104 THE MICROSCOPE. [April, 



through friendly competition, a better state of affairs, and finally 

 a discontinuance of wasteful competition. 



It is greatly to his credit that he was willing to let The Aliwo- 

 scope drop from the place it never ought to have tried to take, 

 and to permit the writer to make such reorganization as in his 

 judgment the circumstances demand. 



71ie Journal^ being the elder, has the right, outside of all per- 

 sonal considerations, to become the foremost microscopical peri- 

 odical of America, and such we trust is its destiny. But the pat- 

 ronage is so small that a subscription price of two dollars is nec- 

 essary, and all microscopists should frown down every attempt of 

 ambitious persons to enter the field of competition until after there 

 is room for a new periodical. Besides the few hundred Ameri- 

 cans who want a high-grade microscopical periodical, there are 

 about as many more who have no use for a strictly scientific 

 journal, but who want strictly elementary matter. The advanced 

 workers are not willing that their journal shall be made a vehicle 

 for elementary matter, and the amateurs will not pay two or more 

 dollars for a magazine combining everything. Hence consolida- 

 tion seems impracticable. Were it attempted, a new dollar peri- 

 odical would shortly spring up, first appealing to amateurs, but 

 graduall}' working its way towards competition with the older 

 journal. The histor}^ of the past twelve years would be repeated. 



The Microscope will therefore take the elementary field as a 

 dollar magazine, and be used as educative and preparatory to 

 The Jo2irnal. It will presume its readers to be iDut little ac- 

 quainted with the subject, and writers who can satisfy such people 

 will be engaged. A large query department will be maintained, 

 and the simplest questions as well as the abstruse will be an- 

 swered. This department has already been tendered to a well- 

 known writer. Dr. S. G. Shanks, of Albany, N. Y. We shall 

 seek to supply every want of the beginner in microscopy, and try 

 to induce many people to begin this fascinating occupation. 



Perhaps some people have paid for The Microscope of 1892 

 in the desire to have more technical articles than will hereafter 

 be found in it. If such persons desire to return the numbers 

 which they have received and get their money back they can do 

 so, or they can have the address dianged to some other person 

 to whom they wish to present the periodical, in which case we 

 will notify the recipient to whom he is indebted for the present. 

 W^e regret that this change of policy could not have taken place 

 at the beginning of a volume, but this was unavoidable. Dr. 

 Stokes had hoped, until within a few weeks, to go through the 

 year. Overwork, however, has compelled him to seek relief and 

 recuperation in a trip 3,000 miles from home. On his return we 

 hope and trust that he will be heard from often by those who 

 have enjoyed his lal^ors in the past. 



