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POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



younger men of promise, who are ex- 

 pected not only to attain scientific emi- 

 nence, but also to possess executive abil- 

 ity and to exert personal influence. The 

 National Academy needs a membership 

 of this character, and has fortunately 

 to some extent obtained it within recent 

 years. Thus the members elected at the 

 present meeting are Prof. James E. 

 Keeler, director of the Lick Observa- 

 tory; Prof. Franz Boas, of Columbia 

 University and the American Museum 

 Natural History ; Prof. Henry F. Osborn, 

 also of Columbia University and the 

 American Museum, and Prof. Samuel 

 L. Penfield, of Yale University. 



There is perhaps no objection to re- 

 garding the National Academy of 

 Sciences as a quasi hereditary upper 

 house, whose functions are largely con- 

 servative, while the active duties on 

 behalf of science devolve on a more 

 democratic body— The American Asso- 

 ciation for the Advancement of Science. 

 This association meets at Columbia Uni- 

 versity, New York City, during the last 

 week of the present month, and with it 

 some fifteen special societies devoted to 

 different sciences. The association cele- 

 brated its fiftieth anniversary in Bos- 

 ton two years ago, when about half of 

 its nearly two thousand members were 

 present, and there is every reason to 

 hope that the New York meeting will 

 be as largely attended. The members 

 will be welcomed by Governor Roose- 

 velt and President Low, and after listen- 

 ing to addresses by the vice-presidents, 

 will divide into nine sections, before 

 which special papers will be presented. 

 The address of the retiring president, 

 Mr. G. K. Gilbert, of the United States 

 Geological Survey, will be given at the 

 American Museum of Natural History 

 on Tuesday evening, while the president, 

 Prof. P. S. Woodward, of Columbia Uni- 

 versity, will preside at the general ses- 

 sions. The American Association has 

 during its long history performed a use- 

 ful service in bringing men of science 

 together and in attracting the attention 

 of the general public to scientific work, 



but in some respects it has been less in- 

 fluential than its sister associations in 

 Great Britain, Germany and France. This 

 has been in some measure due to the 

 large area of the country and the heat of 

 the summer, making it difficult for men 

 of science to come together, but it prob- 

 ably represents chiefly a certain lack of 

 organization of science in America. 

 With the growth of university centers 

 and of scientific work under the Govern- 

 ment, the number of men of science has 

 greatly increased, while with the estab- 

 lishment of special societies and journals 

 their means of intercommunication have 

 improved. There is every reason for the 

 support of an association which can rep- 

 resent the whole body of scientific men 

 and forward the scientific movements 

 that are of such importance to the coun- 

 try. The membership of the association 

 is of two classes, fellows and members. 

 The former are selected from those who 

 are actively engaged in advancing 

 science, while all those who are inter- 

 ested in science are eligible for member- 

 ship. Those who would like to have 

 their names proposed for membership 

 may address the local secretary of the 

 New York meeting, Prof. J. McKeen 

 Cattell, Columbia University, or the per- 

 manent secretary, Dr. L. O. Howard, 

 Department of Agriculture, Washing- 

 ton. D. C. 



A very ambitious project is on the 

 stocks for the foundation of an 'Inter- 

 national Association for the Advance- 

 ment of Science, Arts and Education.' 

 It will be remembered that there was 

 last year an interchange of visits be- 

 tween the British Association meeting at 

 Dover and the French Association meet- 

 ing at Boulogne. Arrangements were 

 then made resulting in the appointment 

 of general committees for Great Britain 

 and France, and it was decided to hold 

 an international assembly at Paris dur- 

 ing the Exposition. Prof. Patrick Ged- 

 des, secretary of the British Group, has 

 since visited the United States, and a 

 general committee has been formed with 

 Dr. W. T. Harris. United States Oom- 



