deluge 
was an impossibility, while another set of philosophers came forward with a 
theory that universal floods were a necessity ! (Hear.) Here were most 
extraordinary liberties taken with two of the four elements of the ancients, 
lire, the destroyer of all life, was made out to be the source from which life 
originally started (laughter) ; and floods, which a learned bishop assured 
them were an impossibility, were, according to other savants, a necessity. 
(Hear, hear.) Again : there was a uniformitarian theory entertained which 
was equally absurd, being contrary to such phenomena in nature as the recent 
sudden eruption of Santorino, and the blazing forth and sudden diminution 
of a star in Corona Borealis, which had occurred within the last few weeks. 
But there was no Society to take up these general questions. The Victoria 
Institute would now undertake the task, and he believed it had a very wide 
field of usefulness before it. (Cheers.) To pass from science to art, he begged 
to refer to the motto on the title-page of this year’s Catalogue of the R^yal 
Academy, m which it is argued that the very existence of beauty in art 
raises the mind to something beyond the visible. Of course, every rational 
being must know, that a fine picture or statue could only be produced by 
intellect and intelligent skill. Well, let us turn from art to nature, to these 
flowers upon the table, to say nothing of the magnificent display of floral 
beauty to be seen at the South Kensington International Exhibition,— and 
who could doubt that Divine Intelligence was the author of such transcendent 
beauty? This is an inviting theme ; but time, is short, and art must now be 
left to pass on to literature. In a word, then, he would observe that all our 
philosophizing, whether in science or art, would be all but useless, but for 
hterature, by which knowledge was diffused. He observed that Dr. Gladstone, 
F.R.S., had gone, whose name he would have wished to couple with 
Science and the Learned Societies ; Mr. Walton, whose name he would 
have associated with Art, had also departed ; and even Mr. John Lido-ett 
who had the toast of the Press assigned to him, had been unable to remain 
to propose it. He would therefore beg that the toast should be received as 
including the press, which is a most powerful organ of literature in our dav 
(Cheers.) J ' 
The Chairman then gaye the toast of <• The Ladies,” which, being duly 
honoured, was responded to by Mr. F. Memiiott. 
The proceedings then terminated. 
