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NATURE 



[January 21, 19 15 



Entomologists, Botanical Society of America, 

 American Phytopathological Society, American Psycho- 

 logical Association, Society of American Zoologists, 

 American Society of Naturalists, American Micro- 

 scopical Society, American Physical Society, Geo- 

 logical Society of America, Palaeontological Society of 

 America, American Folk-Lore Society, American Fern 

 Society, Sullivant Moss Society, American Nature- 

 Study Society, School Garden Association of America, 

 American Alpine Club, American Anthropological 

 Association, Southern Society for Philosophy and 

 Psychology, Society for Horticultural Science, 

 American Federation of Teachers of the Mathematical 

 and the Natural Sciences, Society of Sigma Xi. 



The meeting- as a whole emphasised more than 

 ever the importance of symposia for broad topics 

 which bring together men of different sections. 

 A number of these were held during the week, as 

 follows : — 



Section B and the American Physical Society, on 

 the subject, " On the Use of Dimensional Equations." 



Botanical Society of America and the American 

 Phytopathological Society, on the subject, "Genetic 

 Relationship of Organisms." 



Section of Agriculture, "The Field of Rural 

 Economics." 



Section F, the American Society of Zoologists, and 

 the American Society of Naturalists, "The Value of 

 Zoology to Humanity." 



Society of American Bacteriologists and Section K, 

 on the subject of ventilation. 



Sections C and K and the Society of American 

 Bacteriologists, on the subject, "The Life of Lower 

 Organisms in Relation to Man's Welfare." 



There were two especially notable incidents of 

 the meeting. The first of these was the first large 

 meeting of the newly-established Committee of 

 One Hundred on Scientific Research, of which 

 Prof. E. C. Pickering, of the Harvard College 

 Observatory, is chairman, and Prof. J. McKeen 

 Cattell, of Columbia University, the secretary. 

 Reports were received from a number of sub- 

 committees, other sub-committees were estab- 

 lished, and the work of the committee as a whole 

 was systematised in order to cover the whole field 

 of scientific research in America with the view of 

 the ultimate ascertaining of its needs. The listing 

 and classification of research funds, the needs of 

 research students, the co-ordination of research 

 among educational institutions, private endow- 

 ments and industrial research, and a number of 

 other topics will be taken up by this committee. 



The second notable event of the meeting was 

 the first session of the newly-established Section 

 of Agriculture (Section M). This opening meeting 

 was presided over by the president of the associa- 

 tion. Dr. Eliot. The vice-president, Dr. L. H. 

 Bailey, formerly Director of the College of Agri- 

 culture of Cornell University, gave his address on 

 the subject : '* The Place of Research and of 

 Publicity in the Forthcoming Country Life 

 Development." The symposium which followed 

 consisted of the following addresses: "Rural 

 Economics from the Standpoint of the Farmer," 

 by Hon. Carl Vrooman, Assistant Secretary of 

 Agriculture; "Credit and Agriculture," by Prof. 

 G. N. Lauman, of Cornell University; "Market- 



NO. 2360, VOL. 94] 



ing and Distribution Problems," by C. J. Brand, 

 Chief of the Office of Markets, U.S. Department 

 of Agriculture ; and " Distinction between Effici- 

 ency in Production and Efficiency in Bargaining," 

 by Prof. T. N. Carver, of Harvard University. 



The following addresses of the presidents of 

 sections were delivered during the week : — 



(a) F. Schlesinger, "The Object of Astronomical 

 and Mathematical Research"; (b) A. D. Cole, "Re- 

 cent Evidence for the Existence of the Nucleus Atom " ; 

 (c) C. S. Alsberg, "Theories of Fermentation"; (d) 

 O. P. Hood, "Safety Engineering"; (e) J. S. Diller, 

 "The Relief of Our Pacific Coast"; (/) A. G. Mayer, 

 "The Research Work of the Tortugas Laboratory of 

 the Carnegie Institution at Washington " ; {g) H. C. 

 Covvles, " The Economic Trend of Botany " ; (/z) 

 W. B. Pillsbury, "The Function and Test of Defini- 

 tion and Method in Psychology"; (i) J. G. Wall, 

 " Social and Economic Value of Technological 

 Museums"; (fe) T. Hough, "The Classification of 

 Nervous Reactions"; (Z) P. P. Claxton, "The 

 American Rural School " ; (tn) L. H. Bailey, " A 

 Place of Research and of Publicity in the Forthcoming 

 Country Life Development." 



Following the example of the British Association 

 for the Advancement of Science, two public 

 evening lectures complimentary to the citizens of 

 Philadelphia and vicinity were given. Dr. D. C. 

 Miller, of the Case School of Applied Science, 

 lectured on Tuesday evening, December 29, on 

 "The Science of Musical Sounds," illustrating his 

 lecture by a large number of striking experiments. 

 The second was given on Wednesday evening by 

 By Dr. W. H. Nichols, of the General Chemical 

 Company, on "The War and Chemical Industry." 

 These lectures were rather largely attended, but 

 the American Association has not as yet succeeded 

 in making these lectures as important, viewed as 

 social functions, as has the British Association. 



No strikingly important matters of business 

 were considered by the council. A few small 

 research grants were made, and the assistance of 

 the association was continued to the Concilium 

 Bibliographicum Zoologicum of Zurich. It was 

 decided to hold a summer meeting in 1915 at San 

 Francisco under the auspices and management of 

 the Pacific Coast Division of the American 

 Association, the dates to be August 2 to 7. For 

 the place of the next Convocation Week meeting 

 (December 27, 191 5, to January i, 1916), Colum- 

 bus, Ohio, was chosen. It will be remembered 

 that the association had virtually accepted an 

 invitation from the University and City of Toronto, 

 Canada, for this last-named meeting, but on 

 account of conditions arising from the war, 

 Toronto begged to be allowed to postpone this 

 meeting to some future and more favourable date. 



At the close of the meeting the following 

 officers were elected for the coming year : — 



President : Prof. W. W. Campbell, Lick Observa- 

 tory, University of California. 



Presidents of Sections : A, Mathematics and Astro- 

 nomy, Prof. A. O. Leuschner, University of Cali- 

 fornia; B, Physics, Prof. Frederick Slate, University 

 of California; C, Chemistry, Prof. W. McPherson, 

 Ohio State University; D, Engineering, Mr. Bion J. 

 Arnold, of Chicago; E, Geolosy and Geography, Prof. 



