SCIENCE 



Friday, January 18, 1918 



CONTENTS 



The American Association for the Advance- 

 ment of Science: — 



Present Tendencies in Theoretical Physics: 

 Peofessoe H. a. Bumstkad 51 



CyrHle Grand'Eury : E. W. B. 



62 



Scientific Events: — 



Ornithological Field Work in 1917; The 

 Annual Meeting of the New Yorlc Zoolog- 

 ical Society; War-time Service of the Uni- 

 versity of California 63 



Scientific Notes and News 66 



University and Educational News 69 



Discussion and Correspondence: — 



Bhythmic Precipitation: J. Stansfield. 

 Gravitational Sepulsion and the Comet: 

 Peofessoe Francis E. Nipheb. Barite in 

 Georgia: Wilb0e A. Nelson. Manga7iese 

 in Alberta: Williasi McInnes 70 



Scientific Books: — 



Crampton on the Genus Partula: John T. 

 Nichols 71 



Special Articles: — 

 Resistance of Peanuts of Sclerotium Bolfsii: 

 J. A. McClintock 72 



The Boston Meeting of the American Chemical 

 Society 73 



MSS. ictended (or publicatioa aod books, etc.. iateoded for 

 review gboulc be sent tu Tbe Editor of Scieiue, G v ii a oa-oa- 

 Hudson. N. If. 



PRESENT TENDENCIES IN THEORET- 

 ICAL PHYSICS 1 



At a time like the present, when the 

 minds of all of us are intent upon the war 

 and the great issues which depend upon it, 

 it seems almost an affectation to discuss be- 

 fore you a subject so remote from "the in- 

 stant need of things" as the methods and 

 outlook of theoretical physics. The custom 

 of many j'ears, however, constrains the sec- 

 tional vice-president to deliver an address. 

 The many questions raised by the war and 

 the relation of science to war have been so 

 thoroughly discussed that I should cer- 

 tainly not be justified in inflicting upon 

 you at great length my own views. The 

 only alternative, therefore, to an appear- 

 ance of detachment, which I am far from 

 feeling, would have been the abolition for 

 this year of the vice-presidential address 

 before Section B — a measure of war-econ- 

 omy which would have commanded my 

 hearty and unqualified support. 



When, however, we turn our minds to a 

 consideration of the recent development of 

 our science, we are confronted at once with 

 the unmistakable fact that there has been 

 little progress since August, 1914, in either 

 theoretical or experimental physics. "We 

 had become accustomed to a stead3' succes- 

 sion, year by year, of important experi- 

 mental discoveries and of ingenious and 

 original theoretical discussions; we need 

 mention only a few — the Stark Effect, the 

 crj-stalline diffraction of X-rays, Onnes's 



1 Address of the vice-president and chairman of 

 Section B — Physics — American Association for the 

 Advancement of Science, Pittsburgh, December, 

 1917. 



