SCIENCE 



Friday, Februakt 11, 1910 

 contents 



The American Society of Naturalists: — 

 Chance or Purpose in the Origin and 

 Evolution of Adaptation: Peofessoe T. 



H. MOBGAN 201 



The Magnetic Survey of China 211 



Scientific Notes and News 211 



University and Educational News 218 



Discussion and Correspondence : — 



The Southernmost Olaoiation in the United 

 States: Peofessob D. W. Johnson. The 

 Teaching of Elementary Dynamics in the 

 High School: Fbankxin T. Jones. Note 

 on Free Putlic Museums: Db. Fbank C. 

 Baker 218 



Scientific Books: — 



Lorentz's The Theory of Electrons: Pro- 

 FESSOE A. P. Wills. Taschenbuch fur 

 Mathematiker und Physiker: Peofessob 

 F. N. Cole. Wiedersheim's Vergleichende 

 Anatomic der Wirieltiere : Peofessob 

 Leonabd W. Williams. Titchener on the 

 Experimental Psychology of the Thought 

 Processes: Peofessob R. S. Woodwoeth .. 221 



Some Suggestions for the Study of Comets: 

 DE. W. J. HUMPHBETS 226 



Special Articles: — 



Some Long-period Deviations of the Hori- 

 zontal Pendulums at the Harvard Seismo- 

 graphic Station: B. M. Vabnet. A Simple 

 and Efficient Lecture Galvanometer Ar- 

 rangement : Peofessob S. J. Babnett. The 

 Amphibia of the Mazon Creek Shales: De. 

 Rot L. Moodie. A Fixing Fluid for Plant 

 Tissues: Db. R. R. Gates 230 



The American Society of Naturalists: Peo- 

 fessob H. McE. Knowee 234 



The American Society for Pharmacology and 

 Experimental Therapeutics : De. Reid Hunt 236 



Societies and Academies: — 



Tlie Biological Society of Washington: D. 

 E. Lantz. The Anthropological Society 

 of Washington: I. M. Casanowicz. Tlie 

 American Chemical Society — Northeastern 

 Section: Db. K. L. Mabk; Rhode Island 

 Section: Albeet W. Clafflin; Cleveland 

 Section : N. A. Dubois 238 



MSS. intended for pubUcation and books, etc., Intended for 

 review should be sent to the Editor of Science, Garrison-on- 

 Hudson, N. Y. 



,THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF NATURALISTS 



/ CHANCE OR PURPOSE IN THE ORIGIN AND 



EVOLUTION OF ADAPTATION "^ 



The naturalist lives surrounded by 

 fellow men, whose ideas concerning the 

 origin of living things are still totally at 

 variance with his own. To them creation 

 is a historical drama, and with the act of 

 creation its purpose was fulfilled. The 

 naturalist lives surrounded by fellow ani- 

 mals, that show on the whole no change 

 except the chance fluctuations of the sea- 

 sons or of the years. They give to ordi- 

 nary observation every evidence of perma- 

 nency, but no evidence of evolution, and 

 only the highly specialized student reports 

 at times the appearance of new forms. 



It is surprising, with these deadening 

 influences always present, that we should 

 sometimes fail to fully realize that evolu- 

 tion is a process now taking place in the 

 same way that it has taken place in the 

 past ; that it is a process that we can study 

 directly; something that possibly we can 

 control and direct, and upon our knowl- 

 edge of which the destiny of the human 

 race may depend. 



Convinced that evolution has taken 

 place, admitting that it is still going on, 

 nevertheless the position of the naturalist 

 in regard to the causes of evolution is far 

 from satisfactory and most unsatisfactory 

 concerning the origin and evolution of 

 adaptation. 



The evidence that evolution has taken 

 place we owe primarily to the paleontol- 

 ogist, but it is historical evidence, at best, 



' Presidential address at tlie dinner of the 

 American Society of Naturalists in Boston, De- 

 cember 29, 1909. 



