January 31, 1913] 



SCIENCE 



179 



adoption, so far from evidencing its intrinsic 

 value and probable permanence, exemplifies 

 the survival of simian proclivities in the hu- 

 man race, and swells the category of peculiar 

 " college customs " which, like the Indian of 

 the traditional cowboy, are good only after 

 they are dead. 



It may be urged that educators constitute 

 a " standing army " in conflict with ignorance. 

 But there is no real analogy between their 

 duties and those of soldiers, firemen and 

 police.' Farmers combat the hunger of the 

 community; physicians, disease; lawyers, mis- 

 apprehension, injustice and crime; clergymen, 

 the ape, bull and tiger in man; and all good 

 citizens are in constant warfare with the un- 

 desirable el .ments of society ; but these groups 

 do not proclaim themselves by needless, con- 

 spicuous and costly Pharisaic habiliments. 



According to the official pamphlet named 

 above the prices of the " hooded gown " for 

 the master's degree range from $35 to $85; 

 those for the doctorate, $10 more. For some 

 classes such an outlay for garments to be 

 worn upon comparatively infrequent occasions 

 might not be excessive. But, until recently, 

 most college professors, excepting such as had 

 independent means or no families, were plead- 

 ing with reason and commonly in vain for 

 compensation that might enable them to pro- 

 vide for a less productive period of life. Now 

 that the specter of retirement-penury has been 

 exorcised by the bounty of Andrew Carnegie 

 is it any the more becoming in his benefi- 

 ciaries to indulge in a costly revival of me- 

 dieval flummery ? ^ 



' It is not denied that occasions might arise 

 when uniforms indicative of ordinated pedagogic 

 authority might prove useful in quelling disorder 

 and averting destruction of property as, e. g., at 

 the recently reported ante facUim football demon- 

 stration in the dining hall of a great university; 

 the writer believes, however, that in all such cases 

 a well-disciplined and fully supported fire depart- 

 ment would act more appropriately and effectively. 



^ A somewhat comparable condition confronts 

 former officers of the United States Volunteer 

 Army in respect to membership in the ' ' Military 

 Order of the Loyal Legion." The initiation fee 



The foregoing considerations are submitted 

 in the hope that reflection upon them may 

 lead some, especially among the younger scien- 

 tists, to resist the temptation to " follow the 

 fashion." They would better imitate the elder 

 Agassiz; he received many foreign decora- 

 tions; yet I never saw them displayed or wit- 

 nessed in his demeanor or dress any feature 

 suggesting a distinction between himself and 

 the average American citizen. 



Burt 6. Wilder, 

 Emeritus professor in Cornell Univer- 

 sity, and formerly surgeon of the 

 Fifty-fifth Segiment of Massachu- 

 setts Volunteer Infantry 

 Washington, D. C, 

 November 25, 1912 



THE LATE DR. EDV^^N TAUSCH 



To THE Editor of Science: Permit me to 

 call attention to a sad case of the widow and 

 children of a man eminent in science-— a case 

 well worthy of charitable help from those who 

 are able or disposed to give. Dr. Edwin 

 Tausch, a young German, graduate in psy- 

 chology from one of the German universities, 

 was professor in Ohio University at Athens, 

 and afterwards because of failing health, ac- 

 cepted the chair of psychology and philosophy 

 in Willamette University, Salem, Oregon, but 

 was obliged to give up this work on account of 

 heart troubles, and flnally during the past 



is $35 and the annual dues for residents, $12. 

 Unlike retired officers of the regular army volun- 

 teer officers (unless more or less disabled by 

 wounds or disease) receive from the government 

 only a moderate pension proportionate to their age 

 and length of service. Even this is of real help 

 to many. Probably others besides the writer feel 

 that the essential requirements and objects of the 

 ' ' Loyal Legion, ' ' viz., a modest badge, clerical 

 service, and aid to the needy, might be provided 

 for at a far less initial and yearly expenditure, 

 and that conformity to the present scale is burden- 

 some for many and unbecoming the beneficiaries 

 of the nation. I resist the temptation to animad- 

 vert upon the showy, complex and cumbersome 

 dress uniform and equipment of army officers as 

 incongruous with the ideal of the professional 

 soldier as a component of an efficient fighting 

 machine. 



