Friday, Januaet 31, 1913 



CONTENTS 



The American Association for the Advance- 

 ment of Science: — 

 Comparative Measurements of the Changing 

 Cost of Living: Professor J. Pease Nor- 

 ton 159 



Plans for a Greater University of Montana . 170 



Thomas Harrison Montgomery 171 



Scientific Notes and Neics 172 



University and Educational Neii;s 175 



Discussion and Correspondence: — 



On Comparing Ammonifying Coeffidents of 

 Different Soils: "Walter G. Sackett. The 

 Terms Segment and Segmentation in Geol- 

 ogy: Geo. I. Adams. Is the "Academic 

 Costume" Worth while? Professor Burt 

 G. Wilder. The hate Dr. Edtvin Tausch: 

 President David Starr Jordan 176 



Scientific Boolcs: — 



Sladen on the 3nmile Bee: Professor W. 

 M. Wheeler. FitsSimons on the Snakes of 

 South Africa: Professor Alexander G. 

 RUTHVEN. Watson's General Physics, Ber- 

 ing 's Essentials of Physics : Professor G. 

 F. Hull 180 



Special Articles: — 



The Nutritive Value of the Proteins of 

 Maize: Professor Thomas B. Osborne. 

 Discovery of Bivalve Crustacea in. the Coal 

 Measures, near Pawtucket, B. I.: Winthrop 

 P. Haynes. The Electromotive Force pro- 

 duced hy the Acceleration of Conductors: 



ElCHAKD C. TOLMAN 185 



The American Society for Pliarmacology and 

 Experimental Therapeutics: Dr. J. Auer . 193 



The Tennessee Academy of Science: Wilbur 

 A. Nelson 195 



The New York Academy of Sciences: Dr. E. 

 O. HovEY 196 



Societies and Academies: — 



The Helminthological Society of Wasliing- 

 ton: Maurice C. Hall 197 



TEE AMEBICAN ASSOCIATION FOB THE 



ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE 



COMPABATIVE MEASUREMENTS OF THE 



CHANGING COST OF LIVING^ 



The changing cost of living is a funda- 

 mental cause of many reactions in the com- 

 plexes of social phenomena. In fact, it is 

 probable that an economic interpretation 

 of many important historical movements 

 may be developed from future study of 

 such events as possible effects of this prob- 

 able fundamental cause of radical move- 

 ments in human societies, such as extensive 

 revolutions and even international wars. 



Political economists, at any rate, should 

 hold always before them the idea that man- 

 kind is subject first to the primary eco- 

 nomic problems of self-maintenance. The 

 changing cost of living is another phrase 

 to denote in a civilized society this factor 

 of relative self-maintenance which is so im- 

 portant in the study of the more primitive 

 societies. Thus, on the side of the con- 

 sumption of commodities, we may measure 

 the changing cost of the primary necessi- 

 ties in terms of the prices of the markets. 



With the development of markets and 

 with the establishing of standard grades 

 for leading commodities, it becomes pos- 

 sible to fix rather definitely comparative 

 prices of all of the more important com- 

 modities. As a result, we may compare 

 with a considerable degree of accuracy the 

 fluctuations in the changing cost of living 

 over a series of successive years. Of course, 

 the greater problem of constructing an in- 

 dex number of relative welfare which shall 



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

 review should be sent to Professor J. MoKeen Cattell, Garrison- 

 On-Hudson, N. Y. 



' Address of the vice-president and chairman of 

 Sectisn I, American Association for the Advance- 

 ment of Science, Cleveland, January 3, 1913. 



