SCIENCE 



Freday, February 18, 1921 



CONTENTS 

 TJi-e American Association for the Advance- 

 ment of Science: — 



The Practical Value of Anthropology to our 

 Nation: Professor Aibert Ernest Jenks. 147 



A Brief Historical ConMderation of the Metric 

 System: De. Loots C. Kabpinski 156 



Scientific Events: — 

 The Annual Meeting of the Board of Trus- 

 tees of the American Museum of Natural 

 History; Expeditions and Acquisitions of 

 the American Museum ; The Biological Field 

 Station of Cornell University; American 

 Foundation in France for Prehistoric Studies 157 



Scientific Notes and News 160 



University and Educational News 163 



Discussion and Correspondence : — 



On the Occurrence of Aedes solUcitan^ in 

 Fresh Water polluted hy Acid Waste: 

 Samuel F. Hildebrand. The History of 

 Science and the American Association for 

 the Advancement of Science: Professor 

 Floeian Cajoei. Concerning "Aerial 

 Photo-hydrography" : De. Willis T. Lee. 

 Soil Color Standards: J. G. Hdtton 163 



Scientific BooTcs: — 

 The Letters of William James: Propessoe 

 Edwaed L. Thoendike 165 



Special Articles: — 

 Non-disjunction of the Fourth Chromosome 

 of Drosophila: Dr. C. C. Little 167 



The American Association for the Advance- 

 ment of Science: — 



Beport of the Treasurer; Financial Report 

 of the Permanent Secretary 167 



MSS. intended for publication and books, etc., intended for 

 review ebould be sent to The Editor of Science, Garrison-on- 

 Hudson, N. Y. 



THE PRACTICAL VALUE OF ANTHRO- 

 POLOGY TO OUR NATIONi 



The last few years have taught American 

 scientists the lesson of service to our nation in 

 time of crisis. It had seemed to be a condition 

 of our American civilization that the vast hulk 

 of our people spent their energies solely on 

 their private interests. Most of these private 

 interests were producing things demanded and 

 sold in the market, hence were esteemed at all 

 times of practical value. A science which did 

 not benefit commodities hawked and sold in 

 the public market was given only scant passing 

 notice. This condition has had much to do 

 with the slowness of certain sciences in devel- 

 oping their practical phases. But in our time 

 of national peril it was demanded of every sci- 

 ence that to the utmost limit of its practical 

 possibilities it be useful to the state. So great 

 was the impetus given to the development of 

 the practical side of scientific research that in 

 pragmatic America of this hour a science 

 which can not develop its practical side of 

 service to its nation and to its day can not 

 long retain respect among other sciences. 



It is probably true, as Earl Gray said, that 

 nationalistic statesmen are largely opportunists 

 who see only a little way ahead, and who are 

 entitled to congratulate themselves if they 

 steer their powerful nations safely among the 

 rocks and bars which appear unexpectedly in 

 the uncharted course along which they sail. 

 A long look at nations as they have come and 

 gone reveals the tragedies of the opportunist 

 statesmen. In modern times the nations of the 

 old world seem to have had their courses quite 

 largely projected into the future by the inev- 

 itable continuity of a long historic past. Yet 

 we now see their statesmen too were largely 



1 Address by the vice-president and chairman of 

 Section H (Anthropology), of the American Asso- 

 ciation for the Advancement of Science, at Chi- 

 cago, December 28, 1920. 



