Jancaet 29, 1909] 



SCIENCE 



171 



■whieh remain constant. Visual and photo- 

 graphic observation of the waye forms from 

 many instruments shows that the overtones 

 are certainly not harmonic in the sense 

 commonly understood, and, moreover, the 

 different notes in the scale of any one in- 

 strument are not similar in their composi- 

 tion. While a tone is being given with no 

 variation that the ear detects, the partials 

 are seen to be rapidly varying in phase, or 

 intensity, or both. A slight change in the 

 manner of blowing a wind instrument, 

 which to the ear results merely in a change 

 of loudness, completely alters the form of 

 the wave. Instead of a characteristic series 

 of harmonics, it seems that each instrument 

 possesses rather a characteristic tone or 

 tones, which is of constant pitch for all 

 notes of its scale. This theory has been re- 

 cently advanced by Meissner, from experi- 

 ments with the phonograph. Such a char- 

 acteristic tone for the flute would seem to 

 be consistent with the rather anomalous 

 conditions imposed by the stopper in the 

 head-joint of the instrument. 



The inadequacy of the former theory is 

 clearly shown by the failure of many at- 

 tempts to synthetically reproduce the char- 

 acteristic tones of orchestral instruments, 

 such as those by Helmholtz, Koenig and 

 more recently by the Telharmonium. 



A complete reply to the second part, 

 "Why," of the question propounded for 

 consideration has, by no means been given ; 

 but the first part of the question, we feel, 

 has been conclusively answered: the effect 

 of material upon tone quality of wind 

 instruments certainly is not a fable. 



Dayton C. Mh^ler 

 Case School of Applied Science 



REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON STANDARDS 

 OF AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES^ 



The Committee on Standards of American 

 Universities begs leave to report as follows : 



' Amended and adopted by the National Asso- 

 ciation of State Universities, Washington, D. C, 

 November 17, 1908. 



The committee originally was appointed at 

 a session of this association in Washington, 

 D. C, ISTovember 13, 1905, and consisted of 

 Presidents Bryan, of Indiana, James, of 

 Illinois, and MacLean, of Iowa, Chairman. 

 The resolution under which the committee 

 was appointed reads : 



That a committee be appointed that shall report 

 later to this body upon standards for the recogni- 

 tion of American universities and upon standards 

 for the recognition of the A.B. degree and higher 

 degrees. 



The committee was unable to meet in 

 1905-6. The chairman presented a memoran- 

 dum for a partial report at the session of the 

 association, November 12-13, 1906, in Baton 

 Eouge, La., and the committee was continued. 

 At a meeting of the association in 1907, the 

 committee asked for further time. The re- 

 quest was granted and at the special meeting 

 of the association in Chicago in February, 

 1908, President Baker, of Colorado, was added 

 to the committee. The committee has had 

 several extended sittings and unites in the 

 following statements and recommendations : 



Your committee believes that there are cer- 

 tain clearly marked tendencies or forces at 

 work in our American society toward a de- 

 velopment, at no distant date, of a typical 

 institution of learning, which we may not im- 

 properly call the Standard American TTni- 

 versity. 



This institution will, for an indefinite time, 

 include as an important part of its organiza- 

 tion what we may call a Standard American 

 College, with a four-year curriculum, with a 

 tendency to differentiate its parts in such a 

 way that the first two years shall be looked 

 upon as a continuation of, and a supplement 

 to, the work of secondary instruction, as given 

 iu the high school, while the last two years 

 shall be shaped more and more distinctly in 

 the direction of special, advanced or uni- 

 versity instruction, rising gradually into the 

 advanced work of the graduate school. 



The Standard American University will 

 also include as a distinct department the 

 graduate school or philosophical faculty. 



It will also include as organic parts of the 

 institution in its fully developed form, vari- 



