CONG L' ESS OF ARTS AND SCIENCE. 471 



now to be mentioned which will admit of reading or discussing subjects 

 of interest, though technical in character. After assigning due time 

 for the reading of the principal papers, and making the necessary ar- 

 rangements, there will rernain about an hour, perhaps a little more, in 

 each sectional meeting, for such intercommunication of ideas as will 

 promote the object of the congress. This hour will be filled by ' brief 

 communications ' — of which it is supposed the average or ordinary 

 length may be ten minutes. The conditions will be of so varied a 

 character in the different sections that it is impossible to lay down 

 unchangeable rules, or make uniform arrangements for these discus- 

 sions. Everything must depend upon the number in attendance who 

 desire to speak, and their respective wishes. An effort has been made 

 to obtain in advance promises from five or six who expect to be present 

 to make such communications. It is quite likely that, in many cases, 

 the requisite number will not be prepared beforehand. But it is not 

 to be expected that two elaborate scholarly papers of wide scope will 

 be listened to without some one being able to add a few ideas. It 

 should, however, be emphasized that discussions of the papers in the 

 ordinary sense such as are usual in scientific meetings, is not expected. 

 Many, perhaps most, of these papers will have involved weeks and 

 months of preparation; and it is scarcely respectful to assume that an 

 off-hand discussion of them, without previous knowledge of their con- 

 tents, will be possible. But this will not preclude expression of the 

 ideas to which the hearing will undoubtedly give rise in the minds of 

 the auditors. 



As already intimated, no attempt has been made to place absolute 

 limitations on the themes of these brief communications. It has been 

 deemed wise to prepare discussions which will promote the general 

 object of the congress, and to ask that technical papers be on subjects 

 of wide general or professional interest. 



Another new feature is that the program of the congress not only 

 includes all the great branches of science in its scope, but several 

 subjects of wide human interest which we are accustomed to regard 

 as lying outside the boundaries of exact knowledge. History, art, 

 diplomacy, religion, education — and indeed most of the great fields of 

 human activity are brought into the plan. An effort is thus being 

 made to correlate not only what has been in the narrow sense of the 

 term called science, but other great subjects which admit of the treat- 

 ment proposed in the general plan of the congress. 



An idea of the extent to which there will be a bringing together not 

 only of the sciences but of representatives of wide fields of human ac- 

 tivity is also shown by the men who are to treat them. For example, 

 it is expected that the subject of national administration will be treated 

 by the eminent author of the ' American Commonwealth.' unless the 



