562 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. L. No. 1303 



(if its antecedents toe traced backward) in the Kew 

 Observatory, which was maintained by the British 

 Association from 1842 to 1872, in which period the 

 association spent some £12,000 on its upkeep. 



THE WORK OF THE NATIONAL COMMITTEE 

 ON MATHEMATICAL REQUIREMENTS 



A PRELIMINARY report of " The Reorganiza- 

 tion of the First Courses in Secondary School 

 Mathematics " prepared by the subcommittee, 

 which was authorized to publish it was issued 

 on ISTovember 25. It is being made the basis 

 of discussion by organizations, committees, 

 local groups, etc., throughout the country. 

 Over 30 such organizations are at present at 

 work on this report. 



■ The whole of the meeting of the Association 

 of Teachers of Mathematics in the Middle 

 States and Maryland in Philadelphia on 

 ISTovember 29 was devoted to the discussion of 

 this report; it had a prominent place on the 

 program of the Central Association of Science 

 and Mathematics Teachers in Chicago on 

 November 28 and 29 and at the meeting of the 

 Association of Teachers of Mathematics in 

 New England in Boston on December 6. 



Committees representing organizations in 

 the following states are actively cooperating 

 with the National Committee: Massachusetts, 

 Ehode Island, New York, New Jersey, Penn- 

 sylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illi- 

 nois, Wisconsin, Iowa, North Dakota, Mis- 

 souri and Texas. 



Local groups or clubs are studying the re- 

 port in Boston, Springfield (Mass.), Provi- 

 dence, New Haven, New York City, Wash- 

 ington, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Columbus 

 (Ohio), Terre Haute, Chicago, St. Louis, St. 

 Paul, Minneapolis and in several smaller cities. 



Meetings in addition to those previously an- 

 nounced at vrhich the work of the National 

 Committee will be discussed are as follows: 

 Mathematical Association of America in St. 

 Louis, December 29 and in New York, Jan- 

 uary 2; Ohio State Teachers' Association, 

 Columbus, December 30; Pennsylvania State 

 Educational Association, Philadelphia, De- 

 cember 30; Association of Teachers of Mathe- 

 matics in the Middle States and Maryland, 

 Southern Section, Baltimore, December 13, 



Syracuse Section, Syracuse, New York, De- 

 cember 30. 



The next meeting of the national committee 

 will occur in New York City on December 

 30. The principal items on the program for 

 this meeting are the consideration of the re- 

 port on " The Reorganization of the First 

 Courses an Secondary School Mathematics," 

 the report on " The Valid Aims and Purposes 

 of the Study of Mathematics" and the pro- 

 posed revision of college entrance require- 

 ments. 



The United States Bureau of Education has 

 offered to publish the reports of the National 

 Committee in the form of leaflets or bulletins. 



A Mathematics Section of the West Virginia 

 State Teachers' Association was organized in 

 Fairmont on November 28. Professor John 

 Eiesland, of the University of West Virginia, 

 was elected chairman of the newly formed Sec- 

 tion. Professor C. N. Moore spoke in behalf 

 of the work of the National Committee. 



CHEMICAL LECTURES AT WEST POINT AND 

 ANNAPOLIS 



The American Chemical Society has ar- 

 ranged a series of lectures on the relations of 

 chemistry to problems of interest in cadets of 

 the LTnited States Military and Naval Acad- 

 emies. The lectures to be given at West Point 

 are as follows : 



Dr. Wm. H. Nichols, New York City. Sulfuric 

 acid, the pig iron of chemistry. January 10, 1920. 



Dr. Wm. H. Walker, Massachusetts Institute of 

 Technology, Cambridge, Mass. Manufacturing 

 problems of gas warfare. January 17, 1920. 



Dr. Chas. L. Parsons, 1709 G St., N.W., Wash- 

 ington, D. C. Nitrogen fixation and its relation to 

 warfare. January 24, 1920. 



Dr. Henry Fay, Massachusetts Institute of Tech- 

 nology, Cambridge, Mass. The amorphous state in 

 metals. January 31, 1920. 



Dr. Chas. L. Eeese, E. I. du Pont de Nemours & 

 Co., Wilmington, Del. Explosives. February 7, 

 1920. 



The lectures at Annapolis are : 



Dr. Henry Fay, Massachusetts Institute of Tech- 

 nology, Cambridge, Mass. Iron and steel. No- 

 vember 15, 1919, to post-gnaduate student officers. 



Dr. John Johnston, Yale University, New 



