464 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XIX. No. 481. 



than five years for all the divisions and so- 

 cieties to hold one meeting in common. 



This does not, however, touch one of the 

 most serious phases of the present situation, 

 namely, the existence of many independent 

 societies within the same science, a condition 

 especially pronounced in botany. Not only 

 does this entail a great waste of effort, but it 

 deprives the science of the advantage and 

 prestige of a powerful national body which 

 can speak and act with authority in the in- 

 terests of the science. At the same time each 

 science is becoming so specialized that it is 

 more agreeable and profitable for those inter- 

 ested in the same phase of it to meet by them- 

 selves. It is customary to deprecate this 

 tendency, on the ground that specialists should 

 keep more in touch with other phases of their 

 science as well as with other sciences. But 

 in practise I think this segregation is inevi- 

 table, and not undesirable or, at all events, it 

 represents the lesser in a choice of evils. A 

 specialist in one branch of a science can not 

 keep in touch with another branch by suffer- 

 ing through technical papers read on that lat- 

 ter phase; he can accomplish this result much 

 better around the social table in the evenings, 

 and by listening to, or reading, those admir- 

 able summaries of progress in other branches 

 which it is becoming more and more the cus- 

 tom to present in vice-presidential addresses, 

 in semi-popular lectures by great specialists, 

 etc. The best solution of this particular 

 problem seems to me to lie in the combina- 

 tion of all the societies devoted to a certain 

 science into a single strong national society, 

 which shall be divided into as many sections 

 as there are special phases, attracting enough 

 men to form working sections, and which shall 

 hold simultaneous meetings in the great geo- 

 graphical centers, along with the other scien- 

 tific bodies afiiliated with the American So- 

 ciety of Naturalists. This can undoubtedly 

 be accomplished without the abandonment of 

 any of the existent societies, through their 

 transformation into the special sections of the 

 national society. W. F. Ganong. 



I beg leave to submit the following plan for 

 increasing the usefulness and influence of the 



American Association for the Advancement 

 of Science: 



Organization. — In addition to the present 

 organization, establish a branch in each com- 

 munity where there are a number of members 

 of the association. 



Meetings. — In addition to the general meet- 

 ing, have each section meet once a year and 

 each branch once a month, or oftener if it 

 should appear to be profitable. 



Publications. — Publish Science as at pres- 

 ent, and in addition publish all the papers 

 presented at the section meetings and the 

 more important of those presented at the 

 branch meetings (in the Transactions) ; issu- 

 ing a set of the Transactions for each section. 



In nearly every community there is a de- 

 mand for some organization of those inter- 

 ested in science; so we see science clubs in 

 nearly every university. These clubs form 

 social centers for the scientists of the com- 

 munities, and their meetings offer an oppor- 

 tunity for their members to report on and dis- 

 cuss the work which they are doing. In most 

 cases they would be willing to reorganize as 

 branches of the American Association for the 

 Advancement of Science if given considerable 

 freedom in the character of organization. The 

 parent society could charter a branch on re- 

 ceiving a copy of its constitution, which should 

 make provision for a report of each meeting, 

 being sent to the general secretary. Each 

 will then have -the advantage of cooperation 

 while still having freedom of government. 



The best time for holding the general meet- 

 ing, at which the social element should be 

 emphasized, appears to be in the early sum- 

 mer. Each section would hold its meeting in 

 connection with the general meeting as at 

 present; but in addition would hold a meeting 

 during convocation week, the summer meeting 

 being given to the more general papers and 

 excursions, while the more technical papers 

 would be presented at the winter meeting. 

 These winter section meetings need not be 

 held all at the same place, and if desirable 

 any section might hold two simultaneous 

 meetings at different places. 



Science is serving a very useful purpose 

 now in publishing the vice-presidential ad- 



