July 25, 1919] 



SCIENCE 



77 



the future students of Cornell University and 

 of other kindred institutions." 



These two movements, independently and 

 stimultaneously started, soon came into eon- 

 tact, and finding so much in common, at once 

 joined hands, keeping the name of the organi- 

 zation already perfected by the younger men, 

 but extending its scope and influence accord- 

 ing to the council and advice of the older man. 

 Shortly after, apparently in the winter of 1887, 

 four faculty members and five graduate stu- 

 dents were invited to become members of the 

 new organization. In the spring of 188Y is 

 recorded the establishment of two chapters, 

 one at Union College and one at Rensselaer. 

 For some reason comparatively little progress 

 was made in further extending the movement 

 although six more chapters were authorized by 

 the parent chapter and plans for the organiza- 

 tion of still others were made. None of these, 

 however, were established, and after many dis- 

 couragements some of the leaders became dis- 

 heartened, thinking that after all the time was 

 not ripe for such a movement. But finally a 

 charter was voted to Kansas in 1889. This 

 was the status of the society until 1893, when 

 a convention of the four chapters was held in 

 Ithaca, at the call of the parent chapter and a 

 national organization was formed. In 1895 a 

 charter was granted for the establishment of a 

 chapter at Tale, and from that time on there 

 has been a steady increase in the chapter roll. 

 At present there are thirty chapters, in nine- 

 teen different states, with a total membership 

 of nearly 12,000 of whom about 2,500 are resi- 

 dent in the universities where chapters are 

 located, and are therefore classed as active 

 members, while the remainder, not being di- 

 rectly resident in the chapter, are called 

 alumni, or non-active members. 



During its third of a century of existence 

 the motto of the society has been " Compan- 

 ions in Zealous Research " ; its object, to en- 

 courage " original investigations in science, 

 pure and applied " ; and it has sought to ac- 

 complish this purpose, in the main, by three 

 different classes of activities: first, by holding 

 meetings for the discussion of scientific siib- 

 jects and by printing such scientific material 



as may seem desirable; second, by establishing 

 fraternal relations among investigators in sci- 

 entific centers; and third, by granting the 

 privilege of membership to such students as, 

 during their college course, have given promise 

 of future achievements in the field of science. 

 While the activities of the several chapters 

 have been varied to suit local conditions, it 

 has been their common object to emphasize 

 that which all investigators have in common: 

 that indefinable something which goes by a 

 variety of names ; which " can be felt but not 

 itself investigated " ; that something within 

 him which the investigator satisfies by seek- 

 ing out the truths of nature and then making 

 them known to his fellow men, with a faith, 

 usually unexpressed, that some day these same 

 truths would make the world better, though 

 perhaps a busier, place to live in. 



Such then has been the origin, development 

 and activities of the society to which we be- 

 long. It is to be hoped that we will carry 

 with us into the future these same ideals, and 

 perhaps many of these same activities, which 

 have made so much for the success of the 

 society in the past. But without doubt the 

 world is now entering a new era, a new order 

 of things, in which every institution, whether 

 political, economic, educational or scientific, 

 will face new conditions, new obligations, and 

 new opportunities. Just as the scientist, in his 

 field, is a pioneer, so he should be among the 

 first, if not the leader, in making his field 

 ready for this new order of things. We may 

 then well ask: Can Sigma Si adequately dis- 

 charge her responsibilities in this new era 

 without an extension, perhaps a radical exten- 

 sion, of her former activities and influence? 

 The very form of the question indicates a neg- 

 ative answer. 



Before discussing these extensions, I should 

 like to point out that the sjyhere of influence of 

 Sig-ma Xi has, up to now, been confined al- 

 most exclusively to university circles. With 

 the exception of that at Washington, the chap- 

 ters are all located at universities. This is not 

 so significant as is the fact that only those who 

 are members of the university community can 

 be active members. The result is that over 



