322 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. IX. No. 218. 



AMERICAN MATEE3IATICAL SOCIETY. 

 The regular meetings of the Amer- 

 ican Mathematical Society were formerly 

 held at monthly intervals from Octo- 

 ber to Maj^, the program being readily 

 disposed of in a single afternoon session. A 

 summer meeting, occupying two daj's, was 

 also held, usually in connection with that 

 of the American Association. At the Buf- 

 falo meeting in 1896 and the Boston meet- 

 ing in 1898 a colloquium, or course of 

 lectures on recent developments in mathe- 

 matics, was also provided. With the growth 

 of the Society in maturity and productive- 

 ness it was found advisable about two 

 years ago to modify this plan so far as con- 

 cerned the winter meetings. In order to 

 make the individual meetings more promi- 

 nent and to secure them a concentration of 

 interest, it was decided that they should be 

 held at intervals of two months, viz., on the 

 last Saturday of October, February and 

 April, and on a variable day in the last 

 week of December. In compensation for 

 the reduction in the number of meetings, 

 provision was made for two sessions at each 

 meeting, to be held in the morning and af- 

 ternoon. About the same time the Chicago 

 Section was organized, and its April and 

 December meetings have proved valuable 

 additions to the Society's activities. The 

 results have fullj^ j ustifled the wisdom of the 

 new departure. The attendance has greatly 

 increased, the number of papers presented 

 at each meeting has quadrupled, and the 

 meetings have become more substantial and 

 active centers of mathematical intercourse. 

 This remarkable advance is in one way oc- 

 casioning the Society a delectable embar- 

 rassment. Tlie number of papers offered for 

 presentation is becoming so great that the 

 two sessions of the meetings no longer fur- 

 nish anything like adequate time for their 

 reading and discussion. It will apparently 

 soon be necessary to provide longer or more 

 frequent meetings, against both of which 



suggestions valid objections can be urged. 

 Another consequence of this profusion of 

 mathematical riches is the growing inade- 

 quacy of the present facilities for publica- 

 tion of original mathematical articles in the 

 country. The Bulletin of the Society was 

 established as a journal of critical and his- 

 torical investigation, and although, by the 

 publication of a great number of shorter 

 original articles, it has widely departed 

 from its original purpose, it is no longer 

 able to keep pace with the steadily in- 

 creasing output without sacrificing its 

 proper functions, a course which cannot 

 be permitted. The Council of the Society 

 has, therefore, had for some time under con- 

 sideration the question of providing better 

 facilities for publication, and is at present 

 seriously contemplating the periodical pub- 

 lication of Transactions of the Society. 

 This is a project verj' near to the hearts 

 of many influential and productive mem- 

 bers of the Society, and the enthusiasm 

 which it has aroused has again contributed 

 to stimulate the energies of the Society and 

 affords gratifying evidence that the un- 

 dertaking will be successfully carried 

 through. 



A regular meeting of the Society was held 

 at Columbia University on Saturday, Febru- 

 ary 25th. The total attendance at the two 

 sessions was forty-seven, including thirtj^- 

 nine members of the Society. President 

 R. S. Woodward, who has succeeded Presi- 

 dent Simon Newcomb, occupied the chair. 

 The Council announced the election of the 

 following persons to membership in the So- 

 ciety : Mr. John B. Faught, Bloomington, 

 Ind. ; Professor Edward B. Fishburne, 

 Waynesboro', Va. ; Professor William P. 

 Graham, Syracuse, N". Y. ; Dr. Waldemar 

 Schulz, Ithaca, N. Y. ; Dr. Ernest J. Wilc- 

 zynski, Berkeley, Cal. Four nominations 

 for membership were received. An amend- 

 ment to the constitution was adopted, by 

 which retiring Presidents of the Society 



