8G JOURNAL OF THE WASHINGTON ACADEMY OF SCIENCES VOL. 11, NO. 4 



in the attitude of the pubHc and the newspapers. Serious efforts 

 are now being made to increase distribution by way of the news- 

 paper channel. One striking example is the geographical news 

 service of the National Geographic Society of this city, which now 

 reaches about 12 million people through its news bulletins. The 

 American Chemical Society maintains a press service, with a salaried 

 director, for the dissemination of accurate chemical information. 

 Another experiment, about to be initiated, is being supported finan- 

 cially by Mr. W. E. Sgripps. It consists of a 'Science Service" 

 for the newspapers, under the control of a board having a majority 

 of scientific men who are nominated by the National Academy of 

 Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, 

 the National Research Council, and certain other organizations. 

 Mr. E. E. Slosson, associate editor of The Independent and author 

 of one of the best of the popular books on chemistry, has been appointed 

 editor of the Service and will make his headquarters in Washington. 



Another experiment, of considerable local interest, was initiated 

 last Monday, January 10, by the Washingtojt Herald, in placing a 

 special column at the disposal of Mr. Watson Davis, a member of 

 the staff of the Bureau of Standards who has had newspaper ex- 

 perience. The column contains announcements and brief reviews 

 of the papers presented before the Washington Academy anci the 

 scientific and technical societies allied with it. It is a task requiring 

 enthusiasm, persistence and conscientiousness, and I trust that the 

 undertaking v/ill meet with deserved success. 



To summarize : The daily and weekly newspaper could become 

 numerically the most efficient existing medium for reaching all the 

 population, but has been very little used for the distribution of in- 

 formation in this country. The producers are too small a class to 

 receive consideration, except in special localities such as Washington, 

 while the general public has not been educated to demand the prod- 

 uct through this channel. 



Distribution by the cinematograph. — A decade ago we should have 

 mentioned the moving picture as a useful adjunct to the public lec- 

 ture. Today "film" is said to be the fifth or fourth industry of the 

 country. The producers of film estimate that one person in every 

 ten in the United States goes into a moving-picture house daily }'^ 

 It is probably second only to the printed page in its effectiveness as 

 a means for the distribution of information, and there is some ques- 

 tion as to whether it should not be placed first. 



" E. P. OberholTzer. World's Work 41: 249-263. January, 1921. 



