December 22, 1905.] 



SCIENCE. 



811 



have many of the attractions of a foreign 

 country, which are entirely unknown to 

 most scientific men of the eastern, central 

 and western states. Further, it' is a real 

 privilege for the scientific men and other 

 residents of the city to entertain the asso- 

 ciation for the first time, and the entertain- 

 ments and excursions will be more at- 

 tractive and characteristic than at the or- 

 dinary meetings. 



The American Chemical Society, The 

 Botanical Society of America and some 

 seven other societies will meet with the 

 association at iNTew Orleans. But many of 

 the national scientific societies will this 

 year meet in widely separated places, as 

 shown in the program printed under 'So- 

 cieties and Academies.' It is natural that 

 these societies, whose programs depend 

 largely on a compact group of members, 

 could not undertake the wider mission of 

 the American Association. It is also 

 true that there are attractions in smaller 

 meetings in university towns, which can 

 not be sacrificed without regret. It is to 

 be hoped that ultimately convocation week 

 will be left free for a national meeting of 

 scientific men, and that the association will 

 in the summer organize a less formal meet- 

 ing at one of the smaller university towns 

 cTr other places where social life may be 

 informal and pleasant. Such a plan is 

 proposed next year for Ithaca. The na- 

 tional societies devoted to special sciences 

 will of course meet when and where their 

 interests will be best served, but it is not 

 likely that it will prove advantageous to 

 meet at the same time as the larger group 

 and in a different place. We may in any 



case count on an increasing spirit of coop- 

 eration among our scientific men and a 

 gradual elimination of difficulties that are 

 inevitable when adjustments must be made 

 to new conditions. Perhaps all that can 

 be expected or is desirable at present is 

 that all scientific men should meet at the 

 same place every second or third year. It 

 was intended to arrange for a common 

 meeting in Boston next year, but owing to 

 the fact that the American Medical Asso- 

 ciation and the International Zoological 

 Congress will meet in that city, it may be 

 found wise to postpone the Boston meeting. 

 In that case New York City appears to be 

 the most desirable place for a convocation 

 week meeting of the scientific men of the 

 country. 



ANTHROPOLOGY AT TEE LOUISIANA 

 PURCHASE EXPOSITIONS 



I. 



The motive of the department was to 

 diffuse and incidentally to increase knowl- 

 edge of man and his worfe. Hence, the 

 primary purpose was essentially educa- 

 tional; and the work of the department 

 was distinctive, if not unique, in that it 

 embraced research in a degree comparable 

 with that accorded to original work in 

 modern institutions of higher learning. 



Anthropology is the science of man. In 

 the broad sense it deals with all mankind 

 and their attributes. Its aims and pur- 

 poses are connected with man as an organ- 

 ism, and as the type of the class of living 

 things distinguished by mentality; also it 

 deals with mankind as an assemblage of 



^ Opening chapter of the final report of the chief 

 of the department of anthropology, entitled ' Mo- 

 tive and Scope of the Department ' ; published 

 with approval of Hon. David R. Francis, presi- 

 dent, and Hon. F. J. V.- SIciff, director of exhibits 

 of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition. 



