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SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXVIII. No. 723 



gainer by inspection, as the prevention of 

 dishonest competition is distinctly to his 

 advantage. In the past reputable business 

 houses have been among the first to favor 

 adulteration laws, and it is not improbable 

 that they would welcome further measures. 

 It should be remembered, however, that the 

 trade is ever jealous of its rights and is 

 quick to resent any unnecessary interfer- 

 ence. 



The chemist has been an important 

 factor in inspection, as on him has devolved 

 the important task of securing evidence as 

 to the character or purity of products and 

 presenting this evidence either in official 

 reports or by testimony in court. 



The Association of Official Agricultural 

 Chemists, since its inception, has been pre- 

 eminently a body of inspection chemists 

 and doubtless would never have existed had 

 it not been for laws affecting the sale of 

 fertilizers and foods. The same may be 

 said of the Section of Agricultural and 

 Food Chemistry of this Association. Of 

 the 28 papers to be read at this meeting 

 before the section, at least 19 relate di- 

 rectly or indirectly to inspection, and a 

 great majority of the listeners will doubt- 

 less be inspection chemists. 



The extension of inspection is contin- 

 ually opening up new and fascinating 

 realms of investigation, and it will be a 

 long time before the analyst need cry for 

 new worlds to conquer. 



A. L. WiNTON 

 Chicago Laboeatoet op 

 Bureau op Chemistey, 

 U. S. Depaetment of Agkicultuke 



THE AMERICAN SOOIOLOaWAL SOCIETY 

 The third annual meeting of the American 

 Sociological Society will be held at Atlantic 

 City, N. J., from December 28 to 31, inclusive, 

 in conjunction with the annual meetings of 

 the American Economic Association, the 

 American Statistical Association and the 

 American Association for Labor Legislation. 



The Sociological Society will hold seven 

 sessions, one of which will be a joint meeting 

 with the Economic Association and another of 

 which will be a joint meeting with the Ameri- 

 can Statistical Association. All seven ses- 

 sions, however, will be devoted to a discussion 

 of some aspect of the general topic " The 

 Family in Modern Society." Thio general 

 topic has been divided as follows : 



1. Relation of the family to social change. 

 (President's address.) 



2. How do home conditions react upon the 

 family ? 



3. Are modern industry and city life unfavor- 

 able to the family? 



4. How does the woman movement react upon 

 the family? 



5. Has the freer granting of divorce proved an 

 evil? 



6. How far should the state go in individual- 

 izing the members of the family? 



7. How far should family property be conserved 

 and encouraged? 



Detailed programs can be had by applying 

 to the Secretary, Professor C. W. A. Veditz, 

 George Washington University, Washington, 

 D. C. 



THE "UNIVERSITY TABLE" AT THE 

 NAPLES ZOOLOGICAL STATION 



For a number of years in the past a table 

 was maintained at the Naples laboratory 

 under the above title, half the cost being met 

 by the late William E. Dodge in the name of 

 Columbia University, and half by contribu- 

 tions from other sources. Owing to lack of 

 regular support the subscription for this table 

 unfortunately lapsed for several years. 

 Friends of the university have now made it 

 possible to renew the subscription, and it is 

 hoped that the table may now be permanently 

 maintained under the name of the " Columbia 

 Table." Its use is open to all qualified 

 Americans and applications may be sent to 

 Professor E. B. Wilson, Columbia University, 

 New York City. 



SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS 

 The Nichols Medal of the American Chem- 

 ical Society has been awarded to Professor 

 William A. Noyes, of the University of 



