SCIENCE 



FRffiAY, January 4, 1918 



CONTENTS 

 The American Association for the Advance- 

 ment of Science: — 



Some Economic Aspects of the World War: 

 President Chables K. Van Hise 1 



The Nomenclature used in Colloid Chemistry: 

 Professor Arthur W. Thomas 10 



Address at the Funeral of Joseph Young 

 Bergen: Professor Edtvin H. Hall 14 



Scientific Events: — 



The Medallists of the Eoyal Society; Beport 

 of the Year's WorTc at the V. S. Naval Ob- 

 servatory; The Enlistment in Engineer Re- 

 serve Corps of Technical Students pending 

 Completion of Studies 15 



Scientific Notes and News 17 



University and Educational News 22 



Discussion and Correspondence: — 



A Suggestion for Staining Technique: Dr. 

 Paul Ashley West. The Preparation of 

 Skeletons by Bacterial Digestion: Ealph 

 G. HuRLiN. Shall the Use of the Astronom- 

 ical Day be discontinued? Dr. W. S. Eichel- 

 BEROER 22 



Scientific Books: — 



Gage's The Microscope: Professor M. F. 

 GuTER. Vogt 's Introduction to Sural Soci- 

 ology: Professor Warren S. Thompson. 23 



Special Articles: — 



A Wet Condenser suitable for Continuous 

 High Potential Service: E. Karrer and H. 

 S. Newcomer 



The Boston Meeting of the American Chem- 

 ical Society 5 



MSS. icXesded for publication and books, etc., intended (or 

 leview •houlo be aent to The Editor of Sdenoe, Garrison-on- 

 Hudaon, N. V. 



SOME ECONOMIC ASPECTS OF THE 

 WORLD WARi 



ECONOMIC CONDITIONS BEFORE THE WAR" 



Our Resources 



The United States i.s a nation of un- 

 matched naiural resources. It is a young 

 nation. Its people have not yet multiplied 

 so that they even approximate the potential 

 possibilities of production. Inconsequence 

 of this happj^ situation the United States, 

 antecedent to the war, easily produced a 

 sufficient amount of almost every essential 

 commodity to meet our wants and in ad- 

 dition a large siirplus. The production in 

 the United States of the cereals — wheat, 

 oats, rye, corn, and barley — was enormous. 

 Wliether the year was favorable or un- 

 favorable, enough of each was produced 

 not only for our own needs, but these com- 

 modities could be shipped abroad to any 

 extent that the market demanded. 



The situation in regard to meats and fats 

 was like that which obtained for the cereals. 



The only fundamental food of which we 

 did not produce va.stly more than we 

 needed was sugar; and an adequate supply 

 of this commoditj' was easily furnished by 

 our insular possessions and by our im- 

 mediately adjacent neighbor Cuba. 



The two great textiles of the world are 

 cotton and wool; and of these "cotton is 

 king." Of the latter commodity the out- 



1 Address of Charles E. Van Hise as retiring 

 president of the American Association for the Ad- 

 vancement of Science, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 

 December 28, 1917. 



- For a much fuller presentation of the facts 

 herein summarized see "Conservation and Regu- 

 lation in the United States during the World 

 War," by Charles R. Van Hise, published by the 

 Food Administration. 



