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SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXI. No. 786 



may be proper for me to do so. In the 

 first place, I confess that when I joined the 

 society I did so not because of its relations 

 to engineering, but because of my interest 

 in some branches of science; not primarily 

 in order to meet engineers or to hear engi- 

 neering papers, for these ends can much 

 better be obtained in connection with the 

 professional societies, but to have the op- 

 portunity to meet men interested like myself 

 in the various branches of pure science. 

 I believe that the membership of this sec- 

 tion will in the future, as in the past, con- 

 sist largely of teachers of engineering who 

 like myself recognize that the profession 

 of engineering is founded upon the prin- 

 ciples of science, and who desire to keep 

 alive their interest in and contact with 

 those scientific branches; and that the sec- 

 tion can never become an effective means 

 for the discussion of technical engineering 

 subjects. From this point of view, then, I 

 believe that the main benefit of this section, 

 which I hope will continue, will arise in 

 two ways : In the first place, it will be bene- 

 ficial if its main activities are directed not 

 toward technical engineering subjects, but 

 toward subjects which are more scientific 

 than technical. For instance, the subject 

 of geodesy has not yet been made the basis 

 of a national engineering society in this 

 country, and, indeed, that subject is prob- 

 ably quite as much allied to the science of 

 physics as it is to engineering. Such a 

 subject might well be made a specialty of 

 this section, for it is rarely that we find a 

 discussion of geodetic subjects before any 

 of the engineering societies. 



Again, the subject of aeronautics, which 

 I am pleased to see has been made an im- 

 portant feature of the present meeting of 

 this section, seems a peculiarly appropriate 

 field. It is perhaps a fair statement that 

 this subject is as yet more a scientific and 

 experimental one than an engineering one; 



at all events, it has not yet been taken up 

 to any considerable extent by the engineer- 

 ing societies. Subjects, then, more purely 

 of a scientific character and yet of such 

 concrete nature that they are capable of 

 practical utilization, or may form the basis 

 of engineering applications, may well be 

 emphasized in the meetings of this section. 



We must remember that for the engineer, 

 science will in most cases simply afford him 

 a basis for his judgment rather than give 

 absolute results. You have discussed this 

 morning questions regarding the wind and 

 the variation of its velocity and pressure 

 with the height; but no matter how many 

 observations you may make, or how many 

 theories you may formulate, the engineer 

 will still have to depend upon his judgment 

 in providing for the wind pressure upon a 

 modern skyscraper or Eiffel Tower. 



In the third place, if I am right in con- 

 sidering that the members of this section, 

 like myself, have their principal interest in 

 the society because of their interest in cer- 

 tain branches of pure science, it would seem 

 that the section might be of benefit if it 

 could hold joint meetings frequently with 

 other sections, and instead of attempting 

 to present a long array of papers, should 

 content itself with a very few having dis- 

 tinct relation to some particular topic as- 

 signed to the meeting. Certainly no ses- 

 sion has been more interesting or, in my 

 opinion, more profitable, than the joint 

 meeting in Chicago, two years ago, with 

 the mathematical section. Engineers, and 

 particularly teachers of engineering, have, 

 or should have, much in common with 

 teachers of mathematics, chemistry and 

 physics, and even with those in still more 

 distantly related sections. And men in 

 those other sections have, or should have, 

 not less to gain from intercourse with us. 

 My plea, then, is that the main benefit of 

 Section D is not to be derived from its 



