168 MATHEMATICS 



BRILLOUIN and LANGEVIN fall at least partly in the field 

 we are considering. 



Special Facilities for Work in Mathematics. The 

 difficulty of obtaining personal assistance and direction 

 has by some been considered, in past periods, an obstacle 

 to the study of mathematics in France. It is true that 

 there is nothing like a seminary system, but men of some 

 maturity who are pursuing research along a special line 

 will find the experts in that field glad to confer with them. 

 The leaders in French mathematics are unusually acces- 

 sible personally, and many American students have 

 derived inspiration and encouragement from them. 



It is possible for foreign students to obtain admission 

 to the ficole Normale Superieure, and in the past a 

 few have done so. One may thus attend courses closed 

 to the public and have access to the large mathematical 

 library of the school. The mere association with the 

 intellectual 61ite of French students is a privilege worth 

 while in itself. 



The great library of the Sorbonne has a complete 

 mathematical collection; one who joins the French mathe- 

 matical society has the privilege, enjoyed by members, 

 of access to the shelves of the library. Another mathemat- 

 ical collection of considerable value to one lodged in the 

 student quarter of Paris is that of the Bibliotheque 

 Sainte-Genevieve. 



