Januaet 11, 1907] 



SCIENCE 



53 



science and of the scientific spirit in this 

 city, and adding much to the interest of 

 our meeting by the admirable exhibition 

 and demonstrations of recent scientific 

 progress which it has arranged in the mu- 

 seum. No feature of our meeting will 

 afford greater pleasure and inspiration 

 than the ceremonies attending the unveil- 

 ing of the busts of American men of sci- 

 ence presented to the museum by Mr. 

 Morris K. Jesup, to whose generosity, pub- 

 lic spirit and individual efforts American 

 science is so deeply indebted. I wish to 

 acknowledge at this time the courteous 

 thoughtfulness of the trustees of the mu- 

 seum not only for their hospitality but also 

 for selecting the time of our meeting for 

 these interesting ceremonies. 



The Metropolitan Museum of Art, with 

 its magnificent collections in art and arche- 

 ology, like the American Museum of Nat- 

 ural History, sets an example to the na- 

 tional government in the cultivation of the 

 sciences and the fine arts. 



Our botanical members at their meeting 

 at the New York Botanical Garden will 

 find there, as well as in the adjacent Zoolog- 

 ical Park, in the opportunities afforded for 

 the study of science and for the delight of 

 the people, another and kindred illustration 

 of the wise liberality of this city. 



The New York Public Library, with its 

 magnificent new building approaching com- 

 pletion, is another splendid foundation, 

 resting upon both private and public 

 munificence, which ranks among the great 

 educational institutions of this city, whose 

 growth and widened usefulness in recent 

 years are significant of the progress of 

 learning and science. 



The holding of meetings of one of our 

 sections and of affiliated societies in the 

 new building of the Rockefeller Institute 

 for Medical Research will afford oppor- 

 tunities to inspect laboratories unsurpassed 

 in their arrangement and equipment for 



investigation in those branches of medical 

 science to which they are devoted. In this 

 connection I may state that New York City 

 leads the world in the application by its 

 department of health of the great discov- 

 eries of the last quarter of a century in 

 bacteriology to the prevention of disease. 



Time forbids further illustration of re- 

 cent scientific progress in New York City. 

 I have cited as examples mainly institu- 

 tions with which the association will be 

 brought, during our meeting, into some per- 

 sonal contact through their hospitality, and 

 they will suffice to demonstrate the rapid 

 and most gratifying development of higher 

 education and of interest in the sciences of 

 man and of nature in this city. 



President Butler in his opening remarks 

 has touched upon a subject most timely and 

 important for the consideration of such 

 men and women as constitute the member- 

 ship of this association, and we shall do 

 well to ponder carefully words on this 

 theme coming from so high an authority 

 upon education. "While expressing sym- 

 pathy with the aims of the natural and 

 physical sciences, recognizing their impor- 

 tance and supporting them, as he has done, 

 he also expresses the opinion that science 

 in the general scheme of education and as 

 an educational instrument has not fulfilled 

 the expectations which he and others enter- 

 tained regarding it a quarter of a century 

 ago. "VSTiile it is not possible to discuss this 

 subject adequately on this occasion, I may 

 be permitted to say a few words regarding 

 it. 



It is doubtless true that during the rela- 

 tively short time since the natural sciences 

 were admitted to the curriculum of a liberal 

 education the teaching of these sciences has 

 not attained to that agreement of opinion 

 and fixity of method which centuries of use 

 as instruments of education have secured 

 for the classical languages and mathematics. 

 It must be admitted that methods of teach- 



