The President's Address. 99
such subjects appears to be the belief that some special
quality of mind is necessary, and many who are really
interested in the pursuits of the naturalist allow their
interest to remain passive for this reason. But the neces-
sary qualities of mind really differ in no way in kind from
those possessed by any person of average intelligence.
Professor Huxley is never tired of insisting that science is
but organized common sense :—"Anyone who looks into
the matter attentively will soon perceive that there is no
solid foundation for the belief that the realm of science is
thus shut off from that of common sense, or that the mode
of investigation which yields such wonderful results to the
scientific investigator is different in kind from that which
is employed for the commonest purposes of every day exist-
ence. Common sense is science exactly in so far as it
fulfils the ideal of common sense—that is, sees facts as they
are, or, at any rate, without the distortion of prejudice,
and reasons from them in accordance with the dictates of
sound judgment. And science is simply common sense at
its best; that is, rigidly accurate in observation, and
merciless to fallacy in logic."* These statements, coming
from one of the masters of biological science, must surely
hold out every encouragement to those who desire to take
up the study of these subjects. There is no one amongst
us but, after he has once acquired a substantial ground-
work in some branch of our studies, can do real service to
the Club and to science at large, and I only hope that our
next volume of publications will show that these remarks
have fallen upon fertile soil.
In many scientific societies it is customary for the
President to occupy the attention of the members at the
annual meeting with a discourse upon some special branch
of science with which he is most familiar, and although this
is a custom of which I greatly approve, I much regret that
my numerous occupations have left me without the time
necessary for collecting the materials for such an address.
* "The Crayfish: An Introduction to the Study of Zoology,"
1880, pp. 1 and 2.