352 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. YoL. XXXIX. No. 1001 



The remarks were informal, dealing with vari- 

 ous aspects of scholarly work, and the great 

 need of a more active interest in the advance- 

 ment of science in southern institutions. 

 These gatherings were all well attended and 

 the discussion led in several places to an active 

 participation on the part of various memhers 

 of the faculties concerned. 



In view of the efforts made by the associa- 

 tion to stimulate a greater interest in scien- 

 tific advancement in the south, the results of 

 this campaign have not been as encouraging 

 as they should be. In the opinion of your 

 secretary there are various reasons for this 

 condition of affairs, but too much space would 

 be required to consider them here at any 

 length. A few points may, however, be men- 

 tioned to indicate the general status of science 

 in southern colleges and universities : 



1. Outside the agricultural experiment sta- 

 tions, scientific research is not usually encour- 

 aged. There is a widespread notion that re- 

 search and teaching are inimical. Since few 

 southern institutions can afford the luxury of 

 men engaged primarily for research, it is 

 commonly agreed to dispense with this feature 

 of higher education and concentrate upon the 

 employment of "good teachers." 



2. The teaching hours of the faculties are 

 often considerable. Almost never are they 

 short of 15 periods per week, and sometimes 

 they run as high as 40. The large number of 

 different courses which one man is thus re- 

 quired to undertake, to say nothing of his 

 participation in committee work of various 

 sorts, leaves him with neither energy nor time 

 for research. 



3. The salaries paid to professors are usu- 

 ally inadequate. The men are thus unable to 

 get away to graduate institutions on sabbatical 

 leave or during the summer for special work 

 in their respective fields. 



4. There is little active competition in the 

 filling of vacancies, since the openings are in- 

 frequently made public before the positions 

 are filled. Furthermore, the compensation of 

 full professors is commonly uniform, hence 

 there is no stimulus within the institution for 



advancement of salary in recognition of activ- 

 ity along research lines. 



5. The instructors and younger men of the 

 faculties are often recruited from recent 

 graduates who have had little experience in 

 advanced work and often have not definitely 

 determined upon a university career. They 

 therefore lack the stimulus of advancement in 

 their profession through original work, and 

 fail to appreciate the value of national gather- 

 ings of scientific men, as providing inspira- 

 tion, and affording an opportunity for per- 

 sonal contact with men in their own lines of 

 endeavor. 



Respectfully submitted, 

 R. M. Ogden 



December 31, 1913 



MINUTES OF TBE SECOND MEETING OF 

 THE PACIFIC COAST COMMITTEE 



The committee met on February 7, 1914, in 

 Parlor B of the Palace Hotel, San Francisco. 



Present: Chairman Campbell, President 

 Branner, Mrs. Moody, Dr. MacDougal, Pro- 

 fessors Haskell, Jenkins, Kellogg, Kofoid, 

 Kroeber, Lawson, Leuschner, E. P. Lewis, 

 Martin, Merriam, Sanford, SetcheU, Still- 

 man; Professor Louderback representing the 

 Pacific Association of Scientific Societies, and 

 Commissioner Barr representing the Panama- 

 Pacific Exposition. 



It was voted that ten should constitute a 

 quorum. 



The minutes of the last meeting, as printed 

 in Science, were approved. 



It was voted to strike out the word " Coast " 

 in the designation " Pacific Division." 



The report of the executive committee, pre- 

 senting resolutions of policy, was discussed, 

 and with some amendments, finally adopted 

 as follows: 



1. It shall be the purpose of the Pacific Division 

 of the American Association for the Advancement 

 of Science to promote the interests of science 

 through formal and definite cooperation with all 

 Pacific Coast scientific societies of good standards 

 already in existence, and to organize sections in 

 necessary lines of work for which no other pro- 

 vision has been made, such sections to be main- 

 tained only until the subjects shall be otherwise 



