SCIENCE 



Friday, January 17, 1919 



CONTENTS 



The American Association for the Advance- 

 ment of Science: — 



Scientific Personnel Work in the Army: Pro- 

 fessor E. L. Thorndike o3 



Pumpelly's Eeminiscences : Professor W. M. 

 Davis 61 



Professor Williams at Tale: Professor Her- 

 bert E. Gregory 63 



Scientific Events: — 



An Institute of Physical and Chemical Be- 

 search for Japan; The Depleted Herds of 

 England, France and Italy; The Use of Ni- 

 trate during the War 65 



Scientific Notes and News 67 



University and Educational News 69 



Discussion and Correspondence: — 



The Lille Society of the Sciences: Dr. 

 Charles D. Walcottt. Root Pressure and 

 Hoot Exudation : Professor Ernest Shaw 

 Eetkolds. Generic Limitations : Professor 

 O. A. Stevens. Fireflies flashing in Uni- 

 son: P. T. Barnes. Attempted Queen-bee 

 Mating in a Double Tent Inclosure: L. V. 

 France 70 



Special Articles: — 



Spectrum Phenomena due to Moving Motes: 

 Professor Cael Barus 72 



The American Society of Naturalists: Pro- 

 fessor Bradley M. Davis 75 



The American Anthropological Association ... 70 



The American Folk-lore Society 76 



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

 review ahould be sent to The Editor of Science, Garrison-on- 

 Hudson, N. Y. 



SCIENTIFIC PERSONNEL WORK IN 

 THE ARMYi 



The sciences dealing with human nature 

 were brought to bear upon the problems forced 

 upon America by the world war. Anthro- 

 pology and psycholog>% economics and statis- 

 tics, history, sociology and education, were 

 put in service to improve our use of man- 

 power, just as the physical and biological sci- 

 ences were put in service to increase, econo- 

 mize and mobilize the nation's physical re- 

 sources. 



Consider a few illustrations. At one of the 

 cantonments, within a few months' time, over 

 30,000 men were given a uniform standard 

 intelligence-test and, as a direct result of it, 

 600 men who would have been a detriment 

 and even a positive danger to their feUow 

 soldiers were sent away before time and money 

 were wasted on their military education. 



Certain very important institutions were re- 

 ceiving candidates a large percentage of whom 

 were discarded, with little but discouragement 

 and envy to show in return for the expense of 

 their time and the government's money. Yet 

 these candidates were chosen by a system 

 which already represented the acme of com- 

 mon sense administered by extremely able 

 men. A scientific study of some five hun- 

 dred cases showed where much of the trouble 

 lay and provided a remedy. 



[Jnder the pressure of the war the regular 

 army scheme for measuring the qualifications 

 and efficiency of its officers could not be 

 operated. !N'or would it have been suitable for 

 the two hundred thousand officers taken from 

 civil life with only a few months of military 

 training. A workable record and rating plan 

 was prepared by an expert in applied psychol- 



1 Address of the vice-president and chairman of 

 Section H, Anthropology and Psychology, Balti- 

 more, December, 1918. 



