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POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



THE PEOGEESS OF SCIENCE. 



THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR 

 THE ADVANCEMENT OF 

 SCIENCE. 

 The first convocation week meet- 

 ing of the American Association and 

 its affiliated societies was a notable 

 event in the progress of science in 

 America. We have on several occa- 

 sions called attention to the circum- 

 stances that led up to this meeting. 

 The American Association with its 

 affiliated societies has hitherto held 

 its meetings in the summer, when the 

 dispersal of men of science and the heat 

 have been disturbing factors. The 

 American Society of Naturalists with 

 its affiliated societies has met during 

 Christmas week when the time was too 

 short, especially for those who traveled 

 from a distance. The American Asso- 

 ciation was successful in securing a 

 short extension of the Christmas holi- 

 days from all our leading institutions 

 of learning, some seventy in number, 

 leaving free for the meetings of sci- 

 entific and learned societies the week 

 in which the first of January falls. 

 The American Association and the 

 American Society of Naturalists and 

 most of the national societies devoted 

 to the special sciences then united to 

 hold the great congress which met at 

 Washington from December 29 to Jan- 

 uary 3. 



There were at the meetings more 

 scientific men than had ever before as- 

 sembled on this continent. The enrol- 

 ment of members of the association was 

 989, which was increased to 1,352 by 

 the registration of those attending the 

 meeting of affiliated societies, but not 

 members of the association. The at- 

 tendance was larger than the registra- 

 tion, and may be estimated at consider- 

 ably more than 1,500. The addresses, 



papers and discussions were truly be- 

 wildering in their number and range. 

 There were about thirty-five special 

 societies and sections of the associa- 

 tion meeting nearly or quite simul- 

 taneously. Under these circumstances 

 conflicts and inconveniences were not 

 entirely absent, but on the whole the 

 complicated machinery worked with 

 remarkable smoothness. Such a great 

 meeting accomplished much in promo- 

 ting solidarity among men of science, 

 and in demonstrating their activity and 

 power of organization to the world. 

 It was especially fortunate that this 

 meeting should have been held at Wash- 

 ington, which is now the scientific, as 

 well as the political, capital of the 

 country. Men of science from all parts 

 must have been greatly impressed by 

 the immense quantity and admirable 

 quality of scientific work being done 

 under the national government, whereas 

 the government officers must have been 

 encouraged in their research by the 

 visitors. 



A number or even a volume of the 

 Monthly would go but a small way to- 

 ward publishing the addresses and 

 papers presented at the Washington 

 meeting. We print elsewhere the ad- 

 dress of the retiring president, Pro- 

 fessor Asaph Hall, one of the world's 

 great astronomers. Other addresses 

 and abstracts of the proceedings will be 

 found in Science; the real scientific 

 work of the meeting, however, must be 

 looked for in the special journals and 

 series of publications. 



Dr. Carroll D. Wright, U. S. Com- 

 missioner of Labor, was chosen as the 

 next president, and St. Louis as the 

 next place of meeting. The range of the 

 association and its affiliated societies 

 was demonstrated by both selections. 



