vou. 1.] Proposed Amendment to Constitution. 195 
this principle in the conduct of their affairs. Unquestionably the 
ranking scientific society in America, membership in which is more 
eagerly coveted than in any other, is the American Academy, which 
restricts its membership of all grades, to scientists,and even goes so. 
far as to disfranchise any member removing his residence from 
Massachusetts. 
Among the societies on this coast, one of the most important, the 
Technical, has a similar provision in its constitution, and no matter 
how eminent a proposed member may be, how strong his sympathies 
or how long his purse, he can be only an associate member unless 
he is a practical engineer. 
If this amendment be adopted by the California Academy of Sci- 
ences, its effect will of course in time be, that the society will have 
only scientific members. An impression appears to prevail in some 
quarters that this would be a menace to its financial interests; that 
wealthy men without scientific attainments would be less liable to 
~ make bequests to the society, if they could not become voting mem- 
bers, and that scientific men lack the business ability to manage its 
affairs. 
The first objection is easily disposed of. Honorary membership, 
which carries no vote in any society, is not less esteemed or sought 
for than any other grade, and the certainty that bequests will be ap- 
plied in accordance with the needs of science will far more than 
counterbalance the lack of a vote, which would probably never be 
exercised. 
The second one is founded on the current fallacy, that scien tit 
pursuits necessarily imply a lack of common sense. That there are 
child-like and unworldly scientists every one knows, but the greater 
number are plain ordinary human beings, with quite sufficient finan- 
cial skill to take them through the complicated processes of collect- 
ing rents or cutting off coupons, besides which the society has now > 
sufficient non-scientists to provide against such visionary dangers 
for thirty or forty years to come, and as a curious corollary to these 
fears, it may be stated that the only money loss the Academy has _ 
met with was through the careless business methods of a Jewel of 
officers bee te without scientific pretensions. 
