195 
ORDINARY MEETING, Monday, January 15, 1883. 
(Specially held at the Society of Arts House.) 
Sir Joseph Fayrer, K.C.S.I., F.R.S., Y.P., in the Chair. 
The minutes of the last meeting were read and confirmed, and the 
following elections were announced : — 
Associates : — E. Irby, Esq., New South Wales ; Prof. A. F. A. King, 
M.D., Columbus University, United States ; General R. Thayer, A.M., 
United States; E. James, Esq., London; Rev. W. Lock, M.A., Oxford. 
Also the presentation of the following works to the library : — 
“ Journal of the American Geographical Society.” From the same. 
„ „ „ Philosophical Society.” „ 
The following paper was then read by the author : — 
ON TEE ABSENCE OF REAL OPPOSITION BETWEEN 
SCIENCE AND REVELATION. By Professor G. G. 
Stokes, M.A., F.R.S.* 
mO those who believe that the order of nature is in accord- 
J ance with the will of a Supreme Being, it must be 
axiomatic that there can be no real opposition between what 
we learn from the study of nature and what we may be taught 
by a direct revelation from that Being. We cannot suppose 
otherwise without impugning the truth ftflness of God. Any 
apparent opposition must, therefore, arise from some deficiency 
in the student of science, or in the student of revelation, or 
in both. 
The subject-matters of revelation and of science are so 
* At the meeting of the Institute the following prefatory remarks were 
made by Professor G. G. Stokes, F.R.S.: “Before reading my paper I may 
state that I spoke of it specially to a friend of mine who is a Pellow of the 
Royal Society, and who is very eminent in a department of science of which 
1 know, I may say, nothing. He is an eminent biologist, and, although he 
agrees with me in the final conclusions I have come to with regard to weighty 
matters, yet the mode in which he arrives at his conclusions is very different 
from that in which my own conclusions have presented themselves to me. 
I had hoped that he might have been present to have given you the benefit 
of his views, and I am sure that had he been here he would have done so 
in an exceedingly interesting manner. I regret to say, however, that I 
heard only to-night that illness prevents his being present.” 
VOL. XVTI. P 
