February 27, 1920] 



SCIENCE 



207 



ment and will give him all possible oppor- 

 ttmity to demonstrate his power of growth; 

 and that appreciation and material reward 

 will be in proportion to his scientific achieve- 

 ment; he will then be capable of the best that 

 is in him and will cheerfully contribute that 

 best to the credit of the organization that he 

 serves. 



A national geological survey should hold 

 recognized leadership in geology in the coun- 

 try to which it belongs and attainment of this 

 proud position must obviously depend upon 

 the quality of its geological jjersonnel. With 

 respect to personnel at least three conditions 

 may be recognized — first, that in which the 

 ablest geologists in the country are drawn to, 

 and remain in service; second, that in which 

 geologists perhaps of a somewhat lower grade 

 as regards scientific promise are attracted to 

 the service for a few years of training and 

 then pass out to positions where the opportuni- 

 ties for research or for increased earnings are 

 greater; and third, that in which able young 

 men no longer look upon the geological survey 

 as a desirable stepping stone to a future 

 career. Who can doubt that it is the first 

 condition that raises an organization to pre- 

 eminence in science and the last that marks 

 opportunities lost or unattained? Those re- 

 sponsible for the success of a geological sur- 

 vey, if they be wise, will watch the trend of 

 the organization with reference to these con- 

 ditions much as the mariner watches his 

 barometer and, like him, if the indication be 

 threatening, take action to forestall disaster. 

 F. L. Eansome 



DAVID S. PRATT 



Dr. David S. Pratt, formerly assistant 

 director of the Mellon Institute of Industrial 

 Eesearch of the University of Pittsburgh, 

 died in St. Louis, Mo., on January 28, after 

 a short illness from pneumonia. He was a 

 member of the American Chemical Society 

 and of the following fraternities: Phi Kappa 

 Sigma, Sigma Xi, Alpha Chi Sigma, and Phi 

 Lambda Upsilon. 



Dr. David Shepard Pratt was born in 

 Towanda, Pa., on September 20, 1885, the son 



of Charles Manville and Louise Hale (Wood- 

 ford) Pratt. Following the completion of the 

 collegiate course at Cornell University (A.B., 

 1908), he was appointed a fellow in chemistry 

 at that institution (1909-1911) and in 1911 he 

 received the degree of Ph.D. Dr. Pratt then 

 joined the staff of the Bureau of Chemistry, 

 Washington, D. C, as asistant chemist, but 

 shortly afterward was selected as chief of the 

 Organic Division of the Bureau of Science in 

 Manila, P. I., where he spent three productive 

 years in chemical research and as a member 

 of the Pure Food and Drug Board. In 1914 

 he decided to return to the states and accepted 

 a professorship of chemistry at the University 

 of Pittsburgh. Dr. Pratt occupied that chair 

 and the headship of the organic department 

 of the school of chemistry at " Pitt " from 

 1914 to 1917, in which year he was made an 

 assistant director of the Mellon Institute of 

 Industrial Research. On January 1, 1920, 

 Dr. Pratt resigned at the institute and was 

 arranging to enter consulting chemical prac- 

 tise in St. Louis, Mo., at the time of his fatal 

 illness. 



Dr. Pratt was known principally for his 

 published investigations on phthalic acid 

 derivatives, but his reports of researches on 

 various problems in the domain of tropical 

 chemistry have also been of importance and 

 he was a recognized authority on chemical 

 Philippiniana. At the Mellon Institute Dr. 

 Pratt enjoyed broad opportunities to apply, 

 in the inquiries of the industrial fellowships 

 under his supervision, his splendid equipment 

 in chemistry and many results of technical 

 imjwrtance were obtained through his sug- 

 gestive aid. His profoimd knowledge of pure 

 organic chemistry and his familiarity with 

 research methodology were respected by his 

 associates and played a prominent part in es- 

 tablishing the high success of the system in 

 operation at the institute. His departure to 

 enter professional practise was sincerely re- 

 gretted by all of the members of the institu- 

 tion. He is survived by his wife, Fredonia 

 Elizabeth (Johnson) Pratt, and an infant 

 son, David Shepard Pratt, Jr. 



W. A. H. 



