SCIENCE 



FRffiAY, July 8, 1921 



The University and Eesearch: Db. Vernon 

 Kellogg 19 



The Metric System in Japan: Howakd Eich- 

 ASDS, Jr 23 



Sei-entific Events: — 



The Paris Academy of Sdenoes; The Iowa 

 Lake Side Laboratory ; The Jennings Anni- 

 versary Celeiration 24 



Scientific Notes and News 26 



University and Educatimial News 27 



Disoussion and Correspondence :— 



The Cannonball Lance Formation: Dr. W. 

 D. Matthew. Newoomb on Extra-mundane 

 Life: Dr. George C. Comstock 27 



Cooperative Indexing of Scientific Litera- 

 ture 30 



Special Articles: — 



The Motions of the Planets and the Sela- 

 tivity Theory: Professor Charles Lane 

 Poor 30 



The American Chemical Society : Dr. Charles 

 L. Parsons 34 



MSS. intended for 'publication and books, etc., intended for 

 review should be sent to The Editor of Science, Garrison-on- 

 Hudson, N. Y. 



THE UNIVERSITY AND RESEARCH i 



The main sources of research in America 

 have been, and must continue to be, the uni- 

 versities. We have a few first class special 

 research institutes; and we have a good many 

 laboratories of industrial research and devel- 

 opment. There are more of these than is 

 popularly known ; five hundred, perhaps, count- 

 ing many small ones. But their work is di- 

 rected more towards the attack of specific prob- 

 lems of development in the special industries 

 which support them, and less towards the fun- 

 damental science that underlies these indus- 

 tries. In some of the larger of these industrial 

 research laboratories, however, able investi- 

 gators are at work and fundamental research 

 of a high quality is carried on. But in all 

 of the few special institutes and the many 

 Industrial laboratories taken together the re- 

 search output is much less than that which 

 comes from the universities. In addition, of 

 one thing very important to the maintenance 

 of research in the country these special insti- 

 tutes and industrial laboratories do almost 

 nothing at all. That is the development and 

 training of new research workers. This is 

 done almost exclusively in the universities 

 and colleges. Anything, therefore, which les- 

 sens the interest and activities of the uni- 

 versities in research, and hence reduces their 

 actual output of research and research work- 

 ers, is a menace to our national strength and 

 well-being. For this strength and well-being 

 depend, in a very large measure, on scientific 

 research and discovery. 



The conspicuous role played by science in 

 the war from its very beginning, and the press- 

 ing necessity for solving serious war problems 

 involving scientific investigation, brought very 



1 A paper read at the educational conference, 

 May 13, 1921, held at the University of Minnesota, 

 in connection with the inauguration of President 

 h. H. Ooffman. 



