important and instructive portion of nineteenth-century history will be that of its 

 scientific achievements, which, as Mr. Alfred Russel Wallace, the co-discoverer 

 with Darwin of the great principle of natural selection, has pointed out in his 

 "Wonderful Century," far exceed in number as well as in importance those 

 of all the centuries that have preceded it. 



A CENTURY OF SCIENCE. 



No more appropriate and useful way of signalizing the completion of this 

 century could be adopted than that of publishing during its closing year a history 

 of its scientific work. In order to do this in the best manner, we have arranged 

 for a series of articles on what has been accomplished in their several depart- 

 ments from leading authorities in their respective subjects — such as Sir Robert 

 S. Ball in Astronomy; President Arthur T. Hadley in Economics; Prof. Joseph 

 Le Conte in Geology ; Prof. W. M. Flinders Petrie in Archaeology ; M. W. Haff- 

 kine in Preventive Inoculation ; Prof. W. M. Davis in Meteorology ; Prof. F. W. 

 Clarke in Chemistry ; and others of like standing in their specialties. 



NEW DISCOVERIES AND INVENTIONS. 



The Monthly will continue to give accounts of the course of discovery and of 

 new developments in pure science; and careful writers familiar with their subjects 

 will be engaged to describe whatever occurs in this field as soon as it has assumed 

 definite form. Recognizing that the highest service that can be rendered by 

 knowledge is in its use for the improvement of man's condition, special attention 

 will be given to the adaptations of discovery to practical ends in the arts and 

 industries, in the betterment of social life, and in the development of a wiser 

 statesmanship for the administration of civil affairs. 



THE PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS OF SCIENCE. 



These are the tests by which science, and indeed any other like system, must 

 be judged ; and not only because the study of these applications is of value in lead- 

 ing to a general appreciation of the beautiful correlation between pure science and 

 practical life, but more, perhaps, on account of the actual value of the information, 

 we have always heretofore, and shall still more in the future, devote a certain 

 portion of our space to their discussion. Among the earlier papers to appear will 

 be a series of illustrated articles by William Baxter, Jr., C. E., explaining the theory 

 of the trolley car and the mechanism on which its propulsion and control depend. 

 In another department, to which much attention is now being given, Prof. C. E. 

 Munroe, Dean of the Columbian Uriiversitv at Washington, whose long-continued 



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