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SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XV. No. 372. 



other in midwinter. The greater power of 

 a general association is indicated by the 

 fact that all the societies meet in summer 

 under the auspices of the American Asso- 

 ciation, whereas at present the national so- 

 cieties are meeting not only here in Chi- 

 cago, but also in New York, Philadelphia, 

 Rochester and Washington. The greater 

 influence of a national association is again 

 shown by the fact that it has been able to 

 secure from our universities and colleges a 

 special convocation week in midwinter. 

 This could not have been accomplished by 

 our Society representing only certain sci- 

 ences and a certain region. 



Hereafter the chief meeting of the 

 American Association will probably be 

 held in convocation week, and the na- 

 tional societies devoted to special sciences 

 will probably meet with it. Our views as 

 to the future functions of the Society of 

 Naturalists depend on how we answer two 

 questions. Should our special scientific 

 societies be national or sectional? Should 

 they meet at the same time and place? 

 To me it seems that the special societies 

 should surely be national, or American, 

 with local sections. A national society for 

 each science will ultimately be essential for 

 purposes of publication and for legislative 

 functions. An annual or occasional meet- 

 ing of those engaged in the same kind of 

 work is of the utmost importance— scien- 

 tifically, professionally and socially— and 

 should be maintained in spite of the sacri- 

 fices of time and money imposed by the 

 large area of oiir countiy. It seems to me 

 further that our national societies should 

 meet together. It is economical to make 

 local, railway and other arrangements, 

 once for all. Most of us belong to more 

 than one society and like to meet friends 

 following different lines of scientific work. 

 Indeed, sharp lines can not be drawn be- 

 tween the sciences ; we have astrophysicists, 

 electrochemists, general biologists, physio- 



logical psychologists, and the like, who 

 would be divided by separate meetings. 

 There are judicial, legislative and execu- 

 tive functions, in which all men of science 

 should unite, and for their accomplishment 

 a general meeting is essential. Then, 

 lastly, the weight of science is impressed 

 on the general public only by a meeting of 

 sufficient magnitude. 



The limits of a thousand words do not 

 permit an attempt to emphasize the im- 

 portance of national scientific societies and 

 of a general congress of scientific men, and 

 after all the logic of events is the strong- 

 est argument. "We have national scientific 

 societies, and they do meet in groups— 

 nearly all the sciences in the summer, with 

 the American Association, and the biologic- 

 al sciences in the winter, with the Society 

 of Naturalists. The meetings of the Amer- 

 ican Association have, it is true, been in- 

 terfered with by summer holidays, summer 

 heat and the winter meetings; and the 

 ■winter meetings of the American Society 

 of Naturalists are threatened with a local 

 division. It seems reasonable, however, to 

 assume that next year, at least, all our 

 societies will meet together at Washington 

 in convocation week. 



Supposing there to be a general annual 

 meeting, say once in three years at Wash- 

 ington, once in the eastern states and 

 once in the central or western states, 

 what should be the function of the Society 

 of Naturalists? It seems that the general 

 arrangements should be left with the 

 American Association, covering all the 

 sciences and the whole country, and hav- 

 ing permanent and salaried officers. Our 

 society might hold separate meetings in 

 the east when the national societies meet 

 in the west. I myself, however, regard this 

 as undesirable. Should the Society of 

 Naturalists then be disbanded, having ac- 

 complished its work? I think not. There 

 is place for a compact organization within 



