SCIENCE 



A WEEKLY JOURNAL DEVOTED TO THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE, PUBLISHING THE 



OFFICIAL NOTICES AND PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION 



FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. 



Editoeial Committee : S. Newoomb, Mathematics ; K. S. Woodward, Mechanics ; E. C. Pickkeing, 

 Astronomy ; T. C. Mendenhall, Physics ; R. H. Thurston, Engineering ; Iea Eemsbn, Chemistry ; 

 Chaeles D. Walcott, Geology ; W. M. Da via. Physiography ; Heney F. Osboen, Paleon- 

 tology ; W. K. Beooks, C. Haet Mereiam, Zoology ; S. H. Scuddee, Entomology ; C. E. 

 Bessey, N. L. Britton, Botany ; C. S. Minot, Embryology, Histology ; H. P. Bow- 

 DiTOH, Physiology ; J. S. Billings, Hygiene ; William H. Welch, Pathol- 

 ogy ; J. MoKben Cattell, Psychology ; J. W. Powell, Anthropology. 



Friday, June 13, 1902. 



CONTENTS: 



The Laics of Nature: De. S. P. Langley. . . 921 



Kinetic Evolution in Man: 0. F. Cook 927 



The New Laboratory and Greenhouse for 

 Plant Physiology at Smith College: Pro- 

 fessor W. F. Ganong 933 



An Electric Lamp for Microscope Illumina- 

 tion : Dr. M. M. Metcalp 937 



Work of the Agricultural Experiment Sta- 

 tions: Dr. a. C. True 939 



Scientific Books: — 



Bartlett on Mechanical Drawing: Pro- 

 fessor Frederick N. Willson. The 

 Crosby-Broum Collection of Musical Instru- 

 ments : Charles K. Wead 943 



Scientific Journals and Articles 945 



Societies and Academies: — 



The Philosophical Society of Washington: 

 Charles K. Wead 945 



Discussion and Correspondence: — 



Volcanic Dust and Sand from St. Vincent 

 caught at Sea and the Barbados: J. S. 

 DiLLER and George Steigee. The Gray 

 Squirrel as a Tmg-pruner: W. E. Brit- 

 ton. W. E. Hamilton: Dr. Alexander 

 Macfarlane. Correspondence of Rafin- 

 esque and Cutler: Albert Matthews. 

 Mass and Weight: Professor Arthur W. 

 Goodspeed 947 



Shorter Articles: — 



A Supposed Early Tertiary Peneplain in 

 the Klamath Region, California: Oscar 

 H. Hershey 951 



Rate of Interest on Government Securities . . 954 



Railway Arrangements for the Pittsburgh 

 Meeting of the American Association: 

 George A. Wardlaw 955 



Scientific Notes and News 956 



University and Educational News 960 



MSS. inteDded for publication and books, etc., intended 

 for review should be sent to the responsible editor. Pro- 

 fessor .T. McKcen flatten, Gflrrison-nn-Hndson. N. Y. 



TEE LAWS OF NATURE.* 



We say that nature is unehanging, and 

 so perhaps it is, in the eye of some eternal 

 being, but not in ours, for the things that 

 we see from day to day, appear permanent 

 only by comparison with the duration of our 

 own brief life, and our own little ex- 

 perience. 



An inhabitant of the land where nature 

 has just passed through such an awful con- 

 vulsion, with a loss of life greater for so 

 short a time than history has ever recorded, 

 might have said in the morning that nature 

 never changes, because it had never 

 changed in his own little experience : but 

 he would not have said so at that day's 

 clo.se. Now the experience of the entire 

 human race is far briefer relative to 

 nature's duration than that of one of these 

 islanders who knew the green mountain 

 with its fresh lakes only as a place of quiet 

 rest, up to the moment when the gates of 

 hell were opened under it. 



Nature, then, really changes, and would 

 apparently do so if man were not here ; for 

 it is not man's varying thoughts about 

 nature that make her change. But there 

 is something quite different which does 

 change because of man, and which appar- 

 ently would not change if he were not here. 

 This is what he calls the ' laws of nature. • 



* A paper read before the Philosophical So- 

 ciety of Washington, May 10, 1902. 



