September?, 1900.] 



SCIENCE. 



357 



lasting value. It is a satisfaction to add 

 that its merit has been widely appreciated, 

 as has recently been evidenced by the 

 award of the Draper and Rumford medals. 

 Keeler was president of the Astronomical 

 Society of the Pacific and a councilor of the 

 Astronomical and Astrophysical Society of 

 America. He was elected an Associate of 

 the Royal Astronomical Society in 1898 and 

 a member of the National Academy of 

 Sciences at its last meeting. His kindly and 

 genial manner, combined with unusual tact 

 and rare judgment, drew to him many 

 friends, who will long mourn his loss. 



Gbokge E. Hale. 



ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT BEFORE TEE 

 BRITISH ASSOCIATION FOR THE AD- 

 VANCEMENT OF SCIENCE* 

 I. 



Twenty-seven years ago the British As- 

 sociation met in Bradford, not at that time 

 raised to the dignity of a city. The meet- 

 ing was very successful, and was attended 

 by about 2000 persons — a forecast, let us 

 hope, of what we may expect at the present 

 assembly. A distinguished chemist. Pro- 

 fessor A. W. Williamson, presided. On 

 this occasion the Association has selected 

 for the presidential chair one whose atten- 

 tion has been given to the study of an im- 

 portant department of biological science. 

 His claim to occupy, however unworthily, 

 the distinguished position in which he has 

 been placed, rests, doubtless, on the fact 

 that, in the midst of the engrossing duties 

 devolving on a teacher in a great university 

 and school of medicine, he has endeavored 

 to contribute to the sum of knowledge of 

 the science which he professes. It is a 

 matter of satisfaction to feel that the suc- 

 cess of a meeting of this kind does not rest 

 upon the shoulders of the occupant of the 

 presidential chair, but is due to the emi- 

 nence and active co-operation of the men of 



* Given at Bradford on September 5, 1900. 



science who either preside over or engage 

 in the work of the nine or ten sections into 

 which the Association is divided, and to 

 the energy and ability for organization dis- 

 played by the local secretaries and commit- 

 tees. The program prepared by the general 

 and local oflScers of the Association shows 

 that no efforts have been spared to provide 

 an ample bill of fare, both in its scientific 

 and social aspects. Members and Associ- 

 ates will, I feel sure, take away from the 

 Bradford meeting as pleasant memories as 

 did our colleagues of the corresponding 

 Association Fran§aise, when, in friendly 

 collaboration at Dover last year, they testi- 

 fied to the common citizenship of the Uni- 

 versal Eepublic of Science. As befits a 

 leading center of industry in the great 

 county of York, the applications of science 

 to the industrial arts and to agriculture 

 will form subjects of discussion in the 

 papers to be read at the meeting. 



Since the Association was at Dover a 

 year ago, two of its former presidents have 

 joined the majority. The Duke of Argyll 

 presided at the meeting in Glasgow so far 

 back as 1855. Throughout his long and 

 energetic life he proved himself to be an 

 eloquent and earnest speaker, one who gave 

 to the consideration of public affairs a mind 

 of singular independence, and a thinker 

 and writer in a wide range of human 

 knowledge. Sir J. William Dawson was 

 president at the meeting in Birmingham in 

 1886. Born in Nova Scotia in 1820, he de- 

 voted himself to the study of the geology of 

 Canada, and became the leading authority 

 on the subject. He took also an active and 

 influential part in promoting the spread of 

 scientific education in the Dominion, and 

 for a number of years he was principal and 

 vice-chancellor of the McGill University, 

 Montreal. 



SCIENTIFIC METHOD. 



Edward Gibbon has told us that dili- 

 gence and accuracy are the only merits 



