SCIENCE 



Feidat, November 29, 1912 



CONTENTS 

 A National University : Willet M. Hays . . 723 



Undergraduate Sesearch Worh in Medical 

 Schools: Cecil K. Deinkbe 729 



Scientific Notes and News 738 



University and Educational News 743 



Discussion a/nd Correspondence : — 



Sadiotelegraphic Achievements by the Foul- 

 sen System: Eobekt Anderson. Pictures 

 of Psychologists: Peopessob E. A. Kiek- 

 PATRICK 743 



Scientific BooTcs: — 



ComstocTc's Spider Book: Peofessoe W. M. 

 Wheelbe. The Voyage of the Belgica: 

 Db. Wm. H. Dall. Kellogg 's Beyond 

 War: Peopessob Wm. K. Kellicott 745 



Botanical Notes: — 



The Brussels Code; Crown Gall and Can' 

 cer: Peopessob Chakles B. Besset 747 



The Analysis of Natural Selection: De. Eos- 

 well H. Johnson 750 



Special Articles: — 

 Botanical Evidence of the Age of certain 

 Ox-how Lakes: Eoland M. Harper. On 

 Comparing Ammonifying Coefficients of 



tils : Charles B. Lipman 760 



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

 review should be sent to the Editor of Scihnck, Garrison-on- 

 Hudsou, H. Y. 



A NATIONAL UNIVEESITY 

 The addresses by Presidents Van Hise 

 and James, published in the August 16 is- 

 sue of Science, splendidly set forth the 

 facilities in Washington for advanced study 

 and the reasons for a really national uni- 

 versity. The administrative and physical 

 organization, and also the national pur- 

 poses of the proposed institution, need 

 broad discussion. 



Though its promoters might conceive the 

 projected institution as snugly centered in 

 a building beside or as a part of the Bureau 

 of Education, with students directed to at- 

 tend lectures in one room in each of a few 

 scores of governmental bureaus, and work- 

 ing in the bureau laboratories under the 

 seasoned government scientists, that could 

 not be more than its preliminary stage. 

 The mere name, "University of the United 

 States," backed by the reputation of the 

 scientific bureaus and libraries of Washing- 

 ton, would soon bring such a flood of Amer- 

 ican and foreign students that the snug 

 executive office would be overwhelmed and 

 the bureaus would be in revolt. 



A national university at Washington 

 must be a physical university, with exist- 

 ing bureaus only as adjuncts. History wiU 

 prove the statement that bureau scientists 

 and equipment can be used only inciden- 

 tally. Men in charge of research and ad- 

 ministrative science, applied to the increas- 

 ing of production, to policing under pure 

 food inspection or quarantine and other 

 laws, to surveying natural resources, to ad- 

 ministering public forest and other busi- 

 ness, to promoting the public health, and 

 even to administering educational and gen- 



