140 Mathews Plan for American Biological Society lOct. 



years from now the task will be more difficult. Those societies 

 which publish Journals, do so to provide for their own technical 

 papers, that is, to have a place where the work of their colleagues 

 will be segregated from other papers of less professional interest. 

 Most scientists with whom I am acquainted, subscribe personally 

 for two or three of the Journals dealing most closely with their own 

 work, and depend upon the library of their institution for others of 

 general rather than specific interest. The history of the specialized 

 societies shows that there is a constant tendency to break up the 

 older bodies into smaller, more highly specialized groups, if not to 

 form new societies. Where specialized organizations have merged 

 their identity with large societies, there have usually been formed 

 subsequently new special societies to take the place of those which 

 entered the amalgamation. 



I am heartily in sympathy with Professor Mathews' project to 

 unite the biological interests of the country and to make them more 

 effective in the general development of education, and diffusion of 

 biological knowledge ; and I am in f avor of a scheme of Cooperation 

 or affiliation among societies having allied interests. I would like 

 to see the group of biological societies meet annually at the same 

 time and in the same place, to issue a Joint program and, wherever 

 possible, to hold one or more Joint sessions in which two or more 

 societies might profitably unite, but the ränge of interest is so great 

 that I do not think they could ever be united into one solid Organi- 

 zation. 



Edward L. Rice, Ohio Wesleyan Univ. There is much which 

 attracts in Prof. Mathews' plan for an Amer. Biolog. Soc'y, with 

 its arrangement for increased distribution and support of our scien- 

 tific Journals. But I am tempted to raise a few questions as to its 

 practicability. 



1. If it means "one more" society, is it worth while? Or will 

 enough of our present societies disband to make a place for it? 

 At present we never know which society to attend at any particular 

 time. 



2. Isn't Prof. Mathews too optimistic as to the support of the 

 society by the biologists of the country? We are many of us pretty 

 badly strapped financially, and unable to accept many offers which 

 we recognize to be good bargains. 



