88 NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 



organizations for the purpose of securing their cooperation in 

 the undertaking. The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, an expo- 

 sition of universal scope, was held in St. Louis that year, and 

 in connection therewith was assembled an International Con- 

 gress of Arts and Sciences. As a large number of prominent 

 men of science from all parts of the world were likely to attend 

 the Congress, it was deemed an auspicious occasion on which to 

 hold a conference on solar research. Accordingly, invitations to 

 such a conference were sent to scientific organizations in Europe 

 and America that were likely to be interested in the proposed 

 undertaking. The conference was attended by delegates from 

 12 academies and astronomical, astrophysical, and physical 

 societies. The International Meteorological Committee was 

 also represented. The conference was opened by Professor 

 George E. Hale, chairman of the committee of the National 

 Academy of Sciences, who explained the purpose of the pro- 

 posed organization, " emphasized the importance of encour- 

 aging individual initiative, and urged that no less attention be 

 paid to such encouragement than to the accomplishment of 

 large pieces of routine work through cooperative effort." 



In the form of resolutions, the conference expressed its views 

 regarding the form of cooperative research which was desirable, 

 the desirability of obtaining the approval and patronage of the 

 International Association of Academies, and the cooperation of 

 the International Meteorological Committee and the Hungarian 

 Academy of Sciences, and the formation of an international 

 committee and a committee on program. After discussing 

 various aspects of the work of the solar research, the conference 

 adjourned to meet at Oxford in 1905. The Oxford meeting, at 

 which the organization was denominated the International 

 Union for Cooperation in Solar Research, was largely attended 

 and was followed by a meeting at Meudon, near Paris in May, 

 1907. The Union commenced the publication of a series of 

 Transactions, a copy of the first volume of which was pre- 

 sented to the Academy at the April meeting, 1907, by the chair- 

 man of the committee of the Academy. The fourth meeting 



