520 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XXIV. No. 617. 



productive years. Could the average age 

 be increased to 50 years, the burden falls 

 to $10 or a decrease of fifty per cent. For 

 80,000,000 of people, the saving of $1.50 

 per year of life would be equivalent to 

 $120,000,000 per annum. (4) To lessen the 

 economic burden of sickness. Assuming 

 Newholme's figure of nine days average ill- 

 ness per annum, approximately 2,000,000 

 years of life are lost per annum. Estima- 

 ting wages at $1 per day, and all other ex- 

 penses $1 per day, $1,444,000,000 loss per 

 annum is registered by this item. Could 

 the days of illness be cut down one third 

 nearly $500,000,000 would be saved. (5) 

 Higgins has estimated that six hundred 

 millions are now spent on criminality in 

 the United States. If the criminality is 

 largely the product of social environment, 

 such as over-crowding, alcoholism, etc., 

 measures which would decrease this only 

 fractionally are worthy of consideration. 

 A decrease of 16f per cent, would result in 

 savings of $100,000,000 per annum. 



For the last four estimates, the total 

 savings range between $1,800,000,000 and 

 $4,000,000,000 per annum. In addition to 

 the positive gain, in addition to the savings 

 above, there exists a vast amount of misery 

 and sorrow which would be lessened, but 

 may not be measured by statistics. 



How Shall the Destructive Tendencies of 



Modern Life he met hy the Individual? 



Dr. Richard Cole Newton, Montclair, 



N.J. 



First of all a physical education is 

 needed to develop, strengthen and preserve 

 the body. In spite of mechanical and 

 scientific advance, we are far behind in re- 

 spect to the rules of simple and healthful 

 living. A systematic study of diet, use of 

 narcotics, employment of exercises as they 

 apply to 10,000 people for ten years would 

 settle many fundamental questions which 



nothing short of government could success- 

 fully undertake to solve. A national 

 bureau of health should be formed to un- 

 dertake such studies and experiments as 

 are necessary to make these inquiries. 

 This bureau should pass on every new 

 remedy and every proposed system of 

 treatment, so that the humblest citizen 

 might know that he will not injure himself 

 in using such remedies or systems of treat- 

 ment. By positive direction and training 

 the Japanese have made their armies in- 

 vincible. We must profit by their example 

 if we would maintain our national life and 

 our racial preeminence. 



Limitation of Great Fortunes: Professor 



James Waltee Crook, Amherst College, 



Mass. 



The problems connected with the amass- 

 ing of enormous fortunes have been given 

 a special importance by President Roose- 

 velt's Washington address, on April 14. 

 The remedy by him proposed was a pro- 

 gressive tax so framed as to prevent giving 

 or beqeathing fortunes, over a given 

 amount, the tax to be imposed by the 

 federal government. 



Unlimited opportunity to accumulate 

 fortunes has a selective value by attracting 

 a large share of the best talent into busi- 

 ness. A change would affect commercial 

 activity as a pursuit. It would create a 

 new source of federal income and greatly 

 modify the distribution of wealth in the 

 community. 



We must remember that the wealthy in 

 large measure manage their wealth for so- 

 ciety. Before radical action we should 

 consider whether the growth of large 

 fortunes is due to temporary or permanent 

 causes. 



The causes of great fortunes are, as a 

 rule: (1) underground resources (mining, 

 oil, etc.), (2) development of transports- 



