176 MEETING OF CORRESPONDING SOCIETIES'
existence anywhere in the country better adapted than the British Association for
stimulating, encouraging and co-ordinating all the work being carried on by the
seventy Societies at present enrolled. Your Committee are of opinion that
further encouragement should be given to these Societies and their individual
working members by every means within the power of the Association, and with
the object of keeping the Corresponding Societies in more permanent touch with
the Association they suggest that an official invitation on behalf of the Council
be addressed to the Socieites through the Corresponding Societies Committee
asking them to appoint standing British Association Sub-Committees to be
elected by themselves with the object of dealing with all those subjects of
investigation common to their Societies and to the British Association
Committees, and to look after the general interests of science and scientific
education throughout the provinces and provincial centres. Your Committee may
point out that the only permanent bodies carrying out systematic scientific work
under the auspices of the Association are the various Committees appointed by
the Sections to undertake particular investigations and to report thereon to their
respective Sections. The proposal now submitted is equivalent to a request that
the Corresponding Societies should themselves appoint such Standing Committees
for stimulating every branch of inquiry in which these Societies are co-operating
with the Association. It is believed that the active workers in every Society
would by this means be brought to realise more fully that their labours are
contributing to the general advancement of science ; and since the subjects at
present brought under the notice of the Corresponding Societies cover practically
every department of science represented by the Sections of the Association, it is
hoped that these new British Association Sub-Committees of the Corresponding
Societies may serve as nuclei for creating and maintaining locally public interest
in every branch of scientific knowledge.
" Your Committee desire to lay special emphasis on the necessity for the
extension of the scientific activity of the Corresponding Societies and the expert
knowledge of many of their members in the direction of scientific education. They
are of opinion that immense benefit would accrue to the country if the Corre-
sponding Societies would keep this requirement especially in view with the
object of securing adequate representation for scientific education on the
Education Committees now being appointed under the new Act. The Educa-
tional Section of the Association having been but recently added, the Correspon-
ding Societies have as yet not had much opportunity for taking part in this
blanch of the Association's work, and in view of the re-organisation in education
now going on all over the country, your Committee are of opinion
that no more opportune time is likely to occur for the influence of scientific
organisations to make itself felt as a real factor in national education. They do
not at the present juncture think it desirable to formulate any definite
scheme detailing precise methods by which the Corresponding Societies might
be of service to the cause of scientific education. Some Societies might prefer
to unite to form Educational Consultative Committees of their own, and
to place their services at the disposal of the Education Authority of their County
or Borough. Others might prefer that individual members of their Societies
should be added to the Education Committee, and others again might prefer to
act indirectly by helping to foster public opinion in favour of that kind of
education which it is the chief function of a scientific corporation, such as the
British Association to promote. In view of the importance which your Com-