1T6 



THE AMERICAN MONTHLY 



[September, 



exhibition of Mr. Tolles' stands, 

 but a number were to be seen in 

 the room, placed there by their 

 owners. 



The Bausch & Lomb Optical 

 Company were represented by a 

 few stands, and Mr. L. Schrauer was 

 there with specimens of his work- 

 manship. 



EDITORIAL. 



— All who have not yet paid their 

 subscriptions for this year, are re- 

 spectfully requested to do so as soon 

 as convenient. There are many 

 who have not yet paid, and we can- 

 not afford to maintain a large free- 

 list. We have made the same re- 

 quest twice before and unless those 

 who have not paid will do so within 

 a short time, we will be obliged to 

 stop their Journals. 



o 



— During the months of July 

 and August the Editor was absent 

 from New York. In consequence, 

 many letters have remained un- 

 answered, that would otherwise 

 have received prompt attention. 

 The Summer is over now, and busi- 

 ness has again resumed its regular- 

 ity, so that no further delays will 

 intefere with the immediate ac- 

 knowledgement of letters or orders. 



The August Meetings, 



In this number of the Journal 

 we have given a brief account of 

 the proceedings of the American 

 Society of Microscopists at the 

 meeting at Detroit, and of the Sub- 

 section of Microscopy of the Amer- 

 ican Association for the Advance- 

 ment of Science, at Boston. 



The Detroit meeting we were 

 unable to attend, so that we are in- 

 debted for our knowledge of what 

 was done there to a number of 

 friends who were present, and who 



have kindly given the information. 

 We are especially indebted to Mr. 

 C. M. Yorce, for preparing the re- 

 port of the meeting that is published 

 this month. We did attend the 

 meeting in Boston, however, and 

 therefore have personal knowledge 

 of the relations which the Sub-section 

 of Microscopy bears to the Associa- 

 tion. 



At the risk of giving offence to a 

 few of our readers, we believe that 

 it is now time to consider the rela- 

 tions of the two associations to each 

 other ; and if, as we have thought 

 from the beginning, when the pro- 

 position to form an " American So- 

 ciety of Microscopists " that should 

 be independent of the A. A. A. S., 

 was made at the " Congress " held 

 at Indianapolis, the two meetings 

 cannot be successfully conducted 

 independently, then it is quite 

 time to also consider which of tlie 

 two associations is most deserving 

 of support. 



First, it is proper to say, that 

 since the American Society was 

 formed, it has had all the encourage- 

 ment which our humble efforts could 

 give to it ; in proof of this we need 

 only refer to previous articles wliich 

 have been published at different 

 times. In this matter, as in all 

 others, when the welfare of science 

 has been concerned, we have not 

 permitted our personal judgment to 

 assert itself, in opposition to any 

 movement calculated to benefit sci- 

 ence or its votaries. We have regard- 

 ed the establishment of the Society 

 as a worthy experiment, but as one 

 mainly conducted by a few leaders, 

 who had not the necessary support 

 from microscopists generally to en- 

 sure its success, nor sufficient expe- 

 rience to direct it properly. In our 

 opinion, the fatal error was commit- 

 ted at the beginning, in Indianapolis, 

 when a majority, of one we believe, 

 not only voted against a proposi- 



