60 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXVI. No. 915 



tion from doctors, clergy, teachers, lawyers and 

 others regarding the cause of the fall in the 

 birth rate. The main questions are whether 

 the limitation of families is intentional and, 

 if so, what are the principal social and eco- 

 nomic causes, and whether the birth rate is 

 falling among the working as weU as among 

 the middle classes. 



The production of salt in the United States 

 in 1911 was 31,183,968 barrels of 280 pounds 

 each, valued at $8,345,692, according to W. C. 

 Phalen, of the United States Geological Sur- 

 vey, in a report on salt and bromine, just 

 issued as an advance chapter from " Mineral 

 Resources for 1911." This is an increase com- 

 pared with 1910 of 878,312 barrels in quantity 

 .and $445,348 in value. In addition to the 

 domestic production 1,014,926 barrels of salt 

 was imported. This importation was partly 

 balanced by the exports, 349,092 barrels, 

 leaving an excess of imports over exports of 

 665,834 barrels. The United States is amply 

 able, according to Mr. Phalen, to supply all 

 the domestic demands, as the capacity of the 

 active mines and plants is largely in excess of 

 the present output. Moreover, there are many 

 plants now idle that could easily resume opera- 

 tions should conditions warrant. 



UNIVEBSIXy AND EDUCATIONAL NEWS 

 The Massachusetts Institute of Technology 

 has received from Mr. Theodore N. Vail, presi- 

 dent of the American Telephone and Tele- 

 graph Company, a gift of the valuable library 

 on electricity and engineering of the late 

 George Edward Bering, of England. The li- 

 brary is valued at about $100,000, and Mr. 

 Vail has made an additional gift for its main- 

 tenance. 



The estate of the late Dr. Francis Bacon is 

 larger than had been anticipated, and the 

 value of his bequest to Yale University will, 

 it is said, reach $500,000, of which about $300,- 

 000 goes to the library, and $200,000 to the 

 college and the Sheffield Scientific School for 

 the assistance of students. 



By the death of the widow of the late R. N. 

 Carson, of Philadelphia, the sum of six million 

 ■dollars bequeathed by him to establish the 



Carson College for Orphan Girls, is released 

 for this purpose. 



There are in course of construction at the 

 University of Missouri a building for the de- 

 partment of physics at a cost of $100,000 and 

 another for the department of chemistry, 

 mainly for agricultural chemistry, at a cost 

 of $60,000. The latter building has been 

 named Schweitzer Hall in memory of Pro- 

 fessor Paul Schweitzer who was for nearly 

 forty years connected with the department. 



The Educational Fund Commission, to 

 whom has been intrusted the interest of a 

 quarter of a million dollars for the purpose of 

 sending selected teachers of the public schools 

 of Pittsburgh for summer studies, has this 

 year arranged to send 

 33 teachers to Coltiinbia University, 

 30 teachers to Carnegie Institute of Technology, 

 19 teachers to Chautauqua Summer School, 

 14 teachers to Harvard University, 

 6 teachers to Cornell University, 

 5 teachers to University of Pittsburgh, 

 4 teachers to University of Pennsylvania, 

 4 teachers to University of Colorado, 

 3 teachers to Vineland Training School, Vineland, 



N. J., 

 2 teachers to School for Atypical Childien, Plain- 

 field, N. J. 

 2 teacher? to Pennsylvania State College, 

 1 teacher to Dartmouth, 

 1 teacher to University of Chicago. 



Three hundred and twenty-nine teachers have 

 now enjoyed the benefit of this fund, given by 

 an anonymous donor, and it has been produc- 

 tive of such excellent results toward greater 

 efficiency in our schools that the commission 

 has already arranged to send quite a large con- 

 tingent in the summer of 1913. An efficient 

 and helpful vocational bureau has also been 

 organized by the commission. 



The Rev. Stephen Morrell Newman has been 

 elected president of Howard University to 

 succeed Dr. William P. Thirkield, who has 

 become the Methodist Episcopal bishop of the 

 diocese of New Orleans. 



Dr. William Leslie Hooper, professor of 

 electrical engineering, has been appointed act- 

 ing president of Tufts College. 



