proceedings: chemical society 129 



being the next to arrive, the Fihpinos next, perhaps about 500 A.D. and 

 the Moros last, about the time of the Spanish occupation. At some 

 length he described the Filipino characteristics, distinguishing between 

 the small educated minority and the majority of ignorant laborers. 

 The most remarkable thing we are doing there, he said, is the attempt, 

 for the first time in history, to educate an inferior people en masse. 

 The Asiatic European colonies have little faith in its success. 



Dr. Riley B. Moore read a paper on Observations in St. Lawrence 

 Island. This island in the Bering Sea includes one hundred by thirty 

 miles of treeless swamp and tundra inhabited by some two hundred 

 and fifty people, the debris of five different tribes. Some of these 

 resemble Sioux Indians; others are typical Mongolians, with all inter- 

 vening kinds. In summer they have a profusion of birds and fish to 

 feed on; but in other seasons their food is whale-meat, seal-meat and 

 walrus-meat. They live with little ventilation and suffer from many skin 

 diseases. Tuberculosis also is very common. The death rate has long 

 exceeded the birth rate. 



Wm. H. Babcock, Secretary. 



THE CHEMICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



The 217th regular meeting was held on October 10, 1912, at the 

 Cosmos Club. The general subject for the evening comprised reports 

 on the meetings of the Eighth International Congress of Applied Chem- 

 istry. President Le Clerc reported on the international meetings, 

 addressed by Bertrand, Duisberg, Eyde, Perkin, and Ciamician. Ex- 

 periments were shown by the speaker illustrating Perkin's success in 

 fire-proofing cotton fabrics. 



F. K. Cameron reported on agriculture and silicate industries. The 

 most important papers of the Congress, in his opinion, were concerned 

 with the fixation of nitrogen. F. W. Clarke reported on atomic 

 weights and sketched the history of the International Commission. W. 

 D. BiGELOw summarized the papers on bromatology and hygiene, pay- 

 ing especial attention to those on analytical methods, metabolism, and 

 preparation of foods. H. E. Patten reviewed the electrochemical papers 

 in all the sections. The papers on dust collection, sulfuric acid, and 

 new alloys of tungsten and the iron group were given especial attention 

 by A. L. Day in reviewing the sections on inorganic and physical chem- 

 istry. Finally, C. E. Munroe spoke yqvj interestingly of new develop- 

 ments in explosives brought out in the section on that subject. 



A special meeting was held on October 24, 1912, at the Cosmos Club. 

 The f ollomng papers were read : 



Moisture determination by means of calcium carbide: H. C. McNeil. 

 The apparatus used was briefly described and examples of determina- 

 tions in a wide variety of substances were given. The method gives 

 results concordant within 0.2 per cent on quantities of the order of 

 15 per cent. Discussion by Tolman. 



