614 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLIX. No. 1278 



to indicate a plan which, it seems to me, could 

 be realized and would suggest that it would be 

 possible to work along the following lines : 

 Let a competent American scientific-academic 

 organization take up this matter. The writer 

 can make a formal request on behalf of the 

 Russian Ministry of Agriculture and the Min- 

 istry of Education. If the organization in 

 question regards the matter favorably, i. e., it 

 decides that it is expedient and necessary to 

 render those portions of Russia which had 

 been freed from the Bolshevik domination, 

 assistance in the purchase of the books, the 

 instruments, the glassware and other tech- 

 nical equipment for institutions of learning, 

 laboratories and experimental stations, let 

 such an organization enter into negotiation 

 with firms who manufacture and supply the 

 American scientific-academic institutions with 

 technical supplies. The purpose of these nego- 

 tiations would be the arrangeuient of easy 

 terms of payment on the purchases which 

 would be necessary. Further negotiations 

 could be carried on by an authorized person 

 who has lists of necessary articles and who 

 might be assisted by the Russian Economic 

 Leagne or some other institution which does 

 purchasing of different commodities for 

 Russia. In this way, it will be something 

 like a loan in goods, such loan being made 

 with the spiritual aid of American scientific 

 and academic circles and with certain con- 

 cessions on the part of the American firms. 

 It might be mentioned that such concession 

 should prove a very good business investment, 

 since it would be an excellent foundation for 

 substituting American apparatus and tools for 

 the German articles which are the only ones 

 used in Russian, schools so far. This con- 

 cession would be practically an equivalent of 

 advertising American supplies in Russian edu- 

 cational institutions. The very fact of equip- 

 ping the Russian institutions of learning with 

 American supplies and having the Russian in- 

 structors work with the American-made ap- 

 paratus and tools clears the way for general 

 adoption of American apparatus and tools in 

 Russia. The habit of using a certain kind of 

 apparatus plays a more important part than 

 may be supposed at first sight and it seems 



that the time is ripe now to introduce in 

 Russia the habit of using the products of 

 American genius and industry. 



I hope sincerely, that the suggestion set 

 forth in this letter may be received sympathet- 

 ically by the American scientists as well as by 

 the special manufacturing and publishing 

 firms which might be concerned with the 

 carrying out of such a plan. I am ready to 

 entflr into all necessary negotiations in respect 

 to this matter and I thank in advance any 

 one who will be kind enough to help me with 

 advice or suggestion concerning my efforts in 

 this direction. N. Borodin 



PlATIRON BmLDING, 



EooM 1010, 

 New York City 



SCIENTIFIC BOOKS 

 The Elements of Astronomy. By Charles A. 



Young. Boston, Ginn & Co. 1919. Pp. 



x + 508. 

 Lessons in Astronomy. By Charles A. 



Young. Boston, Ginn & Co. 1919. Pp. 



ix 4- 420. 



These are new and revised editions of the 

 most excellent text-books of the late Professor 

 Charles A. Young. From the time this series 

 first appeared some thirty years ago, these 

 books have held high rank among the many 

 that have been written. They show a wide 

 grasp of the fundamentals of astronomy, and 

 these fundamentals are presented to the stu- 

 dent in a clear and comprehensive manner. 



The author's presentation of the problems 

 involved in the study of the motions of the 

 planets is especially noteworthy. For the 

 mathematician these motions involve the 

 greatest complications and require the most 

 intricate formulas, yet Professor Young places 

 the essential facts before the student in a 

 simple and clear manner. By the aid of a few 

 diagrams and some apt illustrations, the fun- 

 damentals of celestial mechanics are ex- 

 plained, and explained so clearly that the 

 youngest student should have no difficulty in 

 understanding the problems and in grasping 

 the essential facts and principles. 



The present edition was revised by Miss 



