SCIENCE 



Friday, July 26, 1912 



CONTENTS 

 Sir William Herschel: Sir Geokge H. Darwin 97 



Paul Caspar Freer — An Appreciation: Dr. 

 Warren D. Smith 108 



The Master's Degree at Eutgers College: Pro- 

 TEssoRs Austin Scott, J. Volnet Lewis, 

 Walter T. Marvin 109 



Museum Buildings in the United States: Pro- 

 fessor J. A. XJdden 110 



Regents of the Smithsonian Institution 112 



Scientific Notes and Nexvs 112 



University and Educational News 114 



Discussion and Correspondence: — 



' ' Genes ' ' not made in Germany : Dr. O. F. 

 Cook. Propositions for Changes in the In- 

 ternational Code of Zoological Nomencla- 

 ture: Dr. C. W. Stiles. The Pei Yang 

 University : Professor Thomas T. Read . . 115 



Scientific Books: — 



Technology and Industrial Efficiency: Pro- 

 fessor Geo. F. Swain. Adams's The Me- 

 chanics of Building Construction: Pro- 

 fessor O. H. Basquin. Patten's The Evo- 

 lution of Vertebrates and their Kin: J. 

 P. McM 117 



Scientific Journals and Articles 122 



Botanical Notes: — 

 Notes; A Valuable Service to Science: Pro- 

 fessor Charles E. Besset 122 



Special Articles: — 



The History of the Germ Cells in the Pcedo- 

 genetic Larva of Miastor: Professor Eob- 

 ERT W. Hegner. An Autocollimating 

 Mounting for a Concave Grating: Pro- 

 fessor Horace Clark Eichards 124 



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

 review should be sent to the Editor of Science, Garrieon-on- 

 Hudson, N. Y. 



SIS WILLIAM EEBSCHEL^ 

 During the last twenty years there has 

 been a great revival of statistical investi- 

 gations as to the distribution and motions 

 of the so-called fixed stars. Kapteyn, of 

 Groningen, is the leader of those who are 

 renewing the attempt to obtain in this way 

 some idea as to the construction of the uni- 

 verse. Earlier astronomers had of course 

 done something in this direction, but the 

 work of William Herschel so far tran- 

 scends that of all others, that it would be 

 fair to describe him as the originator of 

 this class of investigation. It may be of 

 interest to mention that a complete edition 

 of his works is now in course of publica- 

 tion, under the direction of a joint com- 

 mittee of the Royal and Astronomical So- 

 cieties. 



The interest of Herschel 's writings, and 

 the simple charm of his style — written it is 

 to be remembered in a language which was 

 not his from birth — have led me on to read 

 about the man as well as about his scientific 

 work. Throughout his life's work his 

 name is inseparable from that of his sister 

 Caroline, and I hope it may prove of in- 

 terest to you to hear of what they were 

 as well as of what they did. They were 

 born at Hanover, he in 1738, she in 1750, 

 the children of a bandsman of the Han- 

 overian Guards. At the age of fifteen 

 Herschel was already a member of the 

 Guards' band. In 1757 the regiment, 

 which had been in England for about a 

 year, served in Germany during the Seven 

 Years' War, and William seems to have 

 suffered from the hardships of the cam- 



' An address before the Royal Institution of 

 Great Britain, given on April 26, 1912. 



