974 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXVII. No. 965 



The totals for the second classification are: 

 biology 7.7 per cent., chemistry 19 per cent., 

 physics 20.3 per cent., geology 3.7 per cent., 

 mathematics 40 per cent., and psychology 9.3 

 per cent. 



These tables show, then, that (1) under the 

 absolute classification in the first array, psy- 

 chology does not appear at all in the rank of 

 the first five disciplines represented, but that 

 (2) under the relative classification of our 

 second array, whereas psychology has the few- 

 est number of representatives engaged in ac- 

 tivity in its field, it stands, on the average, 

 fourth on the list of executive representatives, 

 and, if we get its comparative rank in terms 

 of the relative number engaged in the pro- 

 fession, we find that it stands next to the top. 

 This result was obtained by dividing the aver- 

 age per cent., as given in the second table, by 

 the per cent, of number engaged in the pro- 

 fession as outlined above. This value might 

 be termed, for the sake of this discussion, the 

 efiiciency-value and results as follows: mathe- 

 matics 4.00, psychology 1.55, physics .94, 

 chemistry .86, biology .29, and geology .24. 



Another investigation was carried on from 

 a slightly different angle. This study was 

 not, like the second classification, a compara- 

 tive one in terms of other sciences. The 

 question arose as to how many psychologists 

 of repute have been engaged in executive 

 work since they began activity in the field ©f 

 the science. For this purpose the membership 

 list of the American Psychological Associa- 

 tion and Cattell's " American Men of Sci- 

 ence " (2d, 1911, edition) were consulted. 

 From the former, a list of about 300 names, 

 150 names of persons who were recognized in 

 the latter as psychologists were drawn. These 

 names were subdivided into two groups: those 

 recognized as eminent, i. e., among the 1,000 

 scientists of the country, and, the remainder, 

 those who were not so considered. It was 

 deemed that they had performed executive 

 work if, after they had held some responsible 

 position in psychology, they had become ad- 

 ministrators in the sense of the above classifi- 

 cations, or if they had held, or were holding, 

 such positions as superintendencies or prin- 



cipalships of schools, directorships of institu- 

 tions, or other equivalent positions. It was 

 found that in the first group there were 12 

 executives out of a possible total of 42 (29 

 per cent.), and in the second group 36 out of 

 108 (33 per cent.) came under the rubric of 

 executives. This, the investigator believes, is 

 a fairly large portion of the total, but there is, 

 of course, no ground for believing that psy- 

 chology is making a better showing in this re- 

 spect than other sciences, except in so far as 

 the second classification, given above, dis- 

 tinctly indicates it. Undoubtedly, on the 

 score of this classification, the conclusion that 

 psychology, next to mathematics, is contribu- 

 ting more executives relatively than the other 

 sciences mentioned, is valid; and the suppo- 

 sition that the comparison between these sci- 

 ences, chosen only with reference to available 

 statistics, is fair, must be left to the judg- 

 ment of the readers of this article. 



Christian A. Euckmioh 

 Cornell UNiraBsiTT 



TWE PLANT INDVSTET BALL OF THE 

 UNIVEBSITT OF NEBRASKA 



On June 10 the University of Nebraska 

 dedicated a new building known as the Plant 

 Industry HaU, to be occupied by the depart- 

 ments of agricultural botany, in charge of 

 Professor Wilcox; horticulture, in charge of 

 Professor Emerson, and entomology, in charge 

 of Professor Bruner. The new building is 

 140 by 65 feet, and consists of three stories 

 above the basement. It is of strictly fire- 

 proof construction throughout. 



Short addresses were made by Architect 

 Chowins, Regent Whitmore and Dean Bur- 

 nett. The principal address on " Practical 

 Science " was given by Professor Dr. John 

 M. Coulter, of the University of Chicago, and 

 will be printed in Science. These addresses 

 were followe(? by the ceremony of conferring 

 the honorary degree of doctor of agriculture 

 upon Dean Herbert J. Webber, of the Univer- 

 sity of California, and Dean Albert F. Woods, 

 of the University of Minnesota. 



In conferring theso degrees, Chancellor 

 Avery said: 



