130 Tue Microscope. 
They were mostly men of large “ practice” and as a conse- 
quence did not have time to meet and work. Then there were 
jealousies among the individual members which would crop out 
when they did meet; so the meetings grew gradually smaller 
and smaller, until one rainy night some ten years ago, the hall 
was lit up and only one man—the secretary, faithful to the last, 
put in an appearance. After waiting awhile he adjourned him- 
self sine die. 
When I commenced agitating the matter and urging the 
necessity of a society here, I met with several members and 
officers of the old society. They urged the reorganization of 
the old body, pointing out the fact that its charter was still 
valid, its roll of membership embraced quite a number of prom- 
inent men, and that there was a fund in the hands of the treas- 
urer which could be utilized. These reasons were good ones, 
but against them stood the fact that these men had allowed one 
society to die of inanition, and were hardly very promising ma- 
terial out of which to build up a body of workers, who would 
make themselves felt in the science of microscopy. However, 
the attempt was made and failed. A half dozen or so of the 
old members met—among them the last president and sec- 
retary, and after passing a resolution directing the secretary to 
call a meeting of the society forthwith, they adjourned. Sey- 
eral days passed and no action looking like revivification was 
taken, and then we went to work in another way. I got to- 
gether a half dozen or so of my students, chased in several 
workers whom I knew, got the daily papers to give us a notice 
and the result was the organization on the 1st instant, of the 
St. Louis Society of Microscopists, with fifteen charter members 
present and a half dozen names to be added—the parties not 
being able to be present on so short a call. The following offi- 
cers were elected to serve during the ensuing year: 
President, F. L. James, M. D. 
Vice Presdent, W. B. Hill, M. D. 
Secretary, R. Ohman-Dumesnil, M. D. 
Treasurer, Thomas F. Rumbold, M. D. 
The society is modeled after the American Society of Micro- 
scopists and the membership will be confined to no profession, 
school, sect, clique or sex. All workers with the microscope of 
respectable social standing are welcome to our ranks, and I 
think we are destined to have a large and influential mem- 
bership. 
