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THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



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Old Gkesham College, in which the meetings of the Royal Society were first held. 



their administration is not a benefit 

 conferred on the society by the state, 

 but a service conferred on the state by 

 the society." It is not clear why these 

 sentiments should have been applauded 

 by those present. In the first place 

 they are not strictly correct. The so- 

 ciety received £1,300 from King Charles 

 and tried hard to get more. Indeed, 

 the king granted them a share in the 

 confiscated Irish estates, but the money 

 failed to reach them. Apart from the 

 annual grant of £4,000 to be awarded 

 for scientific research, the government 

 provides £1,000 for publications and 

 the rooms in Burlington House. But 

 why should the society be congratu- 

 lated because it has received no govern- 

 ment support? It was scarcely an ad- 

 vantage that Newton presented his 

 resignation because he was unprepared 

 to pay a shilling a week as dues, or 

 that the society could not have made 

 possible Darwin's work if he had 

 needed assistance. The presidents of j 

 the society preceding Sir Archibald 

 Geikie, Sir William Huggins and Lord 

 Rayleigh, have been able to make their 

 great contributions to science owing to 

 their inherited wealth. The prime min- 

 ister has been instrumental in paying 

 members of parliament, because the old 

 aristocratic methods no longer suffice. 

 The fellows of the Boyal Society con- 



tribute equally to the welfare of the 

 state, and deserve equally to be paid 

 for their services. 



THE FIBST INTERNATIONAL 

 EUGENICS CONGRESS 



The First International Eugenics 

 Congress has just been held in London. 

 Its sittings ran from July 24 to July 

 30, and were better attended and more 

 animated at the end than at the be- 

 ginning. That is, their interest, both 

 to delegates and general public, grew 

 rather than diminished, which is an 

 excellent augury for the next meeting. 



This first congress can be truthfully 

 called a success. Its organization and 

 conduct, thanks to the London com- 

 mittees and its helpers, the sympathetic 

 but firm presiding of Major Leonard 

 Darwin, and the extraordinarily effec- 

 tive secretarial work of Mrs. S. Gotto, 

 were wholly good. Delegates and 

 readers came from eight nations, 

 audiences of fair size attended all the 

 sessions, and the London press reports 

 were unexpectedly full and sympa- 

 thetic. The hospitality shown the at- 

 tendant delegates and readers of papers 

 was of the best English type, than 

 which there is admittedly no better. 

 It is of interest to note, however, that 

 of the largest and most elaborate three 

 receptions tendered the delegates two 



