204 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



Dr. Hexky C. Cowles, 

 Vice-president for the Section of Botany, professor of botany in the University of 



Chicago. 



under the government provides it with 

 scientific men in its employ competent 

 to give advice, and the constitution and 

 traditions of an academy composed ot 

 a small number of life members selected 

 for distinction in research do not lead 

 to great activity or efficiency. Thus 

 several years ago a resolution endorsing 

 the use of the metric system was de- 

 feated on the ground that the advice of 

 the academy had not been asked. 



The council of the American Associa- 

 tion being an elected body representing 

 all the scientific men and scientific ac- 

 tivities of the country is in a better 

 position to "assume active leadership in 

 movements for the advancement of 

 science and the applications of science 



for the public welfare. Several such 

 actions taken during the past years 

 may be noted. At the spring meeting 

 of the council a committee was ap- 

 pointed to confer with the president of 

 the United States in regard to the 

 heads of the scientific bureaus of the 

 government and especially the chief of 

 the Weather Bureau. The president re- 

 ceived the committee courteously and 

 the secretary of agriculture held a con- 

 ference with the committee on policy of 

 the association. This committee made 

 subsequently certain recommendations 

 in regard to the qualifications of heads 

 of the scientific bureaus of the govern- 

 ment and recommended that the Na- 

 tional Academy of Sciences be requested 



