12 
will be forgotten, the Earl of Shaftesbury will live in the hearts of 
thousands of people, fulfilling what the Apostle has said — “ Your labour is 
not in vain in the Lord.” (Applause.) 
The resolution was agreed to. 
A. McArthur, Esq., M.P., in responding, said : — I shall follow the good 
example that has been set by preceding speakers in not taking up much 
of your time, as we are all anticipating the pleasure we shall derive from 
the Address, to which we hope to listen in a few minutes. I should have 
been glad that some other member of the Council had been asked 
to discharge the duty that now devolves on me, but I believe that one 
reason why I have been called upon is that I have been, although unavoid- 
ably, a very irregular attendant at your meetings, and, therefore, very 
little of the thanks here offered can come to me. (A laugh.) Perhaps 
another reason is to be found in the kind reference our Secretary has just 
made to myself as one of those who took an active part in the foundation of 
this Institute. (Hear, hear.) It is, however, only right it should be 
known that your Lordship is one of the very first who took an active part, 
and who became our President, giving to the Institute the great advantage 
of your name and influence in the good work we desired to do. (Applause.) 
I should not like to forget the name of another early friend, one who is no 
longer with us — Mr. James Reddie — who was our first Secretary, and who 
rendered invaluable service, and was the very life and soul of the Institute 
at its commencement. (Hear, hear.) When he died, it was feared that 
all would go wrong ; but in the good providence of God we got our present 
Secretary (hear, hear), and reference has already been made to the valu- 
able service he has rendered. I remember that at one of our first meetings 
I was considered very sanguine when I expressed a hope that we might 
live to see the day when we should have 800 or 1,000 members. I am 
delighted to find that we have now got up to 800, and I believe the time is 
not far distant when we shall get up to the 1,000. (Applause.) On behalf 
of the Council, I beg to thank the meeting for the way in which it 
has received the resolution. I may say, in reference to the Institute 
itself, that I can fully endorse most of what has already been 
said. Allusion has been made to the fact that infidelity is at the 
present moment exerting itself very powerfully. We cannot deny the 
fact; but I do not regard it in the same light that some people do. I 
think that life of any kind is better than stagnation ; I think the truth is 
mighty, and that it must and will prevail, and that Christianity has nothing 
to fear from the attacks of infidels by whom it may be assailed. (Hear, 
hear.) The design of this Institute is not to oppose science ; it is the very 
reverse. We rejoice in the progress of science ; but we all know that a 
great many scientific theories are propounded at different times as in- 
disputable facts, and one of the chief objects of this Society is to investigate 
any new scientific theory, and to ascertain how far it will stand examina- 
tion. We have no fear whatever that true science and true Christianity 
will ever be antagonistic, but rather the reverse. We believe that this 
