Mat 23, 1913] 



SCIENCE 



775 



not less than one year nor more than six 

 years before the awarding of the prize, 

 shall have made in the judgment of the 

 trustees the most important discovery or 

 investigation in electricity or magnetism 

 or radiant energy." 



This gift was received in December, 

 1907, and the first Comstock prize will be 

 awarded at the present meeting. 



General Comstock was a distinguished 

 engineer, and a member of the academy. 

 He died in 1910. 



10. The 0. G. Marsh J^Mwd.— Professor 

 Marsh, for twelve years president of the 

 academy, died in 1899. He bequeathed the 

 sum of $10,000 to the academy, "the in- 

 come to be used and expended by it for 

 promoting original research in the natural 

 sciences." This fund has not yet become 

 available. 



11. The Alexander Agassis Fund. — Alex- 

 ander Agassiz, who was president of the 

 academy from 1901 to 1907, died in 1910, 

 and bequeathed to the academy the sum of 

 $50,000 unconditionally. No decision has 

 yet been reached in regard to the uses to 

 which this fund is to be put. 



12. The Agassiz Medal, which will be 

 awarded for the first time this year, was 

 provided for by a gift of Sir John Murray. 



While this account may have proved 

 tedious to some of you, it seemed necessary 

 for the purpose of giving a correct impres- 

 sion of the work now being carried on. 

 The academy has sacred duties to perform. 

 It will soon devolve upon the younger mem- 

 bers to see that these duties are conscien- 

 tiously performed. 



The constitution provides that the acad- 

 emy shall hold one meeting in each year in 

 the city of Washington and another at such 

 place and time as the council may deter- 

 mine. Whatever may be said of the duties 

 of the academy as the scientific adviser of 

 the government and as a custodian of trust 



funds, it must be acknowledged that it is 

 through the agency of its regular meetings 

 that its influence is mainly exerted. In 

 this as in other matters, it is the subtle, the 

 intangible, the spiritual that tells. Work- 

 ers in the field of science are supposed by 

 some, perhaps by many, to be incapable of 

 recognizing the force of the intangible, and 

 yet scientific work must inevitably lead to 

 this recognition. It is impossible to weigh 

 and measure the effect of the meetings upon 

 those who take part. But that effect is felt 

 none the less, and it is certain that those 

 who attend are in the long run benefited — 

 some in one way, some in another. This is 

 not a subject that lends itself to profitable 

 discussion. It may not be out of place, 

 however, for one who has been a regular 

 attendant for over thirty years to make 

 public acknowledgment of the debt which 

 he personally owes the academy for the 

 opportunities it has afforded him of asso- 

 ciating with and counting among his 

 friends those whose earnest, honest work 

 has been an inspiration to him and to the 

 world. This association has been an ines- 

 timable privilege for which he is deeply 

 thankful. 



The work of the academy will continue; 

 new and younger members will take up the 

 work. Is it too much to hope that when 

 the centennial anniversary is celebrated 

 some of the members here present may be 

 remembered as we to-day remember with 

 gratitude the founders? 



Ira Remsen 



THE RELATION OF SCIENCE TO HIGHER 

 EDUCATION IN AMEBIC A ^ 



The half century which has elapsed 

 since the founding of this academy has 

 witnessed a radical change in the relations 



' Address delivered before the National Acad- 

 emy of Sciences on the occasion of the semi-cen- 

 tennial celebration of its foimdation. 



