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THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



jcct ; and that a special department of 

 the society will be constituted a com- 

 mittee of ways and means to raise con- 

 tributions and devise expedients for 

 enlarging its usefulness. 



But, though the American Associa- 

 tion has not hitherto developed much 

 financial skill, it is gratifying to note 

 that it is making increasing efforts to 

 excite public interest in its objects. 

 Undoubtedly, the great impediment to 

 scientific progress is popular ignorance, 

 indifference, and lack of sympathy with 

 the aims to which men of science are 

 devoted. The energy, the culture, and 

 the influence of the active classes of 

 society are not sufficiently enlisted in 

 behalf of this work. It is in the line 

 of its legitimate duty for the Associa- 

 tion to take advantage of its opportu- 

 nities, as it yearly passes from city to 

 city, to present the claims of science to 

 the public in such a manner as to arouse 

 enthusiasm in their behalf. Lectures 

 to the people by able men on a variety 

 of subjects might be easily provided 

 for at the annual sessions, without any 

 impairment of the legitimate work of 

 the sections. The Saratoga meeting, 

 we are glad to note, manifested a de- 

 cided tendency to fall in with this pol- 

 icy. Besides the popular character of 

 the addresses of the President and of 

 the Vice-Presidents, advantage was 

 taken of the opportunities afforded by 

 the locality to give a public entertain- 

 ment, both thoroughly scientific and of 

 interest to all classes. An evening was 

 given to the mineral waters, and three 

 of the ablest scientific men present 

 made addresses of great interest on the 

 different aspects of the subject. Pro- 

 fessor Chandler, who has analyzed most 

 of the waters, spoke of their composi- 

 tion, properties, and the characters of 

 the different springs, illustrating his re- 

 marks by appropriate experiments, and 

 extensive tabular statements. Profes- 

 sor Hall, the distinguished New York 

 geologist, took up the relation of the 

 rock formations to these fountains, and 



dwelt upon the history of those disturb- 

 ances in the strata which have given 

 rise to this extensive group of mineral 

 springs throughout a valley which yields 

 a new water at every boring. Dr. Sterry 

 Hunt followed, with a most interesting 

 and impressive address on those ancient 

 conditions and transformations of the 

 earth's crust which explain the genesis 

 of this class of waters. By his profound 

 studies of geological chemistry he was 

 enabled to throw much light on the na- 

 ture and origin of mineral springs ; and, 

 like the speakers who preceded him, 

 he deeply interested the large audience 

 who listened to his admirable exposi- 

 tion. It was altogether a happy illus- 

 tration of what it is possible for the 

 Association to accomplish in the way 

 of first-class popular work. 



Another consideration is pertinent 

 here from this general point of view. 

 The predominant movement of scien- 

 tific thought is toward subjects which 

 take a powerful hold of the popular 

 imagination. Biology is the great sci- 

 ence of the latter half of the nineteenth 

 century. The mathematics, physics, 

 and chemistry the exploration of in- 

 organic nature of the past three hun- 

 dred years are but the preparation for 

 entering upon the exhaustive original 

 study of the science of life. There was 

 long a belief in its impossibility, and 

 something like a dread of engaging with 

 it ; but that period is now past, and the 

 advanced scientific mind of the world 

 has entered in earnest upon the mul- 

 titudinous problems offered by living 

 beings, from invisible creatures, revealed 

 by the microscope, up to man and his 

 complex social relations. Science has 

 slowly but steadily approached those 

 elevated vital questions in which all in- 

 telligent persons have an acknowledged 

 concern, and how completely these ques- 

 tions are now in the ascendant is shown 

 by the leading discussions in both the 

 American and the British Associations 

 for the Advancement of Science. Pres- 

 ident Marsh considered the history of 



