Davis—The Academy: Its Past and Future . 
891 
tivity of one or two members. I realized more than before 
the impress which a single active and zealous worker can make 
on the Transactions of a body like this. The next division in 
the naturalistic class is botany, with 23 papers. Then follow 
chemistry with 17, physics with nine, mathematics with six 
and astronomy with three. 
Let me recapitulate the relative proportions of all these di¬ 
visions, using percentages in whole numbers. 
Per cent. 
Mathematics . 
Astronomy. 
Physics... 
Chemistry . 
Geology. 
Zoology . 
Botany. 
Anthropology. 
Engineering. ....... 
Social and Political Science 
Letters.. .. 
Art .. 
2 
1 
. 3 
6 
17 
17 
8 
9 
3 
20 
13 
« 0.7 
In the earlier years of my membership in the Academy, I 
was distressed by the lack of relationship between the papers; 
the absence of cohesion among them; of working plan or sys¬ 
tem. I now view with more equanimity the doing by each of 
the work which he finds at his hand. The fare may indeed 
be somewhat like that at the picnic when there is an over-abun¬ 
dance of cake and a scant supply of sandwiches, a superfluity of 
pickles and a shortage of pie, but each article will at least be of 
the best quality that the contributor can furnish. I feel, how¬ 
ever, no less keenly now than then the need of a systematic, 
scientific study of our state, but look for the accomplishment 
of that work to the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History 
Survey, which I believe will be of much aid and honor to the 
state and which should and doubtless will receive the contin¬ 
uous assistance and support of the Academy. It is not my pur¬ 
pose to attempt any critical review of the work which the Acad- 
