ASSOCIATIONS FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. 



in Section A. In Section B, devoted to phys- 

 ics, the address was delivered by Prof. Wil- 

 liam A. Anthony on "The Importance to 

 the Advance of Physical Science of the Teach- 

 ing of Physics in the Public Schools." The 

 title indicates the general tendency of the 

 address. The utilitarian tendency of modern 

 thought was deprecated, the plea being made 

 that science pursued from purely scientific mo- 

 tives was sure to lead eventually to remunera- 

 tive results. The fact was also referred to that 

 many of the foremost scientific workers have 

 not given freely of all their work to the scien- 

 tific world, lie proposed that science should 

 be studied in the primary departments, begin- 

 ning when children are but ten or twelve years 

 old. The object of this teaching would be to 

 graduate from the schools an army of workers 

 fitted to carry on in some shape original inves- 

 tigation. 



In Section C, devoted to chemistry, the ad- 

 dress was delivered by Prof. Albert B. Pres- 

 cott, on ''The Chemistry of Nitrogen as dis- 

 closed in the Constitution of the Alkaloids." 

 Much of the address was strictly technical, 

 hardly admitting of an abstract. The abun- 

 dance of nitrogen in the free state, its compara- 

 ative rarity in the combined, settling in its com- 

 binations the value of supplies for the nourish- 

 ment of life, and its paradoxical character in the 

 two-fold role thus outlined was d.veloped. 

 After a lengthy consideration of its position in 

 the chemical scale, the structure of the chief 

 alkaloids of plants was considered, and the 

 progress of alkaloidal synthesis was described. 

 Morphine is now convertible into codeine, and 

 efforts that promise well are now being made 

 to convert strychnine into brucine and cin- 

 chonine into quinine. Some good medical al- 

 kaloids are now being made in the laboratory, 

 and the identical alkaloids of nature may yet 

 be made by art. Prof. Prescott's character as 

 a worker in organic analysis increased the value 

 of his address by the authority it conferred 

 upon it. 



In Section D, devoted to mechanical science, 

 the address was delivered by Eckley B. Coxe 

 on "The Necessity of Scientific Training 

 for Engineers." The speaker spoke of the 

 peculiarity of his position as an engineer who 

 was really a business man presiding over a 

 meeting of engineers. The divisions of the pro- 

 fession into civil, mining, and other branches, 

 was alluded to. The indebtedness of the work- 

 ing engineer to the scientists who have deter- 

 mined and deduced the many data needed in 

 his work was described. The great success of 

 the early engineer?, graduates of the work- 

 shop, was achieved in spite of, not on ac- 

 count of, their defective training. The young 

 student of the present day should decide at the 

 start as to the branch of engineering he wishes 

 to follow, whether scientific, consulting, or 

 business. To the proposed course his studies 

 should be adapted. 



In Section E, devoted to geology and geog- 



raphy, the address was delivered by Grove 

 K. Gilbert on " The Work of the Interna- 

 tional Congress of Geologists. 1 ' This topic, 

 in view of the active work of the congress dur- 

 ing the past seasons, was a peculiarly timely 

 one, and the address won well-merited recog- 

 nition for its ability. It was made the subject 

 for general discussion for the whole session of 

 Section E on August 12. He reviewed the his- 

 tory of the congress, tracing its origin to the 

 1876 meeting of tlie American Association for 

 the Advancement of Science and Art held in 

 Buffalo. The first convention of the congress 

 was held in Paris, in 1878 ; the second, in Bo- 

 logna, in 1881 ; the third, in Berlin, in 1885. 

 The next meeting is set for London, in 1888, 

 and the fifth meeting, it is to be hoped, will be 

 held in the United States. The work of the 

 congress in unifying geological nomenclature, 

 classification, and conventions, as of map-colors 

 and similar points, was described. The great 

 map of Europe, in forty -nine sheets, in prepara- 

 tion by the congress, was spoken of. A long 

 account of the basis for the scheme of classifi- 

 cation followed the divisions of groups, sys^ 

 terns, series, and stages being described and 

 defined. 



In Section F, devoted to biology, the address 

 was delivered by Prof. William G. Farlow on 

 " Vegetable Parasites and Evolution." His ad- 

 dress was devoted to the application of the 

 Darwinian theory to the parasitical forms of 

 plunt-life. The two classes "saprophytes," or 

 those living on dead matter, and the true " para- 

 sites" growing on living matter, were described. 

 Thus the mold on bread is a saprophyte, and the 

 potato-rot fungus the true parasite. Most para- 

 sites belong to the fungi. The various views of 

 the evolutionists as to their origin were stated, 

 and left open for adoption. The speaker evi- 

 dently felt that no fixed conclusion could be 

 reached in the light of present knowledge. 



In Section G, devoted to anthropology, the 

 address was by Prof. Daniel G. Brinton, " A 

 Review of the Data for the Study of the Pre- 

 historic Chronology of America." An exhaust- 

 ive classification and statement of the material 

 at our disposal for building up the prehistoric 

 annals of this country was given. Six sources 

 of information are at our disposal ; Legends, 

 Monuments, Industries, Language, Physical 

 Sources, Ethnology, and Geology comprise our 

 sources of information. When these various 

 data have been sufficiently studied a large in- 

 crease in our knowledge of the early history of 

 our continent may be anticipated. A field for 

 much thought and work was outlined, and a 

 precision of result at least foreshadowed in this 

 address. 



In Section I, devoted to economic science and 

 statistics, the address was by Prof. Henry E. 

 Alvord on " Economy in the Management of 

 the Soil." The speaker stated that the visible 

 wealth of the country could be traced princi- 

 pally to the soil, which has been hitherto drawn 

 upon with reckless prodigality, no systematic 



