FIGHTING THE INSECTS 



on Policy of the American Association for the Advancement of 

 Science. This committee had a rather interesting beginning. Be- 

 fore I was made permanent secretary, my predecessor, F. W. 

 Putnam, conducted affairs in his own way, and there was a feel- 

 ing that this was not quite right. So, gradually and very tact- 

 fully, Professor J. McK. Cattell and the late Professor R. S. 

 Woodward of Columbia, as well as Professor Charles Sedgwick 

 Minot of Harvard, formed themselves into an advisory commit- 

 tee and met frequently with me, thus constituting the beginning 

 of the Committee on Policy, which lasted for many years, and 

 of late has become known as the Executive Committee. Other 

 members were added from time to time, but it was all done 

 very tactfully — so tactfully indeed that I really supposed that 

 I had something to do with it. As a matter of fact, I believe 

 that I really did suggest the names of W. J. Humphreys and 

 H. B. Ward, who served on the committee for many years; and 

 I readily welcomed H. S. Fairchild and D. T. Macdougal, who, 

 I think, were suggested by Professor Cattell. 



And now to go back for a moment to the Toronto meeting. 

 I was treated royally, and was given the honorary degree of 

 Doctor of Science by Toronto University. During my stay, I 

 was the guest of Sir Reginald Falconer, the President of the 

 University, and gave an address that was well received by the 

 association. It was in this address, by the way, that I first pointed 

 out in a somewhat strenuous way what I conceived to be the 

 great insect menace, upon the subject of which I have recently 

 written a book. 



One of the interesting incidents of this Toronto meeting was 

 the presence of Professor William Bateson of Cambridge Uni- 

 versity, who gave an evening lecture on some of the aspects of 

 evolution. In this he incidentally spoke of the broadening of the 

 concept of evolution and hinted at some of the weak points in 



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