JUNE 21, 1901.] 
on science, more especially when connected 
with the national government, and the dif- 
ferent states and municipalities; the pro- 
motion of conditions required by science 
and of reforms recommended by science— 
in general, whatever will promote the ad- 
vancement, diffusion and usefulness of 
science. 
1. The first of these functions has in large 
measure been assumed by the special so- 
cieties and journals, and this is in accord- 
ance with necessary conditions. Special re- 
search must be presented before, and dis- 
cussed by, small groups of experts and must 
be published in journals that are of interest 
only to specialists. The special societies 
have compact organizations; they are most 
competent to select their membership, to 
arrange their programs and to conduct their 
publications. It seems inevitable that the 
Association must relinquish its function of 
providing sections for the presentation of 
special papers, except in therare case that a 
special society does not exist and may be 
formed by the aid of the Association. In 
a joint meeting of a special society and 
the corresponding section all the valuable 
papers will be presented both before the so- 
ciety and the section, and only such papers 
will be presented to the section alone as the 
society will not admit. There is, however, 
no reason why the present general organ- 
ization should not be maintained, and the 
papers read before the affiliated societies be 
made part of the proceedings of the Asso- 
ciation. The Association may, however, 
render important assistance to the special 
societies in the ways indicated below. 
2. The promotion of research by grants 
SCIENCE 
965 
of money and by providing the means for 
cooperation is a function that should be 
undertaken both by the special societies and 
by the general Association. The latter is, 
as a matter of fact, more likely to secure 
funds for this purpose by bequests and 
gifts, owing to its national character, its 
long history and its permanence. It can to 
special advantage further researches in 
which more than one science is concerned 
and in which independent: societies might 
Efforts should be made 
to increase the number of patrons of the 
fail to cooperate. 
Association and to secure bequests and 
gifts, in order that the American Associa- 
tion may not be behind the British and 
French Associations, which appropriate an- 
nually $5,000 or more for the direct en- 
couragement of research. Invested funds 
yielding an income for this purpose would 
add greatly to the stability, influence and 
usefulness of the Association, and to the in- 
terest of the meetings at which the grants 
are made and the reports of the work ac- 
complished are presented. 
3. The special societies may with advan- 
tage present addresses and reports on the 
progress of a science, and, when the socie- 
ties meet at the same time and place, their 
value is increased by the opportunity af- 
forded for a larger group to be present. In 
this direction the Association has, however, 
an important work. The address of the 
president, the most eminent man of science 
in America who has not yet held this office, 
should be an event of national importance. 
It should be worth publication, and should 
be published in full in all the important 
daily newspapers, as actually happens in 
