658 
in the air. The process is the same as when 
earth is concerned. 
F. S. DELLENBAUGH 
226 W. 78TH Sr., 
NEw YORK, 
March 29, 1912 
REPORTED DISCOVERY OF RADIUM IN NORTHERN 
ARKANSAS 
In this day, new results of scientific work 
make such rapid appearance that the public in 
general are very credulous about reported dis- 
coveries however unreasonable they may ap- 
pear, and even scientists are cautious about 
expressing adverse opinions concerning such, 
without having carefully investigated them. 
Apropos of this, a short article that some 
weeks ago appeared in.a St. Louis paper, re- 
porting an alleged discovery of radium in 
northern Arkansas and naming the writer as 
authority for its existence, has been somewhat 
widely copied by the press, and has brought 
numerous letters to the writer from different 
parts of the country from New York to Cali- 
fornia. Among these have been letters from 
scientists and those engaged in commercial 
work. The foundation for the report is as 
follows: 
In the latter part of February there came 
to the writer’s office, then at the University 
of Arkansas, a Mr. Leib, of Bentonville, that 
state, who brought a cigar box of earthy 
material which he said came from a cave near 
his home. It was just such material as might 
come from any limestone cave. With the box 
was a photograph which Mr. Leib said had 
been made by exposing the box containing the 
material before a camera, for several hours, 
in an absolutely dark room. The picture was 
of about the distinctness of an ordinary X-ray 
photograph. It plainly showed the box, the 
string about it and the knots in the string. 
Mr. Leib was told by both Professor A. A. 
Steel, of the University of Arkansas, and 
myself that while the photograph was inter- 
esting, careful investigation was necessary 
before it could be stated that the substance 
contains any radium or other radio-active 
material. For this purpose he was advised to 
SCIENCE 
[N.S. Vou. XXXV. No. 904 
send some of it to Professor B. B. Boltwood, 
of Yale University. 
Such is the basis of a newspaper story that 
seems to have attracted a good deal of at- 
tention. 
A. H. Purpvur 
STATE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, 
NASHVILLE, TENN., 
April 17, 1912 
THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCE- 
MENT OF SCIENCE 
To tHe Eprror oF Science: It is generally 
agreed that the recent Washington meeting 
of the American Association for the Advance- 
ment of Science and its affiliated societies was 
one of the most enjoyable, helpful and inspir- 
ing meetings ever held in this country. The 
attendance was large, the programs well 
filled, the discussions earnest and the efforts 
of the local committees fully successful in 
providing ample means for social intercourse 
without too much distraction from the work 
of the meeting. 
Nevertheless, that meeting probably marks 
the parting of the ways, and it behooves all of 
us who have been and still are loyal to the 
American Association for the Advancement of 
Science to give earnest consideration to the 
question of the future policy of that union of 
scientific workers which has in the past done 
so much to deserve its title. 
Two of the fundamental principles of the 
association are: first, by means of migratory 
meetings to arouse interest in scientific mat- 
ters in different sections of the country; sec- 
ond, to bring together workers in all branches 
of science, for mutual acquaintance and for 
the development of broader view-points than 
is possible from too close absorption in one’s 
own special line. 
These ideals could be and have been well 
realized in the past when the average attend- 
ance on such meetings was not too large for 
the hotel accommodations of most of our 
cities and when it was usually possible to have 
meetings of various sections in one building, 
thus enabling closely related sections to meet 
in adjacent rooms. 
