MATHEMATICS 1 



The study of Mathematics has always made a special 

 appeal to the French genius, distinguished by its fondness 

 for logic and its striving for perfection in form. Since 

 the time of VIETA, FERMAT, DESCARTES, and PASCAL, 

 there has never been a period in which French mathe- 

 maticians have not held a commanding position in their 

 field. In particular, during the great epoch of 1730- 

 1820, when the Calculus and its applications received 

 their formal development, it has been well said that 

 "the scepter of Mathematics was in French hands/' 

 To justify this, one needs mention only the names of 

 LAGRANGE, LAPLACE, LEGENDRE, PONCELET, and MONGE, 

 among a host of others. 



Though this period was followed by one somewhat less 

 brilliant, especially after the passing of FOURIER and 

 POISSON; yet the work of CAUCHY alone, in the first 

 three decades after 1820, would have upheld the great 

 tradition. To this epoch also belong GALOIS, who before 

 his death at twenty-one had discovered principles that 

 recreated modern algebra, and STURM and LIOUVILLE, 

 whose names are attached to fundamental results in 

 algebra and the theory of linear differential equations. 



To HERMITE belongs the distinction of leading the 

 French school of mathematicians from the death of 

 CAUCHY till the rise of the present group, who may well 

 be regarded as having restored the preeminence of 



*[ Drafting Committee: D. R. CURTISS, Northwestern University; 

 T. F. HOLGATE, Northwestern University; E. H. MOORE, University of 

 Chicago; E. B. WILSON, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. ED.] 



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