954 
alley dwellings, which menace not only the 
health of the immediate inhabitants, but also 
of the people residing in the same block. 
3. The undue prevalence of immorality and 
crime, since’ it may be taken for granted that 
the majority of alley tenants suffer positive 
deterioration from witnessing the uncurbed vice 
around them. 
4, High rents in proportion to the income of 
the families especially in consideration of the 
accommodations offered and the actual value 
of the property. 
The Committee made important recommen- 
dations which were endorsed by the Central 
Relief Committee on January 27, 1897, and 
public interest was sufficiently aroused to lend 
to the organization of the Washington Sanitary 
Improvement Company, whose objects are to 
offer to capital a safe 5 per cent. investment 
and at the same time supply to wage-earners 
sanitary houses at reasonable rentals. 
It should be stated that while the original 
intention was to provide homes for the alley 
residents and thereby remove the slums, it was 
considered best to begin this movement by pro- 
viding improved dwellings for the better class 
of wage-earners, in the belief that houses va- 
cated by them would be rented by the next 
grade, and so on until the bottom of the ladder 
was reached. It is believed that in work of 
this character it is always best to begin at the 
top. Had the company acted otherwise, the 
undertaking would probably have resulted in 
failure. As it is, the company has already 
erected 28 two-story flats, each constituting a 
distinct and complete house of three or four 
rooms, with bath, with separate entrance, exit, 
and separate yards and cellars. The company 
has established a high standard of sanitary 
homes for wage-earners at reasonable rent, and, 
unless other Jandlords pursue the same course, 
it will continue to supply the demand. The 
company grants one month’s rent free to every 
tenant, or so much thereof as has not been ex- 
pended during any one year for interior repairs. 
Exterior repairs necessitated by the elements 
are not charged against tenants. No officer of 
the company receives any compensation, and 
this, together with the exercise of strict econ- 
omy and careful business methods, has enabled 
SCIENCE. 
[N. S. Vou. X. No. 260. 
the directors not only to pay 5 per cent. divi- 
dends on all moneys invested in the company 
from the beginning, but also promoted the 
philanthropic aspect of the enterprise by pro- 
viding the very best accommodations from the 
standpoint of hygiene, and as to comfort, the 
utmost which a given cost will permit. 
J. H. McCormicx, 
Secretary. 
SECTION OF ANTHROPOLOGY AND PSYCHOLOGY. 
NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 
THE regular meeting of the Section was held 
on November 27th. The entire meeting was 
devoted to the presentation of papers on an- 
thropological subjects. Atthe next meeting the 
program will consist of psychological papers. 
Dr. Franz Boas reported on the Eskimo tribes 
of Hudson Bay according to observations made 
by Captain George Comer of East Haddam, 
Conn. He described particularly the natives 
of Southampton Island, who heretofore have 
never been visited. The arts of the tribe show 
a peculiar development, owing to the lack of 
materials with which other Eskimo tribes are 
well supplied. The traditions of the tribes of 
the west coast of Hudson Bay show remarkable 
analogies to the traditions of the Athapascan 
tribes of the McKenzie region. The well- 
known tradition of the Magic Flight was among 
those recorded by Captain Comer. There are 
traditions which make it clear that the Eskimos 
of this region believed in the transmigration of 
souls. The dress of the women is very remark- 
able, and it is suggested that the enormous 
pockets of their stockings may be the survivals 
of the custom of carrying the children in the 
boots, as is still done by the Eskimo of Pond’s 
Bay. 
Dr. A. Hrdlicka read a paper on the Navahoe 
Indians. The physical characteristics of these 
Indians were fully described, and a number of 
measurements made on fifty adult males and 
thirty adult females were given in detail. Ob- 
servations on the life and social and industrial 
habits of the tribe were also presented. . The 
language belongs to the Athapascan group. 
From the physical examinations it appears that 
the tribe, notwithstanding some evident mix- 
