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SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XIX. No. 475. 



we meet the difficulty of the great distances 

 separating workers in the various sections of 

 this country. A satisfactory way of obviating 

 this would be to hold a general meeting of 

 the association only biennially, dividing the 

 association geographically in the alternate 

 years, with meetings simultaneously in per- 

 haps half a dozen sections of the country. 



Such changes as these suggested are radical, 

 but changes have been going on in the admin- 

 istration of the association for the past decade, 

 and it is evident other changes must come. 

 Would not these meet the requirements ? 

 Jas. Lewis Howe. 



Washington and Lee Univeksity. 



To THE Editor of Science: The relation 

 which the various scientific societies of the 

 country bear to the American Association is 

 one which demands careful consideration. 

 First of all I think it may be assumed that 

 the organization of all scientific societies 

 should be of such a nature as to promote the 

 welfare of the American Association. The 

 latter body is the one organization of the 

 United States in which all scientific men are 

 brought together on a common level. 



The necessity for special societies is, of 

 course, recognized, but the greater necessity 

 for a single society is equally as evident. 



I should like to discuss, for a moment, some 

 of the problems suggested in an article in 

 Science, January 8, on convocation week, and 

 especially with reference to the position oc- 

 cupied by the American Chemical Society. 

 This society now has a membership of nearly 

 twenty-five hundred and is rapidly growing. 

 I have consulted the records of the attendance 

 at the meetings of the American Association 

 for the past few years and find that the mem- 

 bers of the American Chemical Society repre- 

 sent about 30 per cent, of the whole attend- 

 ance. During the whole of this period the 

 American Chemical Society has held its meet- 

 ings in conjunction with Section C of the asso- 

 ciation and the utmost harmony and good-will 

 have prevailed. It appears to me, therefore, 

 that the American Chemical Society has a 

 more intimate union with the American Asso- 

 ciation for the Advancement of Science than 

 any of the other affiliated societies. My idea 



is that each section of the association would 

 be benefited by the adoption of this system of 

 cooperation. It might even be made more 

 intimate with great advantage. For instance, 

 in the case of Section C the officers of the 

 American Chemical Society might well be ac- 

 cepted as the officers of Section C, thus mak- 

 ing Section C practically the American Chem- 

 ical Society. It is evident at once that the 

 aims and intentions of Section C and the 

 American Chemical Society are the same, and 

 by having the same set of officers there would 

 be less trouble in arranging the program and 

 dividing the time than there is at present. 

 This, however, is only a suggestion, as I realize 

 that the present form of collaboration is very 

 satisfactory. 



If all the other branches of science could be 

 represented by powerful national societies the 

 same collaboration could be established in 

 almost all the sections. For instance, there 

 is no reason why there should not be an Ameri- 

 can Botanical Society of approximately the 

 same numerical strength as the American 

 Chemical Society, and this is true of physics, 

 geology, entomology and the other sciences. 

 It might be well, however, to establish a limit 

 of membership, so that before a subsociety 

 should become intimately associated with the 

 parent society it should have a membership 

 entitling it to such a position. I should say 

 that any national society representing a great 

 science which has a thousand members could 

 safely be admitted to the same affiliation as 

 the Chemical Society now enjoys. 



Unfortunately, I think, for the advancement 

 of science, there is too great a tendency to 

 organize separate and independent societies in 

 each branch of investigation. This has been 

 done already in regard to chemistry in this 

 country in the establishment of two very 

 powerful societies entirely distinct from and 

 without any affiliation whatever with the 

 American Chemical Society. I refer to the 

 American Electro-chemical Society and the 

 American section of the Society of Chemical 

 Industry. I do not wish to speak in a re- 

 proachful way of these two organizations, be- 

 cause I am a member of both and fully appre- 

 ciate the great work that each is doing, but it 



