x 5 
geese. Other erroneous beliefs still linger 
among us as, for instance, the marvellous 
colours said to be displayed by dolphins when 
dying. The ground work of this belief is a. 
solar myth referring to the gorgeous hues 
accompanying the setting of the sun. And 
solar mythology has been fruitful in beliefs 
of this sort. In a recent book about busi¬ 
ness (Shadwell’s Industrial Efficency) I saw 
it mentioned that one of the requirements 
for business success is freedom from 
fetichism. How is this to be secured with¬ 
out the study of nature ? I am sure that in 
the present state of things the only means 
of combating the evils with which we are 
surrounded and of eventually gaining the 
upperhand over them lies in the general 
cultivation of a knowledge of nature. And 
this pursuit, viewed only as a means of 
recreation, is capable ofgivingus good results 
as any other. Its results are always bene¬ 
ficial to the body as well as to the mind, but 
its great value is in the inculcation of the 
truthful habit. Aud when this is attained 
and assured crime and misery will attain 
their minimum. In the present state of this 
colony having a population not absolutely 
large yet large in proportion to the size of 
the island its social condition, its cultivable 
capacity and in proportion to the means of 
subsistence as shown among other things 
by the very large quantity of foodstuffs it 
is necessary to import, a population more¬ 
over extremely backward in most respects 
and rapidly deteriorating at least 
morally if not physically, we cannot afford 
to lose any means which tend to the 
improvement of the people. The true 
object of such an institution as 
this is not the gratification of any 
popular taste or fancy, or even the 
providing means of aiding persons to acquire 
at a small cost aits and handicrafts whereby 
they can obtain a higher rate of pay than 
they could without, nor again the provision 
of means of popular amusement at cheap 
rates. Wbat is required is means for the 
moral elevation and intellectual improve¬ 
ment of the people ; and this fact must not 
be lost sight of. Indeed one of the great 
obstacles to progress here, as elsewhere, is 
the difficulty of getting people to recognize 
the real and true means of improvement 
and the real obstacles to such improvement 
One symptom of the retrograde state of the 
colopy is the resolute suppression of every¬ 
thing tending to the elevation of humanity. 
Where suppression is not practicable per- 
version is resorted to and thus our instifru- 
