604 



SCIENCE, 



[N. S. Vol. XXII. No. 567. 



practical affairs with what knowledge they 

 have or make research itself subservient to 

 money-getting by selling crude inventions, by 

 self-advertisement, or by cooperation with 

 financiers. We have no hierarchy of students 

 on a living wage basis ; and as a consequence 

 we are very short of real teachers even for 

 practical purposes. For the real teacher must 

 be an advanced student, not a mere parrot 

 reciting other men's work. — The London 

 Times. 



FALLS OF METEORS. 



Dr. Edward S. Holden, of the U. S. Mili- 

 tary Academy, has kindly sent us the follow- 

 ing letters for publication : 



A large meteor appeared at Leoti, Kans., 

 between the hours of nine and ten the night 

 of September 2. The sky was clear and the 

 air cool. The meteor, or fire ball, appeared 

 in the west at an angle of about forty-five 

 degrees, crossed the heavens with a hissing 

 sound and was lost in the east, about ten 

 degrees above the sky line. It seemed large 

 as a full moon, with ragged edges. For a 

 moment everything was flooded with light. 

 I think a full minute passed before thunder- 

 ing began in the east and following the path 

 of the meteor across the heavens slowly died 

 out in the west. I have seen meteors in this 

 country at different times, but none as large 

 or followed by thunder. 



October 9, 1905. M. A. Marston. 



A meteor is said to have fallen some years 

 ago about fifty miles from here beside White 

 Whale Lake. It is near an Indian reserva- 

 tion, and the Indians profess to have seen it 

 fall, and hold it in a good deal of reverence. 

 I have not yet seen the object, * * * I drove 

 out to see the stone this summer, but found 

 that it meant a long row up the lake in a very 

 indifferent boat, so I put the excursion off till 

 the ice comes, when it will be possible to 

 drive right to the spot. Are there any ob- 

 servations that I could make upon this meteor, 

 if it proves to be such, that you would care to 

 have? If so, kindly let me know. 



Chas. H. Huestis. 



Edmonton, Alberta, 

 October 5, 1905. 



THE MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECH- 

 NOLOGY AND HARVARD UNIVERSITY. 



We learn from the Boston Transcript that 

 Harvard University has now formally aban- 

 doned all plans for a merger with the Massa- 

 chusetts Institute of Technology. This action 

 was taken at a meeting of the president and 

 fellows on October 30, when the following 

 letter was presented: 



My dear President Eliot: 



I am directed by the Corporation of the Insti- 

 tute of Technology to communicate to you the fact 

 that, in view of the recent decision of the Supreme 

 Court of the State in the ease of John Wilson et 

 al. vs. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 

 the Corporation" of the Institute finds it impossible 

 to proceed with the plan of cooperation which was 

 considered at its meeting of June 9. 



In communicating this fact the corporation de- 

 sires at the same time to express its appreciation 

 of the fairness and courtesy of the Corporation of 

 Harvard University in our common effort to solve 

 a difficult question. 

 I am, 



Very sincerely yours, 

 [Signed] Heney S. Peitchett, 



October 11, 1905. President. 



Thereupon it was voted that the committee 

 of conference appointed by the Harvard board 

 on May 16, 1904, at the instance of the cor- 

 poration of the Massachusetts Institute of 

 Technology, be discharged, and that the presi- 

 dent be requested to express to the members 

 of the two committees of conference the high 

 appreciation by the president and fellows of 

 the foresight, good judgment and public spirit 

 of which the committees' project for a close 

 afiiliation between the institute and the uni- 

 versity gives evidence, and the regret of the 

 president and fellows that the project has 

 been brought to naught by the recent decision 

 of the supreme court, which makes it impos- 

 sible for the institute to place itself beside the 

 university. 



SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS. 

 The Bolyai prize of the Hungarian Acad- 

 emy of Sciences, of which some account was 

 recently given here, has been awarded to M. 

 Poincare. 



