570 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXIX. No. 745 



truly marvelous was the grasp this man 

 displayed in so many varied subjects! 



Now who has ever attempted to apply 

 his knowledge to fields outside his own im- 

 mediate one that has not felt this same 

 irresistible, impelling, burning desire to 

 know all that has been done before him in 

 the new country he is about to explore? 

 Haven't we each one of ns found that with 

 such an all-conquering impetus back of us 

 the most complex mathematics or the most 

 abstruse subject teems with a new and liv- 

 ing interest? What was irksome before 

 has now become a pleasure ! And if there 

 is one of you who for lack of excursions 

 into such green pastures has not had new 

 and invigorating blood course through his 

 veins and has not been given a glimpse of 

 a higher, truer and more ennobling vision 

 of life, he has missed the greatest pleasure 

 and the highest compensation open to the 

 research worker! 



Do you know of a school of thought that 

 has prevailed for any length of time vsdth- 

 out resistance to that most subtle and, 

 therefore, most dangerous of all insidious 

 modes of attack, viz., the one coming from 

 within its own fold of devotees, due to the 

 pernicious habit of in-breeding 1 Is there 

 any greater danger than that which besets 

 a university which fills its chairs repeat- 

 edly from' among its own graduates? 

 We all know of the fallacy of the brilliant 

 professor who thinks his ideas can be made 

 to continue longest by surrounding himself 

 with assistants drawn, if not entirely, at 

 least chiefly, from among his own disciples. 

 Will he not surely find, as Maxwell put it, 

 that his "system has closed him in before 

 he is forty" because he has forgotten the 

 essential element to prevent ciystallization 

 — the importation of fresh blood and the 

 introduction of new ideas? 



If you agi'ee with the speaker thus far, 

 may not similar occurrences be recorded of 

 our societies, because of the suicidal policy 



of a particular class of members who are 

 apt to believe that the best result can be 

 reached by increasing their representation, 

 and thus by their majority vote be able to 

 dictate and control the general policy of 

 the society to which they belong ? Is it wise 

 organization for membership in any delib- 

 erative body to be so constituted as to make 

 it possible for the act of the assembly to be 

 unduly influenced by one set of investiga- 

 tors ? Is there not here subject for careful 

 thought— a source of degeneracy due to the 

 in-breeding in societies to be equally 

 guarded against? Joseph Henry truly 

 said: "Votes in science should not be 

 counted, but weighed!" 



This then is my specific plea : a broader 

 conception and a more scientific represen- 

 tation of the subjects of physical research. 

 Could we not make the attempt certainly 

 once a year to devote most of our time and 

 attention to some of the greater aspects 

 of our work and take stock, so to speak, 

 of our achievements, and of their possible 

 applications ? 



L. A. Bauee 



REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE OF THE AMER- 

 ICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY APPOINTED TO 

 COOPERATE WITH THE NATIONAL 

 CONSERVATION COMMISSION 



In May, 1908, a meeting of the governors of 

 the different states was held at the White 

 House in Washington to consider the con- 

 servation of our rapidly wasting natural re- 

 sources. Following this meeting, a commis- 

 sion was appointed by the president of the 

 United States to investigate the subject, and 

 the principal scientific societies of the United 

 States were invited to cooperate with it. The 

 committee of the American Chemical Society, 

 appointed in response to this invitation, now 

 has the honor to submit the following pre- 

 liminary report. 



On December 8, 9 and 10 the National 

 Conservation Conunission met in Washing- 

 ton in joint conference with the delegates of 



