JuLT 2, 1920] 



SCIENCE 



the academy. He came with excellent train- 

 ing and the advantage of some field work, 

 and at once took an active part in leading 

 geological inquiry along sound scientific 

 lines. Irving was chosen fourth president 

 of the academy. Two years later a syste- 

 matic Geological Survey was instituted by 

 the state, largely through the infiuence of 

 members of the academy, and this not only 

 gave unusual opportunities for productive- 

 ness in this line, but helped to develop 

 young talent that made itself felt in the 

 later activities of the academy. 



Soon after the founding of the academy, 

 the great movement toward a higher order 

 of things in agricultural science and prac- 

 tise began and at first was most definitely 

 represented by the chemical work of Pro- 

 fessor W. W. Daniells. The developments 

 in agriculture were more closely connected 

 with the State Agricultural Society and 

 particularly with the state university than 

 with the academy, but the academy claims 

 some little merit for this most signal devel- 

 opment. 



About the same time also Major Nico- 

 demus and Captain Nader took the lead in 

 developing interest in engineering themes 

 by notable and stimulating discussions. 



There has been occasion to lay emphasis 

 on the type of study of plants and animals, 

 most familiarly known as natural history, 

 which prevailed at the founding of the 

 academy and in the preceding pioneer stage. 

 The career of the academy was scarcely 

 more than under way before this began to 

 give place to modern biological inquiries, 

 and this led on to those important ecolog- 

 ical and other studies that characterized 

 the later ofSeial surveys and that mean 

 so much to the intellectual and material 

 welfare of the people of the state. This was 

 perhaps the most notable change of trend 

 in the intimate work of the academy. It 

 was led by a young man who came to the 



state in the fifth year of the academy and 

 has given the academy one of its most pro- 

 longed and valued series of papers. Then 

 a young man, we now delight to honor and 

 revere him as president at once of the acad- 

 emy and of our state university. President 

 Birge. A systematic phase in this modern 

 departure was a little later admirably illus- 

 trated by the important contributions of 

 Professor and Mrs. Peckham. 



By the end of the first decade of the 

 academy's life, it had undergone further 

 changes and had taken on much more dis- 

 tinct diversity. It thus began the better to 

 represent the varied intellectual develop- 

 ment which the state was rapidly coming 

 to enjoy, and which it has more fully real- 

 ized in these later years. 



By the end of the second decade the di- 

 vergencies toward the later phases of thei 

 academy became still more marked. The 

 distinctions of departments, that were 

 rather formally defined at the outset, began 

 to fade away, while the departments them- 

 selves grew more divergent. A more cos- 

 mopolitan spirit arose which made less of 

 subjects and more of method and real in- 

 tellectual advance. The formative period 

 was being merged into what now seems to 

 a founder "the Golden Bra" of the acad- 

 emy. Doubtless intrinsically, it was no 

 better than later stages — perhaps not so 

 good — ^but these are the days of relativity 

 and to one who felt the struggle and the 

 weakness of the start, it seemed golden. 



With it there came rapid changes in the 

 personnel. The veteran naturalists passed 

 away and other losses were many and grave. 

 But the chief changes came from two other 

 sources. The educational institutions of 

 the state were rapidly developing in re- 

 search lines and there came to the state 

 many able men, well equipped and produc- 

 tive. It would be easy to begin the list — 

 for there was Trelease and the lamented 



