342 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XIX. No. 478. 



professional societies, many of them at least, 

 do not feel like giving up their winter meet- 

 ing. The result has been considerable friction 

 between some of the section meetings and the 

 other societies. The difficulties have not been 

 removed entirely, but are being adjusted by 

 compromises. 



It occurs to me that the trouble might be 

 removed in large measure by having meetings 

 of the sections of the American Association 

 for the Advancement of Science in mid-sum- 

 mer. They need not all meet at the same 

 place. In fact it would be better for them not 

 to meet at the same place, as the summer 

 meetings should have for their paramount 

 objects excursions and field trips, and the lo- 

 cality that would be highly interesting to the 

 geologist might have little to attract a chemist 

 or botanist. 



Furthermore, the sections by meeting sepa- 

 rately could go to smaller places which could 

 not entertain the entire association, and thus 

 whatever good influence these meetings might 

 possess would be more widely distributed. 

 The meetings in the smaller cities would prob- 

 ably have a greater influence than in the large 

 cities, because in the smaller place they would 

 be ' events ' that would attract the attention 

 and interest of nearly every one, while in 

 large cities they attract little attention, being 

 lost in the bustle of the city. 



This arrangement would enable a greater 

 number of the scientists to partake of the 

 benefits of the meetings, as many could attend 

 the summer meetings in one place who could 

 not attend the winter meeting in another and 

 vioe versa. 



Let us then have the meetings of the sec- 

 tions in the summer in a locality containing 

 points of interest to the section concerned. 

 For instance, Syracuse, with its many objects 

 of geological interest, would make an ad- 

 mirable place of meeting for the geological 

 section. Another summer it could go to the 

 iron district of Lake Superior or Alabama, 

 again to the cave district of Kentucky or 

 Indiana, and so on from year to year. 



T. C. Hopkins. 

 Syracuse UNr^EKSiTT, 

 January 14, 1904. 



To THE Editor of Science : Eeferring to the 

 questions noted in your editorial in a recent 

 number of Science, I beg leave to suggest : 



It is more and more apparent that the 

 naturalists of the country are laboring under 

 certain serious disadvantages by reason of 

 which we are likely, unless we are cautious, 

 soon to lose the whole inspiration which 

 should come from organization. In the first 

 place, this is an exceedingly wide country and 

 we are, by the nature of the case, much scat- 

 tered, unable to meet together in one place 

 without a considerable sacrifice on the part of 

 the greater number, both of time and of money. 

 In the second place, in an effort to better this 

 and for possibly other reasons not here to be 

 discussed, we are at present overwhelmed with 

 a multiplicity of organizations. The botan- 

 ists, for example, are in this particular no 

 better off than any of the rest. 



For the botanists, I beg to offer the follow- 

 ing suggestions: 



Let us maintain at all hazards the botanical 

 section of the American Association for the 

 Advancement of Science as part of a national 

 organization of the utmost value to the people 

 of this country for educational reasons, if for 

 none other. Then let us have a single Botan- 

 ical Society of America to have at least two 

 meetings per year, one of which shall always 

 be in connection with the meeting of the Amer- 

 ican Association for the Advancement of Sci- 

 ence. Let the program of Section G consist 

 of two parts, the one to be offered, say, in the 

 forenoon of each day, to be of more popular 

 character, open to all America ; the other to be 

 in charge of the Botanical Society, to con- 

 tain papers of a purely professional character, 

 reports of research work, contributions to 

 knowledge. 



In some such way as this, it seems to me, we 

 can preserve the high standard of our associa- 

 tion meetings, gain the inspiration which comes 

 from a general assembly, and at the same 

 time not lose sight of the objects sought in 

 the way of popular impulse, encouragement 

 and education. 



The Botanical Society might hold as many 

 meetings as it likes, be divided into as many 

 subdivisions as might be deemed convenient. 



