SCIENCE 



A WBERLY JOURNAL DEVOTED TO THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE, PUBLISHING THE 



OFFICIAL NOTICES AND PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION 



FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. 



Friday, January 22, 1909 



CONTENTS 

 Ea/rthquake Forecasts : G. K. Gilbeet 121 



Jean Albert Qaudry: Peofessob Chaem:s E. 

 Eastman 138 



Scientific Notes and News 140 



University and Educational News 14Z 



Discussion and Correspondence: — 

 Peculiar Electrical Phenomema: Henry 

 Pembeeton, Je. The Railway Rates for the 

 Baltimore Meeting. H. Newell Waedle . 143 



Quotations : — 

 Harvard's New President 144 



Scientific Boohs: — 

 Eliot and the American University: Peesi- 

 DENT David Stabe Joedan 145 



Scientific Journals and Articles 148 



Botanical Notes: — 



Trees and Forestry; Another Book on North 

 American Trees; Fungus Notes: Peofessob 

 Chaeles E. Besset 148 



Special Articles: — 



Some Remarks on the Culture of Eastern 

 Near- Arctic Indians : Alanson Skinneb . . 150 



The American Association for the Advance- 

 ment of Science: — 

 Section A — Mathematics and Astronomy: 

 Peofessob G. A. Millee 152 



Societies and Academies: — 



The Washington Academy of Sciences: J. 

 S. DiLLEE. The Botanical Society of Wash- 

 ington: W. E. Saffoed. The Torrey Botan- 

 ical Club : Peecy Wilson 158 



MSS. intended for publicatiou and books, etc., intended for 

 reyiew should be sent to the Editor of Science, Garrison-on- 

 Hudson, N. Y. 



EARTHQUAKE FORECASTS'^ 

 INTEODXJCTION 



There was a time when the weather be- 

 longed to the gods. Storms and drought 

 were inflicted on man in punishment or for 

 vengeance, man strove to avert them by 

 sacrifice or prayer, and the priest was his 

 intercessor. Now the weather belongs to 

 nature, and the priestly robe has fallen on 

 the Weather Bureau. Man's new agent, 

 however, is not an intercessor; he does 

 nothing to placate; he makes no attempt 

 to control the course of nature; but in- 

 spired by science he foretells the coming 

 changes so that his lay client may take 

 warning and be prepared. The crops are 

 harvested before the ^fain, the herds es- 

 cape from the lowland before the flood, the 

 ships reach harbor before the gale; and 

 man chants a hymn of praise to science. 



There was a time when the earthquake 

 was equally enveloped in mystery, and was 

 forecast in the enigmatic phrases of the 

 astrologer and oracle; and now that it too 

 has passed from the shadow of the occult 

 to the light of knowledge, the people of 

 the civilized earth— the lay clients of the 

 seismologist — would be glad to know 

 whether the time has yet come for a scien- 

 tific forecast of the impending tremor. 

 The outlook for earthquake forecasting is 

 my theme to-day. 



As you are aware, I am not a seismolo- 

 gist. My point of view is that of the geol- 

 ogist and general geographer. I speak as 



'Presidential address to the American Associ- 

 ation of Geographers, read at Baltimore, Md., 

 January 1, 1909. 



