44 



ASSOCIATIONS FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. 



The proceedings of the biological section 

 were, perhaps, as a whole, of less interest than 

 usual. Charles V. Riley, the vice-president of 

 the section, in his address, spoke on the causes 

 of variation in organic forms, giving some of 

 the most advanced points yet touched on by 

 the evolutionary philosophy. A number of 

 papers were strictly monographs of primari- 

 ly technical interest. Edward P. llowlaml 

 touched the more practical aspect of the sub- 

 ject in his paper on anaesthesia. He described 

 remarkable results in prolonged insensibility 

 produced by a mixture of nitrous oxide and 

 oxygen administered in compression chambers. 

 There seemed to be hardly any limit, compara- 

 tively, to the time a patient could be kept 

 safely in the anaesthetic condition by the sys- 

 tem he described. 



The section of anthropology was crowded 

 with interesting matter. This section is a strong 

 feature of the meetings, and is said to have 

 shown a distinct advance this year. Daniel G-. 

 Brinton, in his paper entitled "On the Alleged 

 Mongolian Affinities of the American Race," 

 strongly argued against the tenet held by so 

 many that the Chinese and the American abo- 

 rigines are of common stock. He stated that 

 in true racial characteristics they widely dif- 

 fer, and that the obliquity of the eyes is rather 

 an accidental than a family feature. Horatio 

 Hale read two papers one upon "The Ar- 

 yan Race, its Origin and Character," devoted 

 to proving the Asiatic origin of the Aryan 

 family ; the other, " An International Lan- 

 guage." The second attracted much attention. 

 He strongly upheld the importance of discuss- 

 ing the requisites of sue!) a language, and de- 

 voted much time to showing the insufficiency 

 of Volapuk. As a sequence to this paper, a 

 resolution was passed by the council, authoriz- 

 ing the appointment of a committee to attend 

 any congress meeting for the consideration of 

 an international language. The committee con- 

 sisted of Messrs. Hale, Henshaw, and McFar- 

 land. Other features of this section's work 

 were Frederick W. Putnam's illustrated paper 

 on the "Serpent Mound," and the work done 

 there during the last year in connection with 

 its preservation and the explorations about it; 

 Otis T. Mason's lecture on u Woman's Share 

 in Primitive Industry," which was also illus- 

 trated by lantern projections; and Garrick 

 Mallery's report on " Algonkin Pictographs." 

 Charles C. Abbott's address was a summary of 

 the evidence of the antiquity of man in eastern 

 North America, showing that pre-glacial man 

 is no longer a question but an established fact. 



The committee appointed to memorialize the 

 United States Congress on the subject of the 

 preservation of archseologic remains upon pub- 

 lic domain handed in its report, naming numer- 

 ous remains of the early inhabitants of the con- 

 tinent which should be kept from destruction. 



The section of economic science and statis- 

 tics was favored with unusually interesting pa- 

 pers. Charles W. Smiley's address was of re- 



markable interest. It was entitled " Altruism 

 considered Economically." 'I he necessity for 

 governmental supervision over the forests of 

 this country was the subject of a paper by 

 Bernhard E. Fernow. He placed the value of 

 the forests annually destroyed at from ten to 

 twenty million dollars. Industrial training was 

 brought before the section by Mrs. Laura O. 

 Talbot, and her paper elicited a good discus- 

 sion on the subject. Edward Atkinson's pa- 

 per on " The Uses and Abuses of Statistics," 

 showed how inexperienced persons may be 

 misled in attempting to draw conclusions from 

 statistics. He maintained that a strictly me- 

 tallic currency was needed for the world, elicit- 

 ing a strong remonstrance from Edward Dan- 

 iels. The latter subsequently read a paper on 

 "Our Monetary System," presenting views in 

 favor of a paper currency. A carefully pre- 

 pared and elaborate paper on this subject was 

 by Edward H. Ammidown, upon "Suggestions 

 for Legislation on the Currency." Wilbur O. 

 Atwater, treating of the " Food-supply of the 

 Future," predicted an increased production 

 based on the discoveries of science. The de- 

 cay of American ship-building was considered 

 by Charles S. Hill. He demanded government- 

 al fostering of shipping and ship-building. The 

 Nicaragua Canal was also the subject of a re- 

 port by Henry C. Taylor and of a paper by 

 Lieut. Robert E. Peary. 



Address of Retiring President. The retiring 

 president, Prof. Samuel P. Langley, devoted 

 his address to " The History of a Scientific 

 Doctrine." It treated of the subject of radiant 

 energy, and eloquently depicted the struggles 

 of past generations of scientific workers per- 

 formed in quest of the laws and causes of light 

 and heat. He showed how persistently the old 

 caloric or substantial theory of light had over- 

 shadowed physic.-il science, and how recently it 

 had been disposed of. He stated that Science 

 was not infallible, "that her truths are put for- 

 ward by her as provisional only, and that her 

 most faithful children are welcome t' disprove 

 them." He indicated one great problem wait- 

 ing solution the relation between temperature 

 and radiation. 



Several public lectures were given, among 

 which was one by the president, John W. Pow- 

 ell, on "Competition as a Factor in Human 

 Progress." lie drew an important distinction 

 between the actual laws of human progress 

 and the doctrine of the survival of the fittest. 

 Evolution, he declared, was barred from hu- 

 man progress in its march the fittest did not 

 always survive the mind was advancing in 

 some senses at the expense of the body. The 

 struggle for existence is transferred from man 

 to the works of his own hand. The benefi- 

 cence of the process together with the speak- 

 er's own confidence in the love and charity of 

 his fellow-men were well depicted. Thomas 

 C. Mendenhall lectured on "Japanese Magic 

 Mirrors." These lectures were complimentary 

 to the citizens of Cincinnati. 



