252 



SCmNCK 



[N. S. Vol. IX. No. 216. 



always in a plane at right angles to the 

 visual axis. He found that an object is 

 recognized more readily when inverted than 

 when in either of the two intprmediate 

 positions, and more readily also than in the 

 erect mirror reversal or in that position 

 inverted. 



Dr. Arthur MacDonald reported further 

 measurements of pain and gave tables and 

 results. Two purely philosophical papers 

 were presented, one by Professor W. A. 

 Hammond on the theory of the will in Ar- 

 istotle's Ethics, and the other by Professor 

 W. G. Everett on ' Ethical Scepticism.' 

 These papers closed the morning session. 

 In the afternoon Professor W. Caldwell 

 read an appreciative criticism of Professor 

 J. Mark Baldwin's recent work on Social 

 and Ethical Interpretation. A paper on the 

 genetic determination of the self, which had 

 been announced by Professor Baldwin, he 

 was forced to abandon on account of illness. 



In a ' Study of Geometrical Illusions,' 

 Professor Charles H. Judd upheld the thesis 

 that the underestimation of acute angles 

 and overestimation of obtuse angles, which 

 is a common feature of many illusions, is 

 not a fundamental fact, but is to be ex- 

 plained as due to the false estimation of the 

 length of the sides of the angles. 



Professor Margaret F. Washburn spoke 

 on ' Subjective Colors and the After Image,' 

 and Professor Ladd closed the meeting with 

 a description of a new color illusion. 



Livingston Faeeand. 



SCIENTIFIC BOOKS. 

 The New Maryland Oeological Survey. Volume 



I., 1897. Volume II., 1898. Johns Hopkins 



Press. 



The plan and the organization of the Mary- 

 land Geological Survey are set forth in the in- 

 troduction to the first volume of the reports. 

 In many respects they present admirable ex- 

 amples of common sense in scientific work. 

 The business of a State Survey, if successful, 



must be conducted so that it nets the people a 

 fair return for their money. It may neither 

 soar to abstruse and doubtfully profitable specu- 

 lation nor sink to politics for spoils only. Fail- 

 ing to avoid one or the other unbusiness-like 

 extreme, many State Surveys have died. The 

 Maryland Survey appears to have struck a 

 course between Scylla and Charybdis. 



According to the organic law the name is the 

 State Geological and Economic Survey. The 

 control is in the hands of a commission, con- 

 sisting of the Governor and Comptroller of the 

 State and the presidents of two principal edu- 

 cational institutions — of Johns Hopkins Uni- 

 versity and the Maryland Agricultural College. 

 The commissioners shall appoint as superin- 

 tendent a geologist of established reputation, 

 who shall nominate for appointment by them 

 such assistants as they deem necessary ; and 

 they shall determine compensation of employees 

 and may remove them. The objects of the Sur- 

 vey are defined in sis articles, of which three 

 relate to appropriate investigations having prac- 

 tical bearing, two give authority to publish 

 maps and reports, and the sixth confers special 

 authority to consider ' such other scientific and 

 economic questions as in the judgment of the 

 commissioners shall be deemed of value to the 

 people of the State.' Among other sections is 

 one appropriating $10,000 per annum for the 

 purpose of executing the provisions of the act. 

 This section must be repealed before the appro- 

 priations for the support of the Survey can 

 cease. 



By this law a board of commissioners, which 

 is equally divided between the educational and 

 executive or political leaders of the State, is 

 given unrestricted authority to carry on ap- 

 propriate observations for the benefit of the 

 people. The scope is unlimited, their power is 

 absolute, their responsibility is direct. 



The Commission organized the Survey to in- 

 sure practical and thorough work. Professor 

 Wm. B. Clark, of Johns Hopkins, was appointed 

 State Geologist. It was resolved that there 

 should be no salaried ofBcers, all services to be 

 paid at per diem rates for the time employed. 



The scope of the Survey was determined to 

 be economic and educational. The economic 

 character was sufficiently prescribed by the law ; 



