214 THE AMERICAN MONTHLY [July, 



During the past five months we have been making a few ex- 

 posures of the methods employed in the past to run the society 

 and some of our correspondents have offered us more mat rial 

 of the same sort. None of those who have been concerned in 

 these doings have come forward to use our columns for the 

 purpose of explaining why they sold the presidency for prize 

 money, or why they tried to get an undelivered address palmed 

 off on the membership, or why they made the past three meet- 

 ings such farces. Evidently wisdom is better than valor in this 

 case and silence the only policy. 



So discrete has the secretary become, that we think him a 

 suitable candidate for election to the presidency at the coming 

 meeting and we renew the suggestion made two years ago that 

 he be given that honor. Had our suggestion been heeded in 

 1893 to transfer him from the Secretaryship which he has never 

 had the time to properly attend to, and grant him the honor 

 earned by the work he had already done, the disgrace and ig- 

 nominious failures of the past two years might have been 

 averted. To properly perform the dudes of Secretary when 

 they include editing and publishing " Proceedings " and pre- 

 paring and carrying out the general policy of the society re- 

 quires an average of four or five hours work daily throughout 

 the year. 



Professor Seaman has been engaged during tVese years as an 

 examiner in the Patent Office where he is expected to earn his 

 nice government salary. He is professor of chemistry in the 

 Howard University where he has been called upon to earn a 

 second salary and spend lots of time. Even if he neglects some 

 of his duties, and we do not imagine that to be the case, he is 

 yet put under a severe strain. 



But, during the past three years he has had other ambitions. 

 He has been curator of the local Microscopical Society to the 

 duties of which he ought to have devoted many hours and per- 

 haps has. He has been president of the Washington Chemical 

 Society and had to prepare and present an address which 

 should be a creditable affair. As president it has been his duty 

 to preside over its general welfare, devoting time and thought 

 to it. Being a religious man he has devoted time to church 

 duties. Being a family man he takes care of a family. Being 



