762 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



EDITOR'S TABLE. 



AMERICAN SCIENTIFIC ASSOCIATION 

 PRESIDENT SMITE'S ADDRESS. 



THE twenty-second meeting of the 

 American Association for the Ad- 

 vancement of Science, which com- 

 menced at Portland, Me., August 20th, 

 was fairly attended by the members, 

 and presented very good results in the 

 way of scientific work. In estimating 

 its contributions, we must not over- 

 look the fact that, while the numbers 

 of those in this country who are at 

 liberty to pursue original investigations 

 untrammelled, is not large, on the other 

 hand we have two national associations, 

 through which the moderate amount of 

 original research that takes place is pub- 

 lished to the world. While the Ameri- 

 can Association was the only organiza- 

 tion of national scope for the publication 

 of new scientific results, its papers were 

 creditable both in number and quality, 

 and it compared favorably with its pro- 

 totype, the British Association for the 

 Advancement of Science. But, when, 

 a few years ago, a considerable number 

 of its ablest members joined in the or- 

 ganization of the National Academy 

 of Sciences, having substantially the 

 same object in view as the American 

 Association, but exclusive in its mem- 

 bership, and under government patron- 

 age, the necessary effect was greatly to 

 weaken the older organization. The 

 National Academy meets twice a year, 

 and draws closely upon the original 

 work of its associates. If, therefore, 

 the numbers in attendance upon the 

 Association and the grade of scientific 

 contributions might seem to indicate a 

 decline in American science, the cir- 

 cumstances here referred to will suffi- 

 ciently qualify the conclusion. 



The address of the retiring presi- 

 dent, J. Lawrence Smith, while contain- 



ing many excellent suggestions, was not 

 conformed to the better type of such 

 productions. It is the custom of the 

 eminent scientific men who are honored 

 with the office but once in their lives 

 to devote the occasion, either to a gen- 

 eral review of recent scientific work, 

 or to some special subject with which 

 they are most familiar, and upon which 

 they can speak with the force of au- 

 thority. Dr. Smith has been favorably 

 known in the world of science as a 

 chemist who has made valuable con- 

 tributions in its inorganic department. 

 The great activity in chemical inquiries 

 at the present time, and the impor- 

 tant transition through which chemical 

 theory is now passing, would certainly 

 have afforded the president a most per- 

 tinent and instructive theme, but he 

 preferred to employ the occasion in 

 considering certain aspects of science 

 that are now prominent in public atten- 

 tion, and upon which the scientific 

 world is in much disagreement. The 

 leading feature of the address was an 

 attack on the Darwinians, and this 

 portion of it we publish ; and, as the 

 question is thus reopened officially, it 

 becomes a proper subject of comment. 

 The predecessor of President Smith, 

 Dr. Asa Gray, of Harvard College, had 

 followed the better usage of presid- 

 ing officers in his address at Dubuque 

 last year, and discussed some of the 

 larger problems of botany in the light 

 of the derivation theory. The most 

 eminent of American botanists, an old 

 and untiring student of the subject, a 

 man of philosophic grasp, and with a 

 candor and sincerity of conviction that 

 commanded the highest respect, after 

 long and thorough study of the ques- 

 tion, Prof. Gray did not hesitate to 

 give the weight of his authority to that 



view of the 



origin 



and diversities of 



