288 PROCEEDINGS OF THE OHIO ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. 



organization of a Society for the Prevention of the Organization 

 of Other Societies. 



Perhaps the most deplorable consequence of this minute 

 subdivision in the ranks of scientific men is that, because of 

 habitual isolation from all not familiar with its technical vo- 

 cabulary little or no effort is made by one group to translate the 

 results of original research into a language intelligible to any or 

 all of the others. In spite of the sensational vaporizing about 

 scientific men and scientific discoveries that abounds in the Sun- 

 day newspapers and fills the pages of popular magazines, it is 

 absolutely true that at the present day there are almost no 

 attempts to popularize science, that is by men who know what 

 they are talking about. A great journal which for half a century 

 was devoted to the exposition of the results of scientific investi- 

 gation in the vernacular common to educated men has recently 

 been compelled to suspend further publication for lack of sup- 

 port. It seems to be a case in which both producer and con- 

 sumer have disappeared. 



The Ohio Academy of Science is organized in such a way 

 as to afford, it is hoped, an effective check upon this unfortunate 

 tendency. In its sectional meetings opportunity is offered for 

 the discussion of results of research of the most specialized char- 

 acter, while in its general sessions the more im]")ortant of such 

 results, when finally accepted, may be presented in a manner in- 

 telligible and interesting to all. As an illustration of the latter 

 possibility I may be allowed to refer to the great pleasure and 

 profit with which, as one whose intellectual horizon has always 

 been regretfully restricted, I listened at the last meeting of the 

 academy to a most able, interesting and instructive summary of 

 work done in the suppression of the foot and mouth disease. 



I think it fortunate that the academy is never likely to be 

 very great in numbers. Let us hope that there will always be 

 at least one institution whose excellence is not to be measured 

 by a numerical standard. 



The American Association for the Advancement of Science 

 with its ten thousand members, its twelve sections and its twenty- 

 three affiliated societies, all meeting at one time and ]jlace, is an 



