37 
hydrqgen; 11,200 electrons would form an atom of oxygen, and 150,000, an atom of 
radium. We have on this theory arrived at the ultimate chemical particle, various 
combinations of which form all the infinitely diverse aspects of matt 
Sir Oliver observes thai l 'the attraction of this hypothesis is thai it represents a 
unification of matter and a reduction of all material Bubstance to a purely electrical 
phenomenon." This electrical theory of matter involves two consequences a con- 
tinual increase in the velocity <>f the constituents of an atom and the ultimate insta- 
bility of these constituents. There is thus a Btate ol flux and decay " in the founda- 
tion stones of the universe, the elemental atoms themselves. 11 Sir Oliver thinks, 
however, that "there is at the same time a system of reaggregation at work which 
constitutes a sort of regenerative process which will preserve the universe by the 
creation of new forms of matter in the place of forms that have been dissolved. 
If these things be so it can no longer be said "that the ultimate details of atomic 
constitution are beyond our scrutiny." But, granted thai these details are known, 
the mysteries of the universe are still unsolved. What is the nature of electric 
phenomena? What are those things \\ hich can evolve out of structureless simplicity 
the infinite complexities of the earth and heavens? Does a directive force, intelli- 
gent and eternal, become the necessary postulate for a rational concept ion of the uni- 
verse? Are we warranted in concluding with Tennyson that — 
"Only that which made us, meant us to be mightier by and by, 
Set the sphere of all the boundless heavens within the human eye; 
Sent the shadow of Himself, the boundless, through the human soul 
Boundless, inward in the atom, boundless outward in the whole." 
We are manifestly on the threshold of mighty discoveries. What part will the 
American intellect play in the investigation and solution of these problems? What 
part will the colleges and universities of this association play in the unfolding of this 
stupendous drama? In the laboratories of the chemist and the physicist the work 
must he done. To this end we need skillful worker-, clear thinkers, prophetic men 
with trained intellects and scientific imaginations. To this end we need special en- 
dowments for research; hut special endowment for research means large expenditure 
for the best material facilities which ingenuity can devise and skilled workmanship 
can construct. It means also highly disciplined and trained investigators whose time 
is not occupied with the drudgery of instruction, but which is devoted entirely to 
original work. 
These conditions necessarily imply lar<re expenditure, and the means fortius must 
be obtained from the liberality of the nation and from the generosity of individuals. 
We must encourage the study of higher mathematics in order to develop men who 
shall be able to follow and interpret the mathematics on which such theories as 
those of the Sub-Mechanics of the Universe rest. We must create in our labora- 
tories the Curies and the Kelvins and the Crookes and the Clerk-Maxwells, the 
Rutherfords and Bancrofts and Oswalds, who shall grapple with and if possible solve 
the mysteries of the physical universe. This, I trust, will fall largely to the lot of 
the colleges and universities which we represent to-day. Let us hope that from their 
halls shall issue the honored few; from their ranks shall arise the heroes of science 
who, in the achievement of these last and greatest results, shall be welcomed to join 
the ranks of the immortals. 
With the accession of the Tudors in I486 the influence of England in continental 
affairs had materially diminished. The days of Crecy and Poitiers and Agincourt 
with the passing of England's heroes— the Black Prince and Henry V — had also 
passed away. The treaty of Pecquini had left England none of her continental pos- 
sessions except Calais, and this too was to pass to the house of Valois before the 
Tudors ceased to reign. The ascendency of Spain was unquestioned. Even after 
the abdication of Charles V the Spanish monarchy was the most powerful in the 
world. The vast over-sea possessions which that monarch had inherited from 
Ferdinand and Isabella he transmitted, enlarged and consolidated, to his son Philip. 
But the growing sea power of England, after the accession of Elizabeth, was destined 
ere the close of the century to L r ive the Spanish power a fatal blow. The defeat of 
the Armada sealed the fate of Spanish supremacy, and proved that something more 
than prestige and gold was needful on which to build national power and national 
prosperity. From loss the star of Spanish dominion gradually declined and the 
scepter was by degrees transferred to mightier hands. 
England followed dose upon the track of discovery, but more than a century p 
before any permanent settlement was made by her in the New World. Though she 
entered later on the race of trans- Atlantic adventure than either Spain or France, yet 
she was destined to outstrip all her competitors in colonial dominion. The colonies 
founded during the reign of the successor of the greal Tudor queen were established 
