644 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXVI. No. 671 



AN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES FOB ILLINOIS 



Dr. a. R. Crook, curator of the Museum of 

 Natural History of the State of Illinois, has 

 addressed the following letter to men of sci- 

 ence in the state: 



" There is a widespread belief that our state 

 should proceed to establish an Academy of 

 Sciences. Ours is one of the few states in 

 the middle west which is without such an 

 institution. 



" I. Such an academy will furnish an 

 efficient medium for reaching all the various 

 scientific groups of the state when scientific 

 matters of public interest and common wel- 

 fare are to be presented. 



" II. At its meetings men of science 

 throughout the state may interchange ideas 

 and make the personal acquaintance of men 

 working perhaps in other lines or of men 

 known hitherto only by their writings. 



" III. Men of greater achievement and suc- 

 cess will inevitably stimulate and encourage 

 beginners and men of less attainments. 



-" IV. The important contributions to 

 knowledge made by the scientific men of Illi- 

 nois will be disseminated so that all of us may 

 learn of the important researches, inventions, 

 and applications which are being made by our 

 fellow citizens. 



" More than one hundred men in different 

 universities, colleges, normal and high schools, 

 and museums have expressed their interest. 



" The Academy should comprise every 

 worker in science in the state, its roll being 

 an almost complete scientific directory for 

 Illinois. 



" You are invited to be present at a meeting 

 which will be held for the organization of such 

 an institution at Springfield, on Saturday the 

 seventh of December, 190Y. 



" The meeting will be held in the Senate 

 Chamber of the Capitol at 10 o'clock in the 

 morning." 



SECTION G, BOTANY, OF TEE AMERICAN 

 ASSOCIATION FOB THE ADVANCE- 

 MENT OF SCIENCE 



The coming meeting of the American As- 

 sociation for the Advancement of Science will 

 take place at the University of Chicago from 



December 30, 1907, to January 4, 1908. The 

 sessions of Section G will be held in the HuU 

 Botanical Laboratory. 



It is important for the satisfactory prosecu- 

 tion of the business of the secretary that the 

 titles of papers, accompanied by brief abstracts 

 of not more than 200 words, be in his hands 

 a few days before the initial date of the con- 

 vocation. Inasmuch as the office of the secre- 

 tary is at too great a distance for quick mail 

 service, members are particularly requested to 

 forward titles and abstracts to the secretary in 

 care of Dr. Henry C. Cowles, Hull Botanical 

 Laboratory, University of Chicago, Chicago, 

 111., in whose hands they should be not later 

 than December 20. 



F. E. Lloyd, 

 Secretary, Section G 



Mazapil, Zac, Mex., 

 November 1, 1907 



THE CENTENARY OF THE GEOLOGICAL 

 SOCIETY OF LONDON 



One hundred years ago, a handful of men in 

 England, convinced that speculation is not 

 true science, organized the Geological Society 

 of London. With the foundation of that so- 

 ciety the era of speculation came to an end, 

 that of investigation began and geology, as we 

 now know it, was born. Throughout one hun- 

 dren years, the society has adhered consistently 

 to the original policy, discouraging mere 

 speculation but encouraging comparative geol- 

 ogy. In its voluminous publications one finds 

 results of study in all parts of the world and 

 its members have proved themselves in many 

 cases veritable helpers to students in newly 

 settled countries. The list of presidents tells 

 of the society's influence, for the names of 

 most of them, from Greenough to Geikie, are 

 as household words among geologists of all 

 lands. 



The centenary of the society was celebrated 

 in London on September 26, 27 and 28 of this 

 year. More than one hundred delegates repre- 

 senting an equal number of societies came 

 from other countries with greetings to the 

 parent geological society, while representa- 

 tives from nearly every important scientific as- 

 sociation in Great Britain and Ireland were 



