^O Vw/ X XL X^ \t^ x2g 



FRffiAY, November 4, 1921. 



Tlie Engineer; Human and Superior Direction 

 of Power: Dr. L. H. Baekeland 417 



Serhert Haviland Field: Propessok Henry B. 

 Ward 424 



Scientific Events : 



Winthrop Ellsworth Stone ; Mortality Statis- 

 tics for 19S0; The Mount Everest Expedi- 

 tion; The Laboratory of the Miami Aqua- 

 rium Association; The Toronto Meeting of 

 the American Society of Zoologists 498 



Scientific Notes and News 431 



University and Educational News 435 



Discussion and Correspondence : 



Aerial Observation of Physiographic Fea- 

 tures : Professor Douglas Johnson. Scien- 

 tific Literature in European Countries: Pro- 

 fessor T. D. A. Cockerell 435 



Sdentifia Bool-s : 



Sturtevant's Notes on Ediile Plants: Pro- 

 fessor J. C. Arthur 437 



SpecitiX Articles : 



The Displacement Metlwd for obtaining the 

 Soil Solution: Dr. F. W. Parker 438 



The American Astronomical Society: Profes- 

 sor Joel Stebbins 440 



The American Chemical Society: Dr. Charles 

 L. Parsons 441 



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

 review should be Bent to The Editor of Science, GarriBon-on- 

 Hudeon, N. Y. 



THE ENGINEER; HUMAN AND SU- 

 PERIOR DIRECTION OF POWER i 



The forces of nature are the most enduring 

 wealth of mankind. To know their laws and to 

 learn how to apply them has made of a puny- 

 little being of about 130 to 200 pounds of flesh 

 and bone — three fourths of which is merely 

 water — a giant of which Gulliver's tales have 

 no equal; and compared to which the largest 

 and most muscular animals of present or 

 former geological periods are merely drowsy, 

 clumsy creatures. All this has been accom- 

 plished by his few grams of better brain-matter, 

 which permitted him to gather scientific knowl- 

 edge and thus to wield powers akin to those 

 attributed to some of the gods of antiquity. 



But the forces of nature, in wi'ong hands, can 

 be diverted from their very highest purposes 

 into the basest demoniacal utilization. 



During the late war, one of the nations re- 

 puted for its scientific knowledge, staggered 

 history by the wholesale, unscrupulous utiliza- 

 tion of science and engineering in attempting 

 to extend and perpetuate an anachronistic and 

 domineering system of government. The other 

 nations, in trying to withstand this onslaught 

 upon right and decency, were in their turn 

 compelled to enlist the talent of scientists and 

 engineers alongside the eilorts of soldiers and 

 sailors. 



And now, thank God, we chemists can turn 

 again to the sphere of action where we truly be- 

 long. We can try anew to become apostles of 

 construction instead of destruction ; soldiers of 

 progress, of peace and happiness. 



Unfortunately, this does not mean to say that 

 all which all chemists accomplish is always dic- 

 tated by such lofty motives ; no more than liter- 



1 Address presented at the joint meeting of .the 

 American Chemical Society and the Society of 

 Chemical Industry (of Great Britain), New York, 

 September, 1921. 



