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SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLIV. No. 1130 



ident Wilson to continue the custom of his im- 

 mediate predecessors of appointing the com- 

 missioner of fisheries for partisan rather than 

 for public services, he appointed the man who 

 stood first in the committee's recommenda- 

 tions. 



Again, in appointing the chief of the 

 Weather Bureau, President Wilson took un- 

 usual means to secure the best available man 

 by requesting the National Academy of Sci- 

 ences to recommend a suitable person for the 

 position. Although the Academy was estab- 

 lished by Act of Congress in 1863 to serve as 

 adviser to the government in matters of sci- 

 ence, and although since that time it has had 

 among its members the most distinguished sci- 

 entific men in America, this was the first time 

 that a president of the United States ever 

 asked the Academy for advice as to a scientific 

 appointment. Also, in the selection of the 

 chief chemist of the Department of Agricul- 

 ture and of the chief of the Bureau of Mines, 

 the president sought and acted upon the best 

 scientific advice which he could get. In no 

 one of these cases did he inquire about the 

 political affiliation of the person recommended. 



In many other matters President Wilson 

 has shown an unusual and unprecedented de- 

 sire to consult the leading scientific bodies of 

 this country on subjects of science and a 

 marked degree of independence in following 

 their advice, sometimes in spite of much po- 

 litical or personal opposition. Through his 

 individual action the question of the best 

 means of abating the slides at Panama was re- 

 ferred to the National Academy of Sciences, 

 and at his request a committee was appointed 

 to investigate and report upon this subject; 

 the names of the committee were a sufficient 

 guarantee that their work would be well done, 

 and their report, which was promptly made, 

 will probably be of inestimable value to the 

 nation. Quite recently the President requested 

 the National Academy of Sciences to take the 

 initiative in bringing into cooperation existing 

 governmental, educational, industrial and 

 other research organizations with the object 

 of promoting national welfare and of provid- 

 ing for national defense. As a result there 



has been established through the cooperation 

 of national scientific societies, research insti- 

 tutes, universities and the scientific depart- 

 ments of the government a National Eesearch 

 Council, as described by Dr. George E. Hale 

 in a letter to The Times on August 1, which 

 should be of great and lasting value to this na- 

 tion. 



Under these circumstances it does not seem 

 fitting that scientific men should allow to go 

 unchallenged the statement that the scientific 

 work of the government has been degraded by 

 President Wilson's appointments or the im- 

 plication that his interest in that work has 

 been that of a partisan. — Edwin G. Conklin of 

 Princeton University in the New York Times. 



SCIENTIFIC BOOKS 

 Analytical Mechanics. By H. M. Dadourian, 



M.A., Ph.D. Second edition, revised and 



enlarged. 



In his second edition of his "Analytical 

 Mechanics," Dr. Dadourian has made a num- 

 ber of changes and additions. What he as- 

 sumes as the fundamental principle of mechan- 

 ics he now calls the " Action Principle " which 

 is a modified form of what he formerly called 

 " The Principle of Action and Eeaction." " A 

 new chapter has been added which is devoted 

 to the equilibrium of framed structures and 

 graphic statics." " The number of diagrams 

 has been increased by one hundred and thirty, 

 and about three hundred practical problems 

 have been added." Other smaller changes have 

 been made. In all the book has been enlarged 

 by about seventy additional pages. 



In his first edition, the author states that 

 the book " is based upon a course of lectures 

 and recitations which the author has given 

 during the last few years to the junior class of 

 the electrical department of the Sheffield 

 Scientific School." "In order to make the 

 book suitable for the purposes of more than 

 one class of students a larger number of spe- 

 cial topics are discussed than any one class 

 will probably take up. But these are so ar- 

 ranged as to permit the omission of one or 

 more without breaking the logical continuity 



