732 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XV. No. 384. 



nearly all the leading educators in Con- 

 necticut to be too stringent. It was re- 

 placed by one which requires temperance 

 instruction in a smaller number of grades, 

 none being called for in either the primary 

 grades or the high school, and leaves the 

 character of the text-book and the kind and 

 amount of instruction wholly to the deci- 

 sion of the school authorities. This change 

 was brought about by a fortunate coopera- 

 tion of the teachers and temperance organ- 

 izations of the state, including the state 

 branch of the Woman's Christian Temper- 

 ance Union; though it was vigorously op- 

 posed by Mrs. Hunt of the Department of 

 Scientific Temperance Instruction of the 

 National W. C. T. U. The speaker be- 

 lieved that the example of Connecticut 

 might well be followed in New York and 

 other states. 



In conclusion, Professor Atwater said: 

 "We wish to help the drunkard to reform; 

 but is it necessary to tell him that no man 

 can touch alcohol without danger 1 To 

 build up the public sentiment vipon which 

 the reform of the future must depend, we 

 Avish our children to understand about alco- 

 hol and its terrible effects; but when we 

 teach them in the name of science shall we 

 not teach them the simple facts which sci- 

 ence attests, and which they can hereafter 

 believe, rather than exaggerated theories, 

 whose errors, when they learn them, will 

 tend to undo the good we strive to do i. In 

 short, is not temperance advisable, even in 

 the teaching of temperance doctrine? 



In the great effort to make men better, 

 there is one thing that we must always 

 seek, ' one thing we need never fear— the 

 truth. 



After a long and animated discussion, in 

 tliif course of which the statements of Dr. 

 Atwater and the committee were challenged 

 by Mrs. Mary Hunt, of the National W. C. 

 T. U., and a number of her followers, the 

 report of the committee was adopted and 



the committee was reqiiested to continue 

 its work for another year. 



The following are the officers for this 

 year: President, Professor William Hal- 

 lock, Columbia University ; Vice-President, 

 Professor Howard Lyon, Oneonta Normal 

 School; Secretary-Treasiu-er, A. R. War- 

 ner, Auburn High School. Executive 

 Council, Professor Edward S. Babcock, 

 Alfred University; Professor H. J. 

 Schmitz, Geneseo Normal School; William 

 M. Bennett, Rochester High School; Pro- 

 fessor James H. StoUer, Union University ; 

 Principal Thomas B. Lovell, High School, 

 Niagara Falls; Professor W. C. Peckham, 

 Adelphi College, Brooklyn; Professor A. 

 D. Morrill, Hamilton College; Professor E. 

 W. Wetmore, State Normal College, Al- 

 bany, N. Y. ; Professor H. R. Linville, Boys' 

 High School, New York City; Mr. Charles 

 N. Cobb, Regent's Office, Albany; Professor 

 J. H.Comstock, Cornell University, Ithaca; 

 Professor E. R. Wliitney, Binghamton 

 High School. 



Franklin W. Barrows. 



section op physics and chemistry. 



This Section was in charge of Professor 

 J. M. Jameson, Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, 

 N. Y. Two sessions Avere held and each 

 was well attended. At the session on Fri- 

 day afternoon, December 27, 1901, Pro- 

 fessor Charles B. Thwing, Syracuse Univer- 

 sity, read a paper on ' The Preparation and 

 Training of the Teacher of Physics,' and 

 Dr. Lyman C. Newell, State Normal 

 School, Lowell, Mass., read a paper on 

 'The Preparation and Training of the 

 Teacher of Chemistry.' Professor Thwing 

 emphasized the necessity of broad and ac- 

 curate training in physics and a wide 

 knowledge of the salient points of contact 

 of the other sciences with physics. Dr. 

 Newell dwelt upon the need of a better 

 knowledge of the fundamental facts of 



