Dkcembkr 19, 19112.] 



SCIENCE. 



973 



tions, ajid these sections will unite to form 

 an academy of sciences. The men who 

 are in one neighborhood and engaged in 

 the same kind of work are the natural unit. 

 They should unite on the one hand with 

 those in other neighborhoods to form a 

 national society; they should join on the 

 other hand with the men of science of the 

 same neighborhood to form an academy of 

 sciences. This plan of organization may 

 appear to be almost too logical for a world 

 that is somewhat careless of logic, but it 

 is in part already realized. It will in my 

 opinion result as a necessary condition 

 from the state of affairs. Our academy has 

 already contributed to it, and it seems to 

 me that we should continue to do con- 

 sciously what we have hitherto done rather 

 blindly. 



We have two main external functions — 

 our meetings and our publications. For 

 both of these the men of science interested 

 in the same subjects are the natural group. 

 "We need not increase the number of our 

 sections; but should allow subsections for 

 each of the sciences, letting those who are 

 immediately concerned meet as they find 

 it most advantageous. These groups should 

 maintain their own autonomy, and we 

 should not require the members to join 

 the academy, least of all so long as our 

 present dues are maintained. The acad- 

 emy should provide convenient places for 

 meeting, arrange for joint meetings of sev- 

 eral groups, provide general lectures of 

 interest to more than one group, support a 

 club-house, give receptions and exhibitions 

 and the like. 



In regard to publications I am somewhat 

 heterodox. Proceedings and transactions 

 were an important function of the academy 

 of the eighteenth century, but there is no 

 longer any excuse for printing researches 

 on utterly diverse subjects in one volume, 

 because the authors happen to be mem- 



bers of the same academy. We might as 

 well make up volumes according to the 

 cranial index of the contributors. The 

 national society for each science should 

 directly or indirectly have charge of the 

 publications in that science. We need in 

 every science: (1) A series of monographs, 

 each of which should be published as a 

 unit, (2) a 'Centralblatt' containing ab- 

 stracts of the literature with a complete 

 bibliography, and (3) a journal for 

 shorter articles, general discussions, crit> 

 ical reviews, etc. The abstracts and bibli- 

 ography should be an international under- 

 taking, each country contributing its share. 

 What is now printed in the annals, trans- 

 actions and proceedings of our academies, 

 should be contributed to the series or 

 journals. In the series of psychological 

 monographs, which I am glad to say exists, 

 should for example be printed any mono- 

 graphs that are prepared by our members, 

 and if the academy has funds for publica- 

 tion, it should share the expense. These 

 monographs can be parts of our proceed- 

 ings and can be given to those members 

 who are interested. Their existence will 

 be known to every specialist throughout 

 the world. They will be puchased by in- 

 dividuals and libraries, and will ultimately 

 become self-supporting. It is to be hoped 

 that the academies of the country will 

 unite in a plan of this character, and that 

 our academy will initiate the movement. 



AATien we review the whole subject of the 

 history and present status of the academy 

 of sciences we must, I think, come to the 

 conclusion that the function of the modern 

 academy is now modest. Libraries, museums, 

 research laboratories, government depart- 

 ments and universities have developed in 

 a way that leaves no excuse for the acad- 

 emy of sciences to attempt competition with 

 ° them. The university in its modern form 

 seems to me most suitable for the central 



