April 11, 1919] 



SCIENCE 



345 



now propose to carry the get-together enthu- 

 siasm of the war over into peace times, to con- 

 tinue to foster the spirit of cooperation and to 

 increase pathological efficiency by coordination 

 of effort where such action is possible and de- 

 sirable. It is clear that such a movement can 

 pot be forced, but must be allowed to grow 

 Tinder tactful management. The Society has 

 therefore appointed an Advisory Board of six 

 members to continue and foster the work ini- 

 tiated by the War Emergency Board. Can 

 not the cooperative movement be extended to 

 include other botanical workers? There are 

 doubtless many botanists in the colleges and 

 ■universities, especially those more or less iso- 

 lated from botanical centers, who would gladly 

 participate in cooperative projects. The prob- 

 lems are many, and there is no question but 

 that pathologists will welcome most heartily 

 •the assistance of their botanical colleagues. It 

 is probable that in many cases cooperation can 

 be inaugurated most readily by conferences be- 

 tween individuals, especially on the part of 

 workers in the same or adjacent regions, as the 

 contiguity will ensure common interest in local 

 problems, and will facilitate exchange of mate- 

 rial and of ideas, and comparison of results. 

 The Advisory Board will be glad to assist when- 

 ever possible by providing opportunities for 

 cooperation and by facilitating the arrange- 

 ments. 



Botanists and pathologists are excellent com- 

 plements of one another. In their closer union 

 lies strength for the upbuilding of our common 

 science in the momentous days which lie imme- 

 diately before us. Of all the great nations of 

 the earth we have suffered least from the rav- 

 ages of the world war. We have felt its stimu- 

 lus, but escai)ed its devastation. Hence the 

 world is looking to America for leadership in 

 many lines, and botany is one of these. "We 

 have the opportunity. We have the men. Have 

 we the spirit ? And can we supply the leader- 

 ship? German domination is for the moment 

 gone, but it will surely reassert itself if we 

 are inactive. We must examine the bases on 

 which German dominance in the field of bot- 

 any has rested, and supply those factors which 

 we now lack. We must write texts, compen- 



diums and monographs to replace the German 

 works which we are now using, and which we 

 must continue to use indefinitely unless we 

 ourselves write better ones. We must dissemi- 

 nate knowledge of botany amongst the peo- 

 ple that we may receive the support which 

 will enable compendiums to be written and 

 research to be developed properly in both pure 

 and applied fields. We must broaden our teach- 

 ing of botanical subjects that we may produce 

 not merely specialists, but the broad gauge 

 men of wide perspective who shall be our 

 leaders. We must stand together as botanists 

 all, whatever our special field of endeavor may 

 chance to be. If we do these things, and we 

 can do them if we will, America will assume 

 the commanding position in world botany. 



G. R. Lyman 

 U. S. Depabtment of Agriculturb 



THE ELEMENTARY COURSE IN ZOOL- 

 OGY—IS IT SATISFACTORY? 

 Among the problems presented to the Na- 

 tional Eesearch Council by the government 

 was one conveyed in the request of the War 

 Department for the preparation of outlines of 

 courses adapt€d to the conditions of the pro- 

 posed Students' Army Training Corps. Like 

 other divisions, that of biology undertook the 

 work assigned it and formulated a suggested 

 course. This was not printed and distributed 

 in time to come into use, so that this effort 

 of the coimcil was entirely abortive. Since, 

 however, biology was one of the subjects listed 

 by the War Department's Committee on Edu- 

 cation and Special Training, elementary bio- 

 logical courses of an intensive character were 

 given in many institutions. It was the desire 

 of several divisions of the council to determine 

 the value of the educational experiment pre- 

 sented by the unusual requirements of the 

 government's program. But unfortunately the 

 conditions of the experiment were so disturbed 

 by delays in starting work, by the occurrence 

 of the influenza epidemic, and finally by de- 

 mobilization of the corps before the com- 

 pletion of the first term, that no estimate 

 could be placed upon the value of the results 

 obtained from the operation of the novel 



