July 6, 1900.] 



SCIENCE. 



15 



of our Association, one of the interesting 

 and inspiring signs of tlie times is seen in 

 the increasing number of international con- 

 ferences for the promotion of art, commerce, 

 education, science, and, above all, peace 

 and good will to men. At the joint meet- 

 ings held last year by the British and 

 French Associations for the Advancement 

 of Science, steps were taken to form an in- 

 ternational organization, which has since 

 been perfected under the name of the In- 

 ternational Association for the Advance- 

 ment of Science, Art and Education. The 

 first meeting of this body will be held dur- 

 ing the present summer at the Paris Expo- 

 sition. May we not entertain the confident 

 hope that, under the infiuence of such an 

 association, science, which has done so 

 much to enlighten the minds and amelio- 

 rate the conditions of men during the nine- 

 teenth century, will play a still more benef- 

 icent role during the twentieth century ? 



And now, with a cordial invitation to 

 our hosts, the Trustees, the President, and 

 other representatives of this institution of 

 learning, and with a like cordial invitation 

 to the general public as well, to attend the 

 sessions of the various sections of the As- 

 sociation, I declare this meeting formally 

 open for the transaction of its regular 

 business. 



ON THE TEACHING OF ASTRONOMY IN THE 

 UNITED STATES* 

 Having to teach Astronomy at the Uni- 

 versity of Michigan, it has been necessary 

 for me to make inquiries regarding the in- 

 struction in this subject given at other uni- 

 versities. I have tried to learn also the 

 character of the work done at the diiferent 

 observatories, from the point of view of the 

 development of students and the encour- 



* Address of the Vice-President and Cliairman of 

 Section A — Mathematics and A stronomy — at the New 

 New York Meeting of the American Association for 

 the Advancement of Science. 



agement of the spirit of scientific research. 

 Thus I propose to discuss briefly the posi- 

 tion taken by our colleges, and observa- 

 tories also, in the teaching of Astronomy. 

 ISTot so very long ago in this country of 

 ours, which is rather new after all, many of 

 the young men educated at the colleges 

 were intended for the ministry. They were 

 trained in Latin, Greek, Hebrew, and a 

 little ISTatural Philosophy, as it was called, 

 this latter subject including all the known 

 sciences, and being taught by one man. 

 There was almost no laboratory work. At 

 present, whether for good or ill, the rule of 

 the clergymen over our colleges is pretty 

 well broken. The old style college presi- 

 dent, usually a clergyman of scholarly tastes 

 and sympathies, who teaches the seniors 

 Moral Philosophy, is becoming rare. His 

 place is being taken by the sharp business 

 man, who in his scholarship corresponds 

 very much to a librarian, having a wide 

 knowledge, but not necessarily an accurate 

 one on any subject. 



Of late years the elective system has been 

 introduced, and has been extended very 

 far, so that a degree may represent almost 

 anything, in many cases a good deal of 

 technical and professional work being in- 

 cluded. If a large number of students are 

 to go to colleges it is necessary, probably, 

 that the technical studies should be allowed 

 to remain, as many would not have the 

 means to give themselves a liberal educa- 

 tion. 



Of course, it is hard to discuss in a fair 

 and intelligent way the intrinsic merit of 

 Astronomy or any other study. I believe 

 myself that students who can manage it 

 ought to obtain something of a classical 

 training. But in the case of any given 

 student who elects Latin, for instance, is 

 the subject really chosen for the culture 

 which it gives ? I must say that in most 

 cases that I know about I can't tell. Some- 

 times I think that in college all studies 



