Anniversary Dinner 1946

Abstract

The Anniversary Dinner for 1946 was held at the Savoy Hotel on 30 November 1946. The Society’s guests included Sir Stafford Cripps, the Chinese Ambassador, the Belgian Ambassador, the Peruvian Ambassador, the French Ambassador, the Danish and Swedish Ministers and the Lord Mayor of London. The Dominions were represented by their High Commissioners. Grace was said by His Eminence the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster. Rising to propose the toast of ‘ The Royal Society of London,’ Sir Stafford Cripps said: ‘ Mr President, Your Excellencies, Your Eminence, my Lord Mayor, my Lords and Gentlemen: ‘ It is a very great pleasure to me this evening to be asked to propose the toast of the Royal Society of London, and when I was thinking over what I might say by way of introduction I came across a passage written by Addison in the Spectator which seemed to me to be very true of distinguished scientists. He as you know was not very friendly in his criticism of the Royal Society in its early days. He said that natural philosophy had a very good effect on them as it turned many of the geniuses of that age to the dispositions of natural knowledge who, if they had engaged in politics with the same power and application, might have set their country aflame !