REPORT OF OFFICERS AXD COMMITTEES 15 



Upon receiving this statement of the plan, the Secretary 

 immediately submitted it by correspondence to the differ- 

 ent members of the Council and all voted in favor of its 

 adoption. A brief and simple amendment to the constitu- 

 tion of the Academy covering the essential changes in- 

 volved in the plan is to be voted on at this meeting. 



On March 4th, the appropriation committees of the two 

 houses of the legislature, held a hearing on the request of 

 the Academy for an appropriation of S2.000.00 for the bien- 

 nium. Dr. Crook. Dr. Hessler, Professor Hankinson. and 

 I were present. TVe were given a very courteous hearing, 

 and feel that we have every reason to expect that the ap- 

 propriation will be made. Thus, this affiliation with a 

 branch of the State government, seems to be an altogether 

 proper and a happy union. 



We have now presented to us, an opportunity for an- 

 other equally desirable affiliation. We are invited to be- 

 come affiliated with the American Association for the 

 Advancement of Science. 



The revised constitution of the American Association, 

 presented at the Baltimore meeting for adoption at the St. 

 Louis meeting next December, contains an article provid- 

 ing for the affiliation of such local Academies as ours. The 

 American Association has appointed a committee of three 

 to consider and recommend a detailed plan for such 

 affiliations. The members of this committee are: Dr. 

 Catell. Dr. Coulter and Dr. Ward, the latter two, members 

 of our Academy. This committee has had appointed, in 

 each of the several states in the central west, which sup- 

 port state academies, and in Missouri where there is the 

 city academy of St. Louis, a committee of five, to cooperate 

 with the committee of the American Association in work- 

 ing out the details of such affiliations. This committee for 

 Illinois consists of Messrs. Coulter, Ward, Crew, Hessler, 

 and Pricer. One meeting of our state committee has been 

 held with but two members — Coulter and Pricer — present, 

 but with some letters from others. 



The Committee of the American Association has pretty 

 definitely agreed on the essentials of the plan which they 

 shall recommend for the affiliation of state academies, and 

 I may state these with the understanding that they are as 

 yet tentative, but nevertheless quite certain to prevail. 



