576 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. LI. No. 1328 



connected with educational institutions, shows 

 that we are to a small extent at least '' uni- 

 fying the scientific interests of the Stat-e." 



Mr. Whitney takes a somewhat somber view 

 of the future of the state academies. He 

 points out the fact that only a small per- 

 centage of the scientific men and women of 

 the states are affiliated with the academies, ex- 

 plaining the fact by the existence of larger 

 societies for specialists which appeal more 

 strongly than the local academies with this 

 lack of differentiation. However, he mentions 

 two advantages of the state academy; the op- 

 portunities for social intercourse and good 

 fellowship which tend to encourage scientific 

 effort in smaller colleges and normal schools; 

 and the provisions for the publication of 

 articles that would not be accepted by the 

 larger and more important x>eriodicals. To 

 these we should add the practise of bringing 

 to the annual meeting some outstanding sci- 

 entist who otherwise might not come before 

 our membership. 



This article suggested to the writer that it 

 might be well to ask the secretaries of these 

 academies certain questions with a view to 

 determining if possible a little more definitely 

 whether there is a field and a future for the 

 state academy, and in particular for the Ken- 

 tucky Academy. Accordingly a series of 

 questions was pro]30sed, the first of which was 

 whether, in view of the large number of na- 

 tional and regional scientific societies there is 

 any need for a state academy. Mentioning 

 the replies from state academies only the vote 

 stood: Yes, 9; No, 2. These two negative 

 votes were, curiously, one from a very active 

 academy centering in a large city, and one 

 from a state academy reported by Mr. Whit- 

 ney as showing lively interest at the annual 

 meeting but apathetic the remainder of the 

 year. We may say however that most of 

 those reporting, whether lively or moribund, 

 wish still to live and claim for themselves a 

 raison d'etre. 



The second question asked was " What are 

 your reasons ? "' First let us notice the rea- 

 sons of those who vote against the state 

 academy. We are told that the academies are 



not needed because a state does not seem to • 

 be a convenient unit for scientific organiza- 

 tion; because the interest in the academies is 

 very small; because the publications are 

 mediocre, no one being willing to publish 

 their good articles in the Proceedings for fear 

 that they will never be seen; because the 

 social value is the only real value and that is 

 not sufficient justification for the work en- 

 tailed; and because the professional men and 

 every one else have their own societies in 

 which they are much more interested. 



But the affirmative argues that the acad- 

 emies have a field and are needed, because 

 their meetings are so near home that scien- 

 tists of the state can get together; because a 

 large ninnber of the members are young 

 people who are not yet, and in many cases 

 never will be, ripe for membership in the na- 

 tional societies, but who can be greatly stim- 

 ulated by the academy activities; because the 

 society brings together scientists of varied 

 interests, there being too much subdivision 

 and segregation in the scientific field at 

 present; because they bring men not con- 

 nected with educational institutions in touch 

 with scientific matters; because they give 

 opportunity for papers of local interest which 

 would not find place on the programs of na- 

 tional societies; because they foster state 

 pride and interest in state welfare; because 

 they bring to bear a certain amount of in- 

 fiuence for the betterment of the state; be- 

 cause, except in the field of chemistry, they 

 are about the only local scientific societies 

 that emphasize research rather than educa- 

 tion; because they exercise a tonic effect in 

 the life of the state and foster a proper ap- 

 preciation of the value of science; and be- 

 cause they supply a needed element of organ- 

 ization in the scientific field which the na- 

 tional societies do not afford. 



With the feeling that, valuable as is the an- 

 nual meeting of the academy, there should be 

 some larger service possible in the interests of 

 science and the state, a third question was asked 

 for information regarding other activities. 

 Of the eleven academies being quoted, four 

 did nothing beyond the annual meeting, ex- 



