[This report is extracted from a newspaper cutting pasted into the Minute Book (1886-94) having been read at the Eighth Meeting of the session on the 16 May 1888]
The Chairman [Rev. George Smith, M.A.] gave, as a valedictory address, a paper on “The Doncaster Microscopical and General Society, its Work – past, present and future,” of which the following is an abstract.
The origin of the society is thus recorded in the minute book: “The Doncaster Microscopical Society, 13 High Street, Doncaster. With a view to forming a Microscopical Society in Doncaster a preliminary meeting was held in this house on Monday, February 9, 1880, J.M. Kirk, Fred Milner, and M.H. Stiles being present, at which it was resolved that the formation of such a society was desirable and that steps should be taken to establish it.” The first President was Cannon Brock, and the secretary and treasurer Mr. Stiles. Thus successfully launched the society made modest yet satisfactory progress as these figure testify : –
| Year | No. of Members | Average Attendance |
|---|---|---|
| 1880 (half session) | 38 | 17 |
| 1880-1 | 43 | 11 |
| 1881 -2 | 59 | 25 |
| 1882-3 | 80 | 34 |
| 1883-4 | 65 | 28 |
| 1884-5 | 51 | 23 |
| 1885-6 | 52 | 25 |
| 1886-7 | 40 | 23 |
In 1881 the name was changed into that of the Doncaster Microscopical and General Society and ladies were admitted as members. Conversaziones have been held at various times and public lectures have been given, notably in connection with the Gilchrist Trust, and by invitation of the Society and Yorkshire Naturalists Union held its annual meeting in Doncaster, in 1885. This record gives certainly no ground for depression, yet we must not content ourselves with the glories of the past, but must direct our attention to the future.
The following suggestions are made: –
(1) Within the society sections should be formed, in time covering the whole scientific field, and means by which the vast majority of all classes who feel any interest in scientific work might be drawn to the society. The Subscriptions should be (a) a general subscription, say 5s. as at present, admitting to the general meetings of the society and to all sectional meetings:
(b) a sectional subscription of say 2s. 6d., admitting to the general meetings of the society and to one sectional meeting. By these means the society might eventually reckon its members by hundreds.
(2) It should be part of the regular routine proceedings of the society to have a public lecture every session by a man of high scientific reputation. In this way the society would confer a further direct benefit upon the town.
(3) steps should be taken to establish a Museum. It seems strange that a town boasting its immemorial antiquity thinks so little of the links connecting it with the past. Ancient coins, Roman pottery and works of art are dug up, receive some notice in the newspapers, and are dispersed to the four winds. A museum scientifically arranged would be the educational haunt of the members of the various sections. Its fostering care they would repay by contributing the results of those researches which its suggestions and teaching had stimulated.
(4) The society should form a scientific library, whose shelves would be filled by volumes given by the friends of the society of bought out of a definite portion of the surplus of each year. Also it might be advisable to have a class of honorary subscribers of say one guinea a year. Their subscriptions would support the society in its public work. help to defray the cost of the public lectures, and assist in establishing the museum and library.
After referring to the circumstances which impelled him to bring forward these suggestions the reader spoke of the educational usefulness of the society. Although science is not able to do much to educate in the strict sense of the word, and cannot in this respect be compared with the rigid training afforded by the study of languages and of mathematics, yet no education is complete it. He then proceeded to describe it as a study which leads us to use our God-inspired faculties to pierce the veil behind which God is concealed, nay even to find traces of Him on the veil itself.