342 Professor Arthur Schuster [May 18, 



WEEKLY EVENING MEETING, 



Friday, May 18, 1906. 



The Right Hon. Sir James Stirling, P.C. M.A. LL.D. F.R.S., 



Vice-President, in the Chair. 



Professor Arthur Schuster, Langworthy Professor of Physics 

 in the University of Manchester. 



International Science. 



The pursuit of science has always joined in sympathy men of different 

 nationaUties, and even before the days of rapid letter post and quick 

 travelling, intercourse, especially by correspondence, exercised a con- 

 siderable influence on scientific activity. Such intercourse was, how- 

 ever, of a personal and purely stimulating character, and only quite 

 exceptionally was there any direct attempt to organise investigations 

 which required a combination of workers in different localities. 

 Within the last century, however, many problems became urgent 

 which could not be solved without some international agreement, and 

 special organisations came into life which have rendered a service the 

 importance of which cannot be exaggerated. 



At present we are confronted with a new difficulty. International 

 combination has become so necessary, and organisations have in con- 

 sequence increased to such an extent, that they begin to overlap, and 

 there has been some danger of mutual interference. Fear has also 

 been expressed that any attempt to advance knowledge by an organ- 

 ised combination of workers might discourage private efforts, and 

 therefore do mischief rather than good. It must be acknowledged 

 that this danger exists. The proper function of combination must be 

 clearly separated from that of ])rivate enterprise, and some general 

 regulating control is therefore called for. The time seems ripe for a 

 general review of the situation. 



We may distinguish between three types of international organisa- 

 tions. The first aims simply at collecting information, the second is 

 intended to fix fundamental units or to initiate agreements on matters 

 in wliich uniformity is desirable, while in the third type of organisa- 

 tion a more direct advance of knowledge is aimed at, and research is 

 carried out according to a combined scheme. Generally an interna- 

 tional association does not entirely fall within any single one of these 

 divisions, but it is useful to draw the distinction and classify the asso- 

 ciations according to the main object which they are intended to serve. 



The best exam})le of an organisation formed for the purpose of 

 collecting information is furnished by the great undertaking initiated 

 by our Royal Society and having for its object the systematic cata- 



