194 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXIX. No. 



In view of the preponderance of physi- 

 cists, it is not surprising that three fourths 

 of the scientific papers read at the first 

 Washington meeting were connected with 

 the physical sciences. These papers were 

 referred to the committee on publication, 

 with instructions to publish, but the lack of 

 funds for this purpose stood in the way. 

 When the first volume of the Memoirs 

 finally appeared in 1866, it contained but 

 two of these papers. It was then planned 

 to print the minor papers in the Proceed- 

 ings of the academy, but this was never 

 done. The first part of the first volume of 

 the Proceedings was published in 1877. 

 This contained the constitution and by- 

 laws, reports on the principal business ac- 

 tions of the Academy, and much miscel- 

 laneous matter relating to resolutions 

 passed, titles of papers presented, reports 

 of committees, etc. Publication of the Pro- 

 ceedings was discontinued in 1895, after 

 three parts had appeared.^ In 1881, 649 

 papers had been read at the scientific ses- 

 sions. President Rogers, feeling that the 

 Academy would have received much more 

 recognition from the scientific world if 

 these had been printed, strongly and re- 

 peatedly urged that the papers be collected 

 annually and transmitted to congress with 

 the report.^" Unfortunately this was never 

 done, and the reports still give only an ab- 

 stract of the proceedings, in which the 

 papers appear by title. The importance 

 of reviving and enlarging the Proceedings 

 will be. discussed in another article. 



The Academy has published eleven vol- 

 umes of Memoirs, containing 68 quarto 

 papers, and seven volumes of Biographical 

 Memoirs of deceased members, in addition 

 to annual reports and reports of com- 

 mittees. 



In view of the existence of a detailed 



8 Op. cit., p. 44. 

 wop. cit., p. 51. 



history of the Academy, it is quite unnec- 

 essary in the present paper to dwell at 

 length upon the events of the first fifty 

 years. A brief outline of the more impor- 

 tant work of the Academy is nevertheless 

 essential to clearness, especially in connec- 

 tion with the suggestions for the future 

 which are to be presented later. We may, 

 therefore, consider briefly: (1) the work 

 of the members; (2) the Academy's work 

 for the national government; (3) medals 

 and trust funds, and (4) cooperation in re- 

 search. 



THE WORK OF THE MEMBERS 



In his report for 1867 as president of 

 the Academy, Joseph Henry spoke as fol- 

 lows of the conditions of membership: 



It was implied in the organization of such a 

 body that it should be exclusively composed of men 

 distinguished for original research, and that to be 

 chosen one of its members would be considered a 

 high honor, and consequently a stimulus to scien- 

 tific labor, and that no one would be elected into 

 it who had not earned the distinction by actual 

 discoveries enlarging the field of human knowledge. 



. . . since the original organization, the prin- 

 ciple before mentioned has been strictly observed, 

 and no one has been admitted except after a full 

 discussion of his claims and a satisfactory answer 

 to the question, "What has he done to advance 

 science in the line of research which he has espe- 

 cially prosecuted?" 



And again, in his valedictory address to 

 the Academy (1878), Henry returned to 

 this subject. 



For this purpose great care must be exercised in 

 the selection of its members. It must not be for- 

 gotten for a moment that the basis of selection is 

 actual scientific labor in the way of original re- 

 search; that is, in making positive additions to 

 the sum of human knowledge, connected with un- 

 impeachable moral character. 



It is not social position, popularity, extended 

 authorship or success as an instructor in science, 

 which entitles to membership, but actual new dis- 

 coveries, nor are these sufiieient if the reputation 

 of the candidate is in the slightest degree tainted 

 with injustice or want of truth. 



