EDITOR'S TABLE. 



843 



EDITOR'S TABLE. 



the Bosroy scientific meeting. 



THE twenty-ninth annual meeting 

 of the American Association for 

 the Advancement of Science, which be- 

 gan on the 25th of August, in Boston, 

 was in every respect a most successful 

 affair, and will be memorable both in 

 the history of the Association and to 

 all who had the pleasure of attending 

 it. A large amount of excellent scien- 

 tific work was accomplished, as shown 

 by the fact that no less than two hun- 

 dred and eighty original scientific pa- 

 pers were entered for reading at the 

 different sections. Many of these were 

 able and valuable contributions to inde- 

 pendent research, and they all evinced 

 a strong and healthy activity of the 

 spirit of investigation. The meeting 

 was the largest ever held by this body. 

 The session opened on "Wednesday, and 

 by the succeeding Tuesday evening nine 

 hundred and seventy-nine persons were 

 registered, and of these five hundred 

 and ninety-five were new members. 

 As a happy and novel consequence, 

 there will now be some surplus funds 

 for the Association to use in aid of im- 

 portant researches. 



To say that Boston did justice to the 

 occasion is not enough, for justice is a 

 tiling of degrees. Boston did splendid 

 justice redeemed every expectation, 

 which is saying a good deal, and did 

 that ample honor to science both in 

 public and in private which science well 

 deserves. Whatever could be done to 

 facilitate the work of the Association 

 and to make it pleasant for all its mem- 

 bers was done. The hospitalities were 

 cordial and profuse. The corporations 

 of Boston and Cambridge and wealthy 

 private citizens gave entertainments to 

 the Association, which were luxurious, 

 elegant, and in excellent taste. Free 



excursions were provided to all points 

 of interest in the vicinity, and, when 

 work was through, a large lot were 

 sent off to the White Mountains in 

 charge of the Apalachian Club. Every 

 detad of preparation had been care- 

 fully attended to by numerous efficient 

 committees, and the completeness of the 

 smooth-working arrangements excited 

 the admiration of all. It is hard to suit 

 everybody, but we must say that this 

 feat was for once accomplished. Even 

 where idiosyncrasies were jostled, only 

 smiles were elicited. Nine hundred 

 and fifteen persons accepted the city's 

 invitation to take a trip down the bay 

 in a commodious steamer. A generous 

 collation was provided in the cabin, and 

 when the guests had partaken of it, as 

 they passed to the deck above, each 

 gentleman was presented with an en- 

 velope on which was stamped, "The 

 City of Boston welcomes the American 

 Association for the Advancement of 

 Science." Each envelope contained 

 three choice cigars, and we mention the 

 fact merely to say that the most fanat- 

 ical non-smokers benignly accepted the 

 graceful attention, and either kept their 

 little prize as a souvenir of the occasion, 

 or enjoyed the cigars by presenting them 

 to their favored friends. Whatever was 

 interesting in Boston in the shape of 

 institutions and attractive features was 

 open to the members, and multitudes of 

 them profited by the opportunity. Invi- 

 tations were cordially extended to visit, 

 the American Academy of Arts and 

 Sciences, the Massachusetts Historical 

 Society, the Boston Society of Natural 

 History, the Society of Decorative Art, 

 the Warren Museum of Natural His- 

 tory, the Boston Public Library, the 

 Athenaeum Library, the commandant 

 of the Oharlestown Navy Yard, the 



