The Period from 1X71 to t88o 23 



No, gentlemen; I firmly believe that there is less connection between science and 

 religion than there is between jurisprudence and astronomy, and the sooner this is 

 understood the better it will be for both. 



Joseph Lovering (physics), president of the Association at the meeting 

 held in Portland, Maine, in [873, and permanent secretary of the Associa- 

 tion from [854 to 1X72, inclusive, delivered his address as retiring president 

 at the meeting held at Hartford, Conn., in August, 1X74. 



After preliminary remarks, Lovering announced the subject of his ad- 

 dress as follows ( vol. 23, pp. [-36) : 



The point of view which I have chosen for reviewing the close and advancing 

 columns of the physical sciences is this: — Are there any improvements in the weapons 

 of attack, or have any additions been made to them? These are of two kinds: — i. In- 

 struments for experiment, and 2. The logic of mathematics. These are the lighter and 

 the heavier artillery in this peaceful service. 



This statement, however, gives only a hint of Covering's sweeping sur- 

 vey of physical science from the days of ( lalileo until the year of his address. 

 Jt did not consist of general comments, hut was a comprehensive record of 

 the progress of experiments and the evolution of the physical theories to 

 which they were related. It would be difficult to find a better brief sum- 

 mary of physical science of the period, and it is especially interesting be- 

 cause it was written when many of the subjects discussed were still novel 

 or controversial. Lovering gave excellent surveys of such subjects as, (1) 

 the various measurements of the velocity of light and their bearing on the 

 nature of light, (2) the work of Ohm in electricity, (3) the determination 

 of the astronomical unit, (4) the work of Angstrom, Balfour" Stewart and 

 Kirchhoff on the principles of spectrum analysis, (5) the constitution of 

 nebulae, (6) the origin of the planets, (7) the Doppler effect in sound and 

 light, ( 8) the problem of ether, ( 9) the velocity of gravitation, ( to) the work 

 of Faraday, Maxwell and others on the experimental and theoretical prin- 

 ciples of electricity and magnetism, ( 1 1 ) the nature of gravitation, (12) the 

 conservation of energy, ( 13) the nature of heat and the kinetic theory of 

 gases, (14) Helmholtz's work on vortices. 



John L. Le Conte (entomology), president of the Association at the meet- 

 ing held in Hartford, Conn., in August, 1X74, delivered his address as re- 

 tiring president at the meeting held in Detroit, Michigan, in August, 1875. 

 He undertook to show that "by proper methods we can discover in our flora 

 and fauna the remnants of former geologic times, which remain unchanged 

 and have escaped those influences of variation which are supposed to ac- 

 count for the differences in the organic beings of different periods." He 

 illustrated his views by references to a species of Tiger-beetle and other 



