SCIENCE 



A -WEEKLY JOURNAL DEVOTED TO THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE, PUBLISHING THE 



OFFICIAL NOTICES AND PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION 



FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. 



Feiday, ]\£ay 27, 1904. 



CONTENTS: 

 The American Society of Naturalists: — 

 What Academic Degrees should be conferred 

 for Scientifio Work? Peofessoe William 

 Trelease, President David Stake Jordan, 

 President C. R. Van Hise, Peofessor J. 

 McKeen Cattell, Peofessoe John M. 

 CouLTEE, Peofessor J. H. Btjreill 809 



Scientific Books: — 



Walden on Wilhelm Ostwald: Peofessoe 

 Haeey C. Jones. Bauer's Lehrbuch der 

 Mineralogie: G. P. K 821 



Scientific Journals and Articles 823 



Societies and Academies: — 



The Botanical Society of Washington: Carl 

 S. Scofield. The Torrey Botamcal Club: 

 Teacy E. Hazen. Section of Astrotwmy, 

 Physics and Chemistry of tlie Neto York 

 Academy of Sciences: De. C. C. Trow- 

 BEiDGE. TJie Section of Biology of the 

 Academy of Science and Art of Pittsburg : 

 Feedeeic S. Webstee. The Society for 

 Experimental Biology and Medicine: De. 

 William J. Gnss. The Science Club of 

 the University of Wisconsin: Victor 

 Lenhee 823 



Discussion and Correspondence: — 



Shall tee have Two Grades of College 

 Physics? Peofessoe James S. Stevens. 

 Comet a 190 Jf: Peofessoe Ellen Hates.. 882 



Special Articles: — 



The Water Soluble Plant Food of Soils: 

 Harry Snyder 834 



The Edison Medal 835 



Scientifio Notes and News . . . '. 836 



Vniversity and Educational News 840 



MSS. intended for publication and books, etc., intended 

 for review should be sent to the Editor of Science, Garrl- 

 Bon-on-Hudson, N. Y. 



TEE AMERICAN SOCIETY OP NATURALISTS. 



WHAT ACADEMIC DEGREES SHOULD 



BE CONFERRED FOR SCIENTIFIC 



WORK?* 



The Chairman (Professor Trelease) : 



The subject that has been selected for 

 the afternoon's discussion is one of very 

 considerable interest to all of us as investi- 

 gators, and further, to those of us who are 

 teachers as well— the question as to what 

 academic degrees should be conferred for 

 scientific work. From the time when one 

 of our little people comes home from the 

 primary school with a long narrow strip of 

 yellow paper with various hieroglyphics on 

 it that he has made himself, and with cer- 

 tain blue pencil marks which may read 

 100, or 90, or 40, we are confronted by one 

 phase of the question that we are to analyze 

 this afternoon. The arithmetical grading 

 of our attainments and our personality be- 

 gins at the very moment that we go into 

 the kindergarten, and it does not end until 

 a well-disposed clergyman tries to find 

 something good to say of the worst of us 

 when we are through with our life's work. 

 Everywhere between the kindergarten and 

 the grave we are confronted with the 

 fact that a kind of stamp is put upon us 

 in every one of the complications of life that 

 we may fall into. 



"What are we trying to do as teachers is 

 of course perfectly clear to every one of 

 us. Those of us who are teachers are try- 

 ing to equip people for useful work in life. 

 The situation is not unlike that of cur- 



* Annual discussion, St. Louis meeting, Decem- 

 ber, 1903. Reported stenographieally and cor- 

 rected by the speakers. 



