78 The Microscope. 



strong local societies, where all the latest results of the opti- 

 cian's art and the manipulator's skill are soon set forth, a large 

 number, remote from great cities, and from wealthy institu- 

 tions, can only read of such discoveries. When they meet each 

 other once a year in the sessions of the A. S. M., they wish, 

 therefore, not only to hear papers read and discussed, but to see 

 the preparations described, to examine the slides on which the 

 published statements are based and to study the details of ob- 

 jects and methods they have read of, but never have seen, and 

 so to test their own work by that of others. 



But it will be said — and has been said — the Soiree affords 

 opportunity for such work as this, or it can be left to private 

 seances in the intervals of the regular sessions. This is a great 

 mistake. The soiree is chiefly to entain the general public, and 

 has grown to such vast proportions that there is left in it no 

 charm for quiet, careful examination of any special object. The 

 members must each stand guard over their own instrument as 

 a matter of safety for its proper handling, as well as of courtesy 

 to explain the objects shown, so that they have little or no 

 chance themselves of seeing each others exhibits. The special 

 working session for exhibition of methods, and the short sessions 

 for examination of objects referred to in papers, first introduced 

 at the Chicago meeting, are, it seems to me, but a most natural 

 " evolution " of the Soiree of earlier meetings. That became 

 specialized into the Soiree proper, the Working Session, and 

 those special hours for examination. To lump these all together 

 once more, as has been proposed, would be a step in retrogra- 

 dation, and one which I have little fear the society will ever take. 

 Its tendency would be rather to more complete specialization — 

 the introduction of new features without the sacrifice of old 

 ones. There should be full time for the reading and discussion 

 of papers of general interest — though many should be read only 

 by title, and others in brief abstract only, as has often been 

 done in the past — but at least one-half hour each day should be 

 set apart for the study of preparations referred to in papers, and 

 one-half day should be given for the presentation of methods of 

 work. Visible, tangible demonstration of everything discussed 

 ought to become more and more the rule, and the use of pro- 

 jection lanterns and ordinary and class microscopes to illustrate 



