698 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXVII. No. 958 



different states demands careful previous examina- 

 tion into tlie value and objects of such organiza- 

 tions, and that it is desirable that proposals to 

 establish such organization should be considered 

 by the International Association of Academies 

 before definite action is taken. 



After a period of activity ranging over 

 about twelve years it may be useful to 

 review the work which has been accom- 

 plished, but I shall confine myself to the 

 record of its section of science, remarking 

 only that the section of letters has also 

 much important work in hand. 



The powers of the association are purely 

 advisory; it has no funds at its disposal 

 and for this reason alone is unable to 

 initiate or support any scientific enterprise 

 unless the individual academies provide the 

 expenditure, as is being done, for instance, 

 in the publication of Leibnitz's works, 

 ■which has been undertaken by the acad- 

 emies of Berlin and Paris jointly. A com- 

 plete map of the moon with its features 

 named according to an agreed scheme is 

 in process of preparation and is welcomed 

 by students of the lunar surface. Among 

 the subjects which have been treated, the 

 excellent work done by an autonomous 

 committee appointed to investigate the 

 functions of the brain should also be re- 

 ferred to ; and there are a number of vari- 

 ous committees which have done good 

 work. 



In many cases the association has been 

 called upon to express a favorable opinion 

 on the importance of some international 

 scheme which is independently being 

 pressed upon the consideration of one or 

 more governments. To deliver a platonic 

 blessing is so gratifying a task that appli- 

 cations for it are not perhaps always 

 scrutinized with sufScient care, though I 

 admit that it is better to support a doubt- 

 ful enterprise than to risk stopping a good 

 one. 



The association has been most successful 



when it has used its influence to press 

 important scientific objects on the atten- 

 tion of their governments. It is in part 

 at any rate due to their recommendation 

 that money was found for the measure- 

 ment of the great arc of meridian, which, 

 covering 105 degrees, stretches through 

 Russia and Roumania and continues 

 through Asia Minor and western Africa, 

 to the Cape of Good Hope. This is a con- 

 tinuous arc of meridian reaching from the 

 north of Russia to the Cape of Good Hope 

 in which a number of governments — the 

 British government, the German govern- 

 ment, the Russian government and the 

 Turkish government — are involved, which 

 is in process already, and is really nearing 

 completion. 



It has become the practise during re- 

 cent years that international organizations 

 established independently place them- 

 selves under the protection of the Associa- 

 tion of Academies, to which they report 

 periodically. Though the academies exer- 

 cise no control over such bodies they stand 

 to them as a reserve power willing to help 

 when required. 



In all these respects the association has 

 fulfilled the intention of its founders, but 

 has it left its mark to any appreciable ex- 

 tent on the progress of science? Without 

 wishing to underrate the good that this 

 body has done in the past I do not think 

 I stand alone in hoping for a wider activ- 

 ity in the future, and I doubt whether it 

 will long maintain its vitality unless it ex- 

 tends its ambitions as it passes from the 

 age of youth to that of manhood. This is 

 a critical period in its history, and much 

 will depend on the policy it will adopt on 

 a question which may still be kept in abey- 

 ance for a short time, but which will have 

 to be faced before long. 



An international organization which has 

 no central office and is not domiciled in 



