508 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLIX. No. 1274 



wakes up, or those who obstruct progress re- 

 tire. There is no question, but that the chem- 

 ical department which undertakes to run its 

 laboratory on a strict business basis, will not 

 only give their students more and better serv- 

 ice for the same money, but will turn out 

 better trained men than the laboratory with 

 less up-to-date methods. 



The College of the City of New York has 

 partly adopted the Freas System, with such 

 satisfactory results that we have almost 

 doubled the amount of laboratory work given 

 to the students per afternoon. The author 

 feels that we should go the whole way and 

 reap the full reward in more efficient work on 

 the part of student and instructor. Starting 

 is the big thing, but when once started, the 

 plan will grow by its own intrinsic merits. 



For a number of years past, the smnmer 

 session of Columbia University has offered a 

 course in laboratory organization and man- 

 agement, where the ideas I have here dis^ 

 ■cussed have been carefully criticized by the 

 students taking the course, mostly men and 

 women of experience along the same line in 

 other institutions. 



Further details of this scheme will appear 

 from time to time. 



w. l. estabrooke 



Department op Chemistry, 



College of the City or New Tork 



ORGANIZATION MEETING OF THE 

 AMERICAN SECTION OF THE PRO- 

 POSED INTERNATIONAL 

 ASTRONOMICAL 

 UNION 

 At the organizing meeting of the Interna- 

 tional Research Council held in Paris in No- 

 vember, 1918, it was decided to establish an 

 International Astronomical Union, to continue 

 and extend the work formerly conducted by 

 such international astronomical organizations 

 as the committee of the Carte du Ciel, the In- 

 ternational Union for Cooperation in Solar 

 Eesearch, and similar bodies less formally con- 

 stituted which dealt with various questions re- 

 lating to astronomy and its applications. 

 The International Eesearch Council adopted 



a resolution requesting the National Academy 

 of Sciences, or the corresponding organization 

 in each of the countries represented, to take 

 the initiative in organizing the section to rep- 

 resent that country in the International Astro- 

 nomical Union. The tentative plan of organi- 

 zation of the American Section of the Astro- 

 nomical Union, as approved by the president 

 of the National Academy of Sciences, involved 

 the representation of the various interests con- 

 cerned as given below. 



Upon the call of Dr. George E. Hale, acting 

 for the National Academy of Sciences, the or- 

 ganization meeting for the American Section 

 of the proposed Astronomical Union was held 

 in the office of the National Research Council, 

 Washington, D. C, March 8, 1919. The dele- 

 gates who had been appointed by the presidents 

 of the respective societies, or by the govern- 

 ment, were as follows: 

 National Academy of Sciences — 5. 



H. D. Curtis acting for W. W. Campbell, G. 

 E. Hale, A. A. Michelson, F. E. Moulton, 

 Frank Schlesinger. 

 American Astronomical Society — 10. 



C. G. Abbot, S. I. Bailey, E. W. Brown, E. 

 B. Frost, A. O. Leuschner, S. A. Mitchell, 

 W. J. Humphreys, H. N. Eussell, Joel 

 Stebbins (absent, J. F. Hayford). 

 American Mathematical Society — S. 



Frank Morley (two others to be appointed). 

 American Physical Society — 3. 



Henry Crew (absent, J. S. Ames, Theodore 

 Lyman). 

 U. S. Naval Ohservatory — 1. 



J. A. Hoogewerff, accompanied by W. S. 

 Eiohelberger, Asaph Hall, F. B. Littell. 

 Z7. S. Coast Survey — 1. 



William Bowie. 



The meeting organized by appointing Mr. 

 Hale as chairman and Mr. Stebbins secretary. 

 There followed a general discussion of the 

 present international situation of science, and 

 it was agreed that the union should take the 

 place of previous international bodies in as- 

 tronomy. 



It was voted that the organization of the sec- 

 tion should be considered temporary imtil 



