716 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XIX. No. 488. 



ing when the iron, manganese and silica are 

 fully removed, but that its development 

 into a method for the determination of the 

 atomic weight of tungsten is not at all 

 probable. 



4. The plan of digesting pure ammonium 

 paratungstate with nitric acid, then evap- 

 orating to complete dryness and gently 

 igniting affords pure oxide. 



5. That porcelain vessels are preferable 

 to those of gold, silver or platinum for the 

 ignition of ammonium paratungstate and 

 tungstic acid. 



6. That the oxidation of metal (method 

 2) leads to reliable atomic numbers when 

 the material is pure. 



7. That tungsten hexachloride can be 

 completely transposed into pure oxide with 

 water and a little nitric acid. 



Trisulphoxyarsenic Acid: Professor Le- 



RoY W. McCat, Princeton. 



This paper explains how magnesium 

 salt of trisulphoxyarsenic acid is formed. 

 This salt has the composition represented 

 by the formula NajAsOS, + IIH^O. The 

 tertiary potassium salt is prepared in an 

 analogous manner. Two double salts 

 NaSrAsOSa + lOH^O and KBaAsOSj + 

 THjO have also been prepared. Methods 

 for separating trisulphoxyarsenic acid 

 from monosulphoxyarsenic and disulphoxy- 

 arsenie acid have been worked out and the 

 behavior of the compound toward strong 

 mineral acids is now under investigation. 

 This work was done conjointly with Dr. 

 William Foster, Jr., of Princeton Univer- 

 sity. 



The Expansion of Algebraic Functions at 

 Singular Points: Professor Preston A. 

 Lambert, Bethlehem, Pa. 

 In this paper the author bases the ex- 

 pansion in series of algebraic functions at 

 singular points on that application of Me- 

 Clanim's series which, at the last general 



meeting of the American Philosophical So- 

 ciety, was developed for the determination 

 of all the roots of a numerical equation. 

 The method is more direct than the meth- 

 ods employed for this purpose by either 

 Puiseux or Nother. 



The Continuum and the Theory of Masses: 



Professor I. J. Schwatt. 



The theories of continuity as given by 

 Peano, Borel, Couturat, Poincare and 

 others are viewed in the light of Cantor's 

 ideas. The classification of the different 

 kinds of numbers and their relation to the 

 continuum is given. The relation between 

 the m-fold and w-fold space and the con- 

 tinuity of these spaces is studied. 



Biblical Pessimism: Professor Paul 

 Haupt, Baltimore. Read by title. 



The Ripening of Thoughts in Common: 

 Professor Otis T. Mason, Washington, 

 D. C. 



Thoughts in common and the activities 

 linked with them are spoken of under the 

 heads of biology, speech, industries, fine 

 art, social life, learning and lore and re- 

 ligion. Activities which are purely biolog- 

 ical thoughts-in-common are shared with 

 the animals. Speech is considered as the 

 first occasion of thoughts. Industries of 

 life give rise to much simultaneity and 

 identity of mental operations. The es- 

 thetic faculty affords most wonderful ex- 

 amples of the force of emotions felt in com- 

 mon. The first society developed a vast 

 number of thoughts in common that have 

 persisted in all ages and areas. In learn- 

 ing and lore and in religion the same sim- 

 ilarity of thought is pointed out. 



THURSDAY, APRIL 7. 



Afternoon Session— 2 o'clock. 

 Vice-President Scott in the chair. 



i 



