PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY AND AFFILIATED 



SOCIETIES 



WASHINGTON ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 



138TH MEETING 



The i3Stii meeting of the Academy, the 2 2d annual meeting, was 

 held at the Carnegie Institution of Washington on Tuesday, January 13, 

 1920. The meeting was called to order by Vice-President W. J. Hum- 

 phreys. The retiring President, F. L. Ransome, then delivered his 

 presidential address, entitled: Functions and ideals of a national 

 geological survey. This address has been published in the Journal, 10: 85. 



Following the address a business meeting was held. The Corre- 

 sponding vSecretary, Robert B. Sosman, reported that 37 persons had 

 qualified for membership in 191 9 and one former member had been 

 reinstated. 4 resignations had been accepted, 3 of which were of non- 

 resident members. The membership of the Academy had increased 

 during the year by 25, and consisted at the end of the year of 6 honorary 

 members, 3 patrons, and 532 members, one of whom was a life member. 

 The total membership was 541, of whom 331 resided in or near the Dis- 

 trict of Columbia. 



The members who died during the year were: Joseph Barrell, 

 George Ferdinand Becker, James Milton Flint, Mrs. Phoebe 

 Apperson Hearst (patron), Abraham Jacobi, Ernest C. McKelvy, 

 Edward Charles Pickering, Louis Valentine Pirsson, Gaillard 

 Sherburne Rogers. 



The Corresponding vSecretary also reported on the activities of the 

 Academy for the year 1919, and pointed out that the best quantitative 

 index to the activity of such an organization was to be found in the num- 

 ber of members per hundred per year who resign or permit their names 

 to be dropped for non-payment of dues. This index, which reached a 

 maximum in 191 7 on account of war conditions, fell in 191 9 to the lowest 

 value in many years. 



The report of the Recording Secretary, William R. Maxon, was 

 read by G. F. Loughlin. The report summarized the 8 lectures that 

 were delivered during 191 9. 



The report of the Treasurer, R. L. Faris, showed total receipts of 

 $4,929.75 and total disbursements of $3,861.12. The cash balance on 

 hand at the end of the j^ear was $1,480.02. The net increase in assets 

 for the year was estimated at about $1,060.00. The investments of the 

 Academy have a total par value of $15,090.00. The cost of printing 

 the Journal in 1919 was about $2,550.00. 



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