216 



THE AMERICAN MONTHLY 



[November, 



the meetings. A microscopical society 

 was formed last year in Washington, 

 and has now a membership of over 

 twenty-five, each member being en- 

 gaged in some kind of microscopical 

 work. At the two meetings which 

 have been held this year at vs^hich we 

 were present, an effort has been made 

 to devise some plan whereby the 

 value of the meetings can be enhanced, 

 and also to assist members who may 

 undertake special work. These mat- 

 ters have engaged our attention for a 

 long time ; we have always taken a 

 deep interest in such efforts, and have 

 watched the career of many micro- 

 scopical societies with close attention. 

 For some reason they are vigorous for 

 a time, then they gradually languish 

 and sometimes disband. There is 

 scarcely an exception to this rule. 

 Yet, the individual members continue 

 to use the microscope, and find 

 enough to interest them in what they 

 see. Why is it, then, that the socie- 

 ties lose their support .'' 



It is not an easy question to answer. 

 Carefully as we have thought over the 

 matter, we are still uncertain about 

 the conditions of success or failure. 

 Some facts are patent to the most 

 careless observer. One cause of the 

 lack of interest can sometimes be 

 pointed out at once. It is the exces- 

 sive amount of unnecessary business 

 that is brought before the meetings. 

 Some one who has the interests of 

 the society at heart devises a com- 

 prehensive scheme designed to in- 

 crease the interest in the meetings, 

 and, with the best motives in the 

 world, presents the matter at length. 

 Then it must be considered in open 

 meeting, each section discussed and 

 voted upon, and the time of adjourn- 

 ment comes before any of the socie- 

 ty's proper work is done. Members 

 go away disappointed, and thus end- 

 eth the first stage. 



Going on a step further, suppose 

 the scheme proposed has been fully 

 elaborated and approved. It is then 

 found, as is almost sure to be the 

 case, that it is impossible to carry it 



out. No provision has been made 

 to enforce its regulations ; it is no- 

 body's business to do so, and, more- 

 over, it is such a complicated affair 

 that nobody but the proposer fully 

 understands it ; and, on the whole, 

 it is to a great extent iinpracticable. 

 Then it requires further modification, 

 involving longer discussion, interrup- 

 tion of the legitimate work of the 

 meetings, and annoyance all around. 

 Nobody blames the proposers and ad- 

 vocates of the scheme, nobody finds 

 fault, knowing the motives which 

 have actuated them ; yet some mem- 

 bers conclude that it is not worth 

 while to attend the meetings until 

 such matters are settled. This is the 

 beginning of their loss of interest and 

 irregular attendance. 



It is true that in the organization 

 of a society there is a certain amount 

 of pi-eliminary business to be done. 

 Rules for its proper government must 

 be adopted, times for meeting ap- 

 pointed, and order of proceedings 

 arranged. This, however, should be 

 cai'efuUy thought out by the promo- 

 ters of the organization, and pre- 

 sented in a good form for considera- 

 tion in the shortest possible time. 

 The simpler the rules are the better 

 the society will flourish. It is true 

 that the constitution and by-laws of 

 the New York Microscopical Soci- 

 ety, in the preparation of which we 

 took an active part, are not so simple 

 as we would generally advise. The 

 conditions in a large city like New 

 York, however, are quite different 

 from those which prevail in other 

 places. 



Passing- now to regulations pro- 

 posed to systematize the scientific 

 work of a society, it may be said that, 

 so far as our experience has shown, 

 such regulations are of very little 

 value. They are sure to exact more 

 from some individuals than those 

 persons feel competent to perform. 

 It is impossible to conduct a scien- 

 tific society like a machine, nor will 

 the members come forward with es- 

 says or reports of progress on sub- 



