September 21, 1883.] 



SCIENCE. 



389 



But by far the greater portion of the work 

 at the central ofriee, and that which is doubt- 

 less the most. immediately etlective, is done by 

 commissioned olHcers of the army. AVhile it 

 is true that many of them have fairl}- earned 

 distinction through their conscientious labors 

 in the weather bureau, it cannot be claimed 

 that the relation which they sustain to it, and 

 which is no fault of theirs, is that which would 

 be for the best interests of all concerned. 

 Except the very few who have been promoted 

 from observer sergeants, they have been 

 oi'dored to the service from other occupations 

 and other branches of the army. As a special 

 training to fit them for the work, they have 

 the year at Fort Me^cr, during which the study 

 of meteorology is not allowed to interfere ma- 

 terially with other occupations. They enter 

 the central office at the close of this year, hav- 

 ing had an experience of eight daj-s in practical 

 meteorology. AVhen, after further stud}- and 

 practice, thej' become really useful, they are 

 likel}' to be transferred to some other post and 

 dut}' for which this training has in no way fitted 

 them ; for the polic}' of the army seems to be 

 in the direction of frequent changes of location 

 of its officers. But bj- far the worst feature of 

 the case is that there is no particular incentive 

 to induce them to devote themselves earnestly 

 to the work. If, through interest and industry, 

 one succeeds, he is probably retained in the 

 office longer than he otherwise would be : if, 

 through indifference and neglect, another fails, 

 he is likely to be transferred to some other 

 branch of the general service without loss of 

 rank or reputation. It is also true that the 

 meteorological work of the signal service is 

 looked upon with disfavor bj- man}- army 

 officers, as not being a legitimate addition to 

 their duties. Under such conditions, and for 

 many other reasons not necessary to mention, 

 it does not seem possible for the weather ser- 

 vice to reach that high degree of efficiency 

 which is believed to be possible under a differ- 

 ent organization ; and it will require weightier 

 arguments than those annually reprinted in 

 the n'ljort of the chief signal officer to prove 

 the contrary. 



THE FRENCH ASSOCIATION FOR THE 

 ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. 



ROUEN MEETIXO, AUG. 78-33, 1883. 



Tins association has just held its twelfth 

 annual session at Rouen, the ancient capital 

 of Normandy, situated on the Seine, between 

 Paris and Havre. It is, I believe, the j-oung- 

 est association of its kind, but is not, for that 

 reason, the less worthy of stud}'. Perhaps, 

 to an American, its most striking feature is its 

 resemblance, in its organization and proceed- 

 ings, to its sister across the water. It has its 

 permanent secretary- to organize its business 

 and give information to members, its dailj' 

 programmes, its general meetings, its sectional 

 meetings, and its excursions, all fulfilling the 

 same objects as with us. It has even gone 

 through the same process of evolution, and 

 riached the same stage of development, in 

 becoming a representative of popular and 

 applied, rather than of very ' high,' science. 

 Its members already complain, that, when one 

 is elected a member of the Academy of sci- 

 ences, he no longer affiliates with the associa- 

 tion. I have recognized but two academicians 

 at the meeting, and doubt if there are more. 

 But it must not be inferred from this, that the 

 members and their papers are unimportant: 

 on the contrary, the number of eminent teach- 

 ers, authors, and investigators, who read papers 

 and take part in the proceedings, is decidedly 

 greater than in the American association. If 

 there are fewer academicians than with us, 

 there are also fewer circle-squarers, essayists, 

 and propounders of school-boy jiroblems. On 

 the list of pnpers presented, there is not one 

 upon atoms, ether, the nebular hypothesis, or 

 the origin of the present form of the universe. 



The range and treatment of subjects are 

 much wider than with us, and one is especially 

 struck with the prominence assumed by social 

 science and engineering. It would seem as if 

 the blind passions, which are so apt to stir the 

 laboring population of France and to lead them 

 toward a policy of general social disintegration, 

 had led the thinking and wealthy classes to 

 give especial attention to the question of the 

 welfare and pacification of the workingman. 

 Not only is political economj- one of the most 

 prominent subjects, but discussions of plans 

 for improving the condition of the lalwring- 

 class form a leading feature of the proceed- 

 ings. The plan which seems to have met with 

 most success is that of making the workmen 

 in large establishments sharers in the profits. 

 One speaker described, at length, the working 

 of this plan in a great dyeing-establishment, 



