SCIENCE 



A WEEICLY JOURNAL DEVOTED TO THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE, PUBLISHING THE 



OFFICIAL NOTICES AND PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION 



FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. 



Feiday, June 10, 1904. 



CONTENTS: 

 Heriert Spencer's Autohiography : Professor 

 Lestee F. Ward 873 



The Work of the Year 1903 in Ecology: Dr. 

 Henry Chajsidler Cowles 879 



Scientific Books: — 



The Desert Botanical Laboratory of the 

 Carnegie Institution: Dr. Frederic E. 

 Clements. Physiology in the Interna- 

 tional Catalogue of Scientific Literature: 

 Professor Frederic S. Lee 885 



Societies and Academies: — 



The Washington Meeting of the American 

 Physical Society: Professor E. B. Rosa. 

 The Botanical Society of America: Pro- 

 fessor D. T. MacDougal. The New York 

 Academy of Sciences, Section of Anthropol- 

 ogy and Psychology : Professor James E. 

 Lough. Section of Ceology and Mineral- 

 ogy : Dr. EdmujSd Otis Hovey 888 



Discussion and Correspondence : — 



The Complex Nature of Thorium: Pro- 

 fessor Chari^es Baskerville. a Reddish- 

 broimi Snoiofall: Edward Lindsey 892 



Special Articles: — 



Mental Efficiency and Health: Professor 

 Robert MacDougall 893 



The Electron Theory: VV. S. F 896 



A Heavy Japanese Brain: Dr. Edw. Anthony 

 Spitzka 899 



Professor Rutherford on Radium 899 



Scientific Notes and News 900 



University and Educational News 904 



MSB. intended lor puhlicatlon and books, etc., intended 

 for review should be sent to tbe Editor of Science, Gairi- 

 son-on-Hudson, N. Y. 



HERBERT SPENCER'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY* 

 The autobiography of a great man, the 

 publication of which during his lifetime 

 is expressly interdicted by him, unavoid- 

 ably raises the question as to the possibility 

 of disinterested action. Mr. Spencer has, 

 indeed, in his 'Autobiography' discussed 

 the motives that prompted his work, and 

 has shown that egoism and altruism are 

 inextricably mixed in the composition of 

 these motives. But he speaks only of his 

 philosophical works, all of which appeared 

 during his lifetime, and in which he may, 

 therefore, be supposed to have a personal 

 interest. But here is a work of no mean 

 proportions, in which he knew he could 

 take no interest after it appeared. In 

 many cases the motive may be explained 

 by the belief on the part of the authors 

 that they will continue to exist and remain 

 . cognizant of all that is to take place, and 

 will, therefore, know just what the effect 

 of their action is to be upon the world at 

 large. But no such motive can be alleged 

 in the present case, for he himself says : 'as 

 I have no belief in anything to be gained 

 in another world, it can not be otherworld- 

 liness that moved me'; and* again: 'with 

 death there lapses both the consciousness 

 of existence and the consciousness of having 

 existed.' This is not the place to discuss 

 such a question, but in the minds of many 

 it can not be suppressed. 



The 'Autobiography' of Herbert Spencer 

 must not be regarded as a mere pastime 

 and incidental episode in his career, but as 



■•* Two volumes. 

 Company, 1904, 8° 



New York, D. Appleton and 



