THE WELLINGTON PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5271, 14 February 1878, Page 2

THE WELLINGTON PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY.

TO THE EDITOR OP THE NEW ZEALAND TIMES. Sill,—ln your paper of the ScU just, you , draw attention to the meetings of the Philo* , sophical Society, held in the lecture-room of the Colonial Museum. I wish, with your permission, to direct further attention to the same subject. By an Act of the General Assembly. No. 36, of the year 1867, it was enacted as expedient to make provision for and to establish a public institution in the city of Wellington, to be called the “New Zealand Institute,” for the promotion and the general study and cultivation of the various branches and departments of art, science, literature, and philosophy. To carry out this the Act specifies the amount of its endowment from the usual source. On looking into the published records of the work done by the institute, one asks wh.it has been done for the promotion, &c., of art, literature, and philosophy ? The answer must be, very little for either of the three ; but a vast work has been done under the heading “Science a vast and valuable work indeed j fully and justly appreciated in scientific circles, outside of which, unfortunately, I fear toomany of us stand at present.. The cultivation of art may not be exactly quite within the work of the institute, as art in a pre-eminent degree requires constant attention from all who pursue it for pleasure or profit. The study of philosophy m.v , with a good grace, be left to the care of the clergyman. The promotion, study, and general cu.:.:v;idon literature is happily within our reach. It offers to all a pleasing source of never-wearying’ delight, as in a secondary sense it includes a knowledge of its sister attainments, art, science, and philosophy. It is, sir, a poor feature, this of ours, that we are without any other form of literature iu Wellington directly emanating from mu* own brain save our • daily newspapers. These are indispensable, for many good reasons ; but beyond these business sheets we are in a worse position than that of a man without a tongue. The tongueless man can think, and act upon his thinking ; whereas we employ others—in the case of literature—to think and act for us. It is, sir, somewhat difficult to stop this intellectual gup, but if the thing were I kea up by the institute, and Its good working members were to give it a fair trial, it is in nc than likely that success would crown the A series of papers on popular litera.u.-• rad before the institute would, I am sure, 'h*-. listened to by appreciative audiences, if these papers were to be published in pamphlet form monthly, together with communicated papers on auy of the primary questions of the day, written, as a gentleman should write, without a spicing of those impudent personalities which, like the filthy smut of the wheat-field, arc the curse of too much of our current pen crops. You rightly, sir, instance Drs. and Bailer. To these I would add Dr. Newman, Mr. Fitzgerald, Judge Richmond, and Mr. Thompson. Many more might be named, not forgetting that we have a literary man, and an accomplished one, too, iu the Marquis of Normauby, our respected and esteemed Governor. If I ask too much in the matter of publishing a monthly resume of the institute's papers would it not be worth the trouble for the institute to relax itself somewhat, and descend from the dry pedestal of theoretic science, and take up popular literature as a subject for a season; invite assistance, see how it works, and then, if the trial prove a success, proceed to publishing. Dr. Hector's every sentence on the subject of geology fails not to tell upon his hearers; as his style is clear and instructive in the highest degree. In other hands this valuable science is denuded of its principal attraction—applicability ; and but too often in the lectureroom of the institute it is treated as a mere categorical list of terms and hypotheses, somewhat ingenious somewhat improbable. “Birds and Bird-life,” in Dr. Bullerb papers, are a rich intellectual treat, the result of careful study and personal inspection of the habits and the forms of our fellow-creatures, the birds of the air.

Botany could be well and instructively handled by one man, whose name it is not necessary to mention; but a paper on botany, in its application to our everyday lift, in our availts, or luxuries, it has not often been the fortune of listeners hitherto to have beard in the lecture-room. Industrious theory, when on the general subject, and indefatigable enumeration of uninteresting detail, when speaking of individual plants,—of these latter features in many of the papers on botany there has .been no wish left unsatisfied. On the descent of mankind from tadpoles, through blind fishes,lizards, baboons,and several other respectable great-graud-forhears, r< markable for tail, fin, lung, and leg, I recommend anyone afflicted with the weakness known as foppishness to listen to Dr. Newman’s .scathing researches in the vexed, but nevertheless humiliating fields of comparative anatomy and the theory of development.—l am, &c., Hope.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE MEW ZEALAND TIMES. Silt’ —In your issue of this morning you very sensibly urge the public, and especially the younger portion of the public, to attend the ordinary meetings of the Philosophical Society. While in the main agreeing with your opinion, that want of preliminary education is by far the most important reason for the utter want of interest manifested towards these meetings by the young men of Wellington, I would venture to point out that another difficulty appears to exist in the case even o£ those who may desire to attend. This difficulty, which I may say is purely imaginary, is to be found in the fact that, nominally, the meetings are open only to members and friends of members. Not the slightest objection is ever made to the attendance of anyone who pleosas ; but it would be well if the wording of the rule in question were slightly altered.—l am, &c., PiJILOSOITIIA. Wellington, Feb. 8.