SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLV. No. 1149 



the initiative of Professor H. L. Fairchild, 

 a local branch at Rochester, and it is hoped 

 that other branches will be established 

 wherever they will serve to unite and ad- 

 vance the scientific interests of a city or 

 locality. To such local branches, a sum not 

 to exceed fifty cents for each member of 

 the branch was allowed, together with the 

 entrance fees secured through the efforts 

 of the branch. 



The council had pleasure in acknowledg- 

 ing gifts for the research fund of the asso- 

 ciation of $1,000 from Mr. E. D. Adams, 

 and of $500 from Mr. Cleveland H. Dodge. 

 In accordance with the provisions of the 

 constitution, Mr. Adams was elected a pa- 

 tron of the association. If a hundred or a 

 thousand men of means in this country 

 whose wealth is in large measure due to 

 the efforts of scientific men made more effi- 

 cient by their national societies would be- 

 come patrons of the association there would 

 be provided a productive fund for research 

 administered by scientific men themselves, 

 and the relations of science to industry 

 would be promoted. At the meeting about 

 three hundred citizens of the city became 

 members of the association, and of these a 

 considerable number became life members, 

 including Mr. Henry C. Frick, Mr. Stuy- 

 vesant Fish, Mr. Felix M. Warburg, Mr. 

 James W. Ellsworth, Mr. Francis L. Stet- 

 son and others prominent in the profes- 

 sional and business life of the city. 



The committee on policy was instructed 

 to prepare a revision of the constitution, 

 with by-laws, and to report to the council at 

 its next stated meeting. The committee on 

 policy was instructed in this revision espe- 



cially to redefine the duties of the perma- 

 nent secretary and of the general secretary. 

 An amendment to the constitution was in- 

 troduced, which will be voted on next year, 

 making the term of office of the general sec- 

 retary five years, and it is planned that the 

 general secretary shall be active in the work 

 of the organization of the association in its 

 relation to the affiliated societies and the 

 general scientific activity of the country. 

 Professor J. McKeen Cattell was elected 

 to this office, to which no salary is attached. 

 During the present year in order to rec- 

 ognize the cooperation that exists between 

 the American Association and the affiliated 

 societies, members of these societies who 

 joined the association during the year were 

 admitted without payment of the entrance 

 fee. The results were particularly gratify- 

 ing in demonstrating the cordial relations 

 existing between the association and the na- 

 tional societies, as about 5,000 members of 

 these societies took advantage of this offer 

 and were elected to membership during the 

 year. "We hope to publish later a statement 

 showing the number of scientific men from 

 each of the affiliated societies who joined 

 the association, for it is a remarkable ex- 

 hibit of the number of men in this country 

 engaged in scientific work. "When the asso- 

 ciation met in New York City in 1900, there 

 were about 1,700 members; when it met 

 there in 1906, there were about 5,000 mem- 

 bers, there are now about 12,000 members. 

 The entrance fee of $5 prevents some of the 

 younger scientific men of limited means 

 from joining the association, but it seems 

 necessary to retain it to provide an income 

 in addition to the very small annual dues 



