700 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



is nevertheless a fitting opportunity to 

 initiate something permanent, that shall 

 mark the stage at which we have arrived 

 in the growth of what may be called 

 the international scientific conscious- 

 ness of the world. Something, indeed, 

 has already been accomplished in this 

 important direction. That large divis- 

 ion of the students of Nature, the medi- 

 cal profession, has entered into exten- 

 sive co-operation on an international 

 scale for the advancement of its inter- 

 ests. The International Medical Con- 

 gress meets once in three years, each 

 time in a new country, and all who 

 have participated in its proceedings 

 testify to the reality, the extent, and 

 the value of the results attained. There 

 is no reason why similar advantages 

 may not be derived from an interna- 

 tional association of scientists devoted 

 to the promotion of the general objects 

 which they have in view. We are glad 

 to observe, as remarked above in refer- 

 ring to the American Association, that 

 steps are being taken to organize such 

 a body on an international basis. It 

 will be but a further and natural devel- 

 opment of the policy of the British and 

 American Associations within their re- 

 spective countries. There is a large 

 field of labor that would especially be- 

 long to such a body, for hitherto science 

 has been to no small degree hampered 

 and impeded by the disagreements and 

 conflicts that have arisen out of its lim- 

 ited and national pursuit. An interna- 

 tional congress of scientists would be the 

 proper body to promote the adoption 

 of common standards of time, of meas- 

 urements of all kinds, of biological and 

 geological nomenclatures, of common 

 systems of recording observations and 

 statistics, and the policy of scientific un- 

 dertakings which require international 

 co-operation, and it would have many 

 things to do which there is no associa- 

 tion at present entitled to undertake. 

 The same important advantages of in- 

 creased personal intercourse among the 

 cultivators of science, to which the ex- 



isting associations have been tributary 

 in their respective countries, would then 

 be secured on a still wider scale. Noth- 

 ing is more important than the bring- 

 ing of scientific men, who are separated 

 by distance and rarely see each other, 

 into personal contact and acquaintance, 

 to gain that intimate understanding of 

 each other which can only come from 

 personal discussion ; and this is the more 

 necessary where men are habitually 

 separated by the differences of nation- 

 ality. There are many reasons why 

 such an organization should be estab- 

 lished; the time has come for it, and 

 the present is an especially favorable 

 time for carrying it out. The large at- 

 tendance of foreign scientists at Mont- 

 real is to be followed by the meeting 

 of the American Association in Phila- 

 delphia, and many of the foreign savants 

 will be present at that meeting. The 

 circumstances are auspicious for taking 

 this new step which, if taken, will un- 

 doubtedly be productive of lasting and 

 world-wide advantage in this great field 

 of labor. 



But we must not lose sight of the 

 loftier lesson that is so happily illus- 

 trated in the coming of this most pow- 

 erful of scientific organizations to the 

 New "World, and which is well calcu- 

 lated to incite to further action in this 

 important direction. What concerns 

 us most is the exemplification it aflTords 

 of the gathering strength of the great 

 scientific movement in this age. The 

 visit is made in obedience to that de- 

 velopment of scientific influence by 

 which it has now become the great 

 leading force of civilization itself. We 

 hear much of the adtancement of sci- 

 ence, as if it were but a movement in 

 one direction ; but we must not forget 

 that with progress there has also been 

 a vast widening of the scope of scien- 

 tific influence and activity. The move- 

 ment is one of enlargement of ideas, 

 and it is only when we regard the dif- 

 ferent sciences as fusing into tlie most 

 vital inter- connections, and reorganiz- 



