448 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXIX. No. 742 



sies and attentions, and to say that he ap- 

 proached South America somewhat op- 

 pressed by the thought that he should find 

 himself a stranger in a strange land, but 

 that, on the contrary, there was not a day 

 of the two months spent in the Latin- 

 American countries on which he was not 

 made to feel entirely at home and among 

 appreciative and generous friends. 



The universal feeling at the close of the 

 congress was that the meeting had fully 

 justified the plans of its projectors; and 

 the story is not entirely told when it is 

 stated that the elaborate program, cover- 

 ing nearly every branch of science, was 

 successfully carried out. The more 

 thoughtful find in this and in kindred 

 assemblages, much that is of significance 

 for the future of the American republics. 

 This congress was a decided step in the 

 direction of bringing about a better under- 

 standing among the nations represented. 

 It was a step toward a fuller appreciation 

 of the common interests of each and every 

 American nation. It was an appreciable 

 forward step in the development of the 

 means and methods of promoting the com- 

 mon interests of the continent. It was a 

 step toward making the experience and the 

 accumulated wisdom of each people repre- 

 sented the experience and wisdom of all. 

 In the Section of Pedagogy, the best that 

 has been developed in the theory and 

 practise of teaching was made the com- 

 mon property of all the American repub- 

 lics. In the Section of Sanitary and 

 Medical Science, the latest achievements 

 of each nation in the battle with disease 

 were made familiar to every participant. 

 In the Section of Agriculture and Zoo- 

 techny, steps were taken in the direction 

 of properly utilizing and conserving the 

 resources of the continent in these impor- 

 tant realms. In the Section of Engineer- 

 ing, the best methods of overcoming the 

 various physical obstacles to progress and 

 of winning the riches of the earth, were 



explained for the benefit of all America. 

 In the Section of Government and Law, 

 the principles of statecraft and the ad- 

 ministration of justice were discussed for 

 the benefit of every American government. 

 In the Section of the Fiscal Sciences, 

 practical methods of conducting the mone- 

 tary affairs of the nations were presented 

 and explained. And in every other branch 

 of science, practical and abstract, the 

 various forces and agencies that contribute 

 toward progress and enlightenment were 

 in a measure the subject of serious atten- 

 tion. The congress was an initial step 

 toward making the best of all the peoples 

 of the western hemisphere. It was an 

 initial step in making the best, for to-day 

 and for all time, of the resources of the 

 continent. It was an initial step which in 

 many ways must make for the peace and 

 prosperity of the continent. It was a 

 noteworthy step in conformity with mani- 

 fest destiny as expressed in the phrase 

 "America for Americans." 



The success of the congi-ess of 1912 de- 

 pends upon the interest displayed in it by 

 the scientific world, and on the support 

 accorded by the Pan-American govern- 

 ments. The time is ample, and the ap- 

 pointment of an organization committee 

 representative of a wide range of scientific 

 interests is the first step in making the 

 Washington meeting an event worthy of 

 the nation and its capital. 



W. H. Holmes 



BuEEAU OF American Ethnology 



MARTIN BANS BOTE 

 Dr. M. H. Boye died at Coopersburg, near 

 Bethlehem, Pa., on March 5, aged ninety-seven 

 years. He was born in Copenhagen, Den- 

 mark, in 1812, and in 1832 was graduated 

 from the University of Copenhagen and in 1835 

 from its Polytechnic School, studying under 

 Oersted, Zeise and Fodchhammer. In 1836 

 he removed to Philadelphia and entered the 

 University of Pennsylvania, studying chemis- 



