140 
staple articles where confidence in the 
seller or exceptional skill are not essential 
features. The possible economy of large- 
scale production and the undertaking by 
one organization of the various processes, 
even from the raw material through manu- 
facture and distribution to the consumer, 
has been demonstrated by some of the 
great corporations of the country. How- 
ever much we may decry this tendency, 
we may be reasonably certain that it will 
be adopted more and more in the future. 
It would be rash to predict an early re- 
turn to low prices. All the great factors 
which I have partially portrayed depend 
upon new conditions which have arisen, 
some of which are inseparably connected 
with substantial benefits to the human 
race. If prices have increased, human en- 
joyment has increased also. 
That which is most noticeable in the 
consideration of this problem is the wide 
variation in the changing cost of divers 
commodities and facilities. After making 
due allowance, however, for this variation, 
there is a manifest increase in the general 
price level. Great economic laws will be 
potent in their effect upon these condi- 
tions. The enormous increase in the pro- 
duction of gold will be checked as this 
metal becomes less valuable in comparison 
with useful articles. Indeed, this fact is 
already forecast by the diminished annual 
imerease in the years 1910 and 1911. 
The increasing price of farm products may 
stimulate a ‘‘back to the farm’’ movement, 
but whether this proves true or not it will 
undoubtedly encourage more scientific 
methods of cultivation and thus increase 
the average yield per acre. More in- 
telligent and more adequate control will be 
exercised over great industrial and com- 
mercial organizations so that the benefit of 
modern developments in industry and 
SCIENCE 
[N.S. Vou. XXXV. No. 891 
commerce may accrue in proper measure 
to all classes of consumers. 
The same advances which have been 
made in production and in the distribu- 
tion of great masses of commodities will, 
as far as possible, be applied to the mi- 
nutest details of distribution. Our nat- 
ural resources which have been wasted, or 
too largely absorbed by the few, will be 
more carefully utilized and every possible 
means be taken to preserve a proper share 
of them for the future. Thus in this pres- 
ent increase of prices as in all great eco- 
nomic changes there may be reasonable as- 
surance that the ultimate effect will bring 
to all substantial benefit rather than harm. 
T. E. Burton 
THE CENTENARY OF THE ACADEMY OF 
NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA 
Earty in the past year resolutions were 
adopted by the council of the Academy otf 
Natural Sciences of Philadelphia approving 
of a fitting celebration of the centenary of the 
society on the nineteenth, twentieth and 
twenty-first of next March. The president 
appointed a committee of forty-one to make 
arrangements for such celebration. 
The general committee, of which the presi- 
dent, Samuel G. Dixon, M.D., LL.D., is chair- 
man, has been divided into sub-committees on 
printing and publications, meetings and ad- 
dresses, invitations, finance and entertain- 
ment. In harmony with a preliminary report 
of this committee the publication of three vol- 
umes has been decided upon: A commemora- 
tive quarto volume of scientific memoirs, ade- 
quately illustrated; an index to the series of 
Proceedings and Journal up to and including 
1910, now amounting to nearly one hundred 
volumes, and a detailed history of the acad- 
emy by Dr. Nolan, of which the chapter con- 
tributed by him in 1908 to the “ Founders’ 
Week Memorial Volume” may be considered 
a prodromus. The last mentioned volume 
will be illustrated by portraits and views. 
It has been decided to hold the first session 
on the meeting night of the academy, on 
