42 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XXIII. No. 576. 



The meeting of 1904 reported 4,175 

 membei-s. That of 1905 about 4,500. The 

 increase has been larger than usual and 

 important. As soon as the association can 

 count on 5,000 active members most of its 

 financial problems will be solved. It is a 

 question whether as a means to this end 

 some special arrangement should not be 

 made with the members of affiliated socie- 

 ties who are not yet members of the asso- 

 ciation. Certain it is that the experience 

 of America, as well as of France and Great 

 Britain, shows that the American Associa- 

 tion fills a place peculiarly its own. The 

 loss of its unifying influence and its ag- 

 gressive propaganda of science would leave 

 a void which nothing else could fill. There 

 should be no difficulty in reaching har- 

 monious relations satisfactory to all in- 

 terests. 



The experience at New Orleans makes 

 it doubtful whether the experiment of ■ 

 scattering the vice-presidential addresses 

 through the week is a wise departure. The 

 meeting loses the initial momentum of a 

 more compact arrangement. 



The suggestion was made at this meeting 

 that a distinctive badge for life members 

 of the association should be designed and 

 sanctioned. The idea is worthy of con- 

 sideration. 



The association has finally acted upon a 

 suggestion long discussed and will under- 

 take during 1906 two meetings, one in the 

 summer at Ithaca, N. Y., the other in 

 winter at New York City. 



While the New Orleans meeting was 

 small in numbers and somewhat expensive 

 to individuals, it has been pronounced a 

 decided success. The quality of the wel- 

 come to the south has been remarkably 

 fine. Those attending believe that an un- 

 usual work has been done in the advance- 

 ment of science and that, thoiagh the meet- 

 ings will usually be necessarily small, the 

 association should more frequently con- 



vene in the remoter and unvisited cities of 

 the country. 



The following affiliated societies held 

 sessions in conjunction with the associa- 

 tion: 



The American Chemical Society. 



The Botanical Society of America. 



The Botanical Club of the Association. 



The Association of Economic Entomologists. 



The Entomological Club of the Association. 



The American Mycological Society. 



The Sigma Xi Honorary Scientific Society. 



In accordance with its established policy 

 the association encourages the great na- 

 tional societies to meet in connection with 

 it. The paid officers of the association 

 take charge of all matters of detail without 

 charge to the societies. At New Orleans 

 the number thus aiSliating was much 

 smaller than usual, but this was expected, 

 because of the great distances of the cen- 

 ters of gravity of these associations from 

 that place. Those few, however, which 

 came south on this occasion with the asso- 

 ciation, will join in the conviction that they 

 accomplished a genuine service in the ad- 

 vancement of science. 



The first session of the fifty-fifth meeting 

 of the American Association for the Ad- 

 vancement of Science was called to order 

 in Temple Sinai, New Orleans, at 10 a.m., 

 Friday, December 29, 1905, by the perma- 

 nent secretary. Dr. L. 0. Howard, who 

 stated that retiring President Farlow was 

 ill and would be compelled to remain in 

 bed during the day, but expected to be well 

 enough to deliver his address at 8 p.m. 

 Dr. Howard then introduced President 

 Calvin M. Woodward, who assumed the 

 chair. President Woodward expressed his 

 regret at the indisposition of Dr. Farlow 

 and said they had met to receive a special 

 word of welcome from the great state and 

 city which were the hosts. It was a very 

 great pleasure to him to call attention to 

 the material and scientific progress which 

 had been made in New Orleans. 



