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SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXV. No. 629 



world over be covered by abstracts, so far 

 as the financial condition of the society 

 will permit, and that to meet this extension 

 an increase of dues be made, if necessary. 



6. That an earnest effort be made to se- 

 cure a greater number of technical papers 

 from technical schools, with special consid- 

 eration of the propositions of Mardick in 

 this direction already referred to. 



7. That the committee on papers and 

 publications be increased by the addition 

 of two technical chemists. 



The last of these recommendations goes 

 into effect probably with the coming year. 

 Numbers 1-4 and 6 will doubtless be fol- 

 lowed, as heretofore in the case of those 

 already in operation, and gradually adopt- 

 ed in part if not wholly in the others. The 

 remaining and most important recommen- 

 dation, that for abstracts to cover the for- 

 eign as well as home field, had already been 

 practically decided on by the council after 

 careful review of the ground by the editor, 

 and merits extended consideration. 



Few, except those who have been in close 

 touch with the working out of such an 

 undertaking as an abstract journal to cover 

 all languages, can realize the magnitude of 

 the task, the multiplicity of points to be 

 taken into account, and the results of neg- 

 lect to pay due regard to matters that at 

 first thought may seem to be of minor 

 moment. First there was the form of pub- 

 lication to be considered — that is, should it 

 conform to the model hitherto followed, or 

 should the journal be divided into sections, 

 each devoted to a special branch of chem- 

 istry and followed by the abstracts per- 

 taining to that branch, or should a special 

 abstract journal be issued; and whatever 

 the decision in this regard, should the pub- 

 lication or publications be issued at month- 

 ly or semi-monthly intervals. Coupled 

 with these matters were those relating to 

 size of page and cover, color of covers and 

 inserts, matter to appear on the several 



pages of cover of one or both publications, 

 advertising rates, subscription price, the 

 drawing of specifications for the guidance 

 of bidders and of a contract for the suc- 

 cessful one. 



While these questions were still under 

 consideration a plan had to be carefully 

 outlined for collecting and properly classi- 

 fying the abstracts, involved in which were 

 minor details of abbreviations to be used, 

 both for titles of papers and of certain 

 frequently appearing data in the text, of 

 directions for the guidance of abstractors, 

 etc. A list of journals, proceedings of so- 

 cieties and other publications must be care- 

 fully prepared and arrangements made to 

 secure these by exchange or otherwise if 

 the editorial ofSce did not already have 

 access to them. Then, most important of 

 all, came the selection and securing of a 

 competent staff of abstractors, with suitable 

 men to take charge of special divisions and 

 to be responsible for the work of those asso- 

 ciated with them, for many fields are far 

 too wide to be covered by a single man. 

 This question was rendered specially diffi- 

 cult by the lack of eligibles who are ac- 

 quainted with some of the less familiar 

 foreign languages. Hence the need in a 

 few instances of correspondence with dis- 

 tant lands in the hope of securing, if pos- 

 sible, some one there competent to attend 

 to the publications of his land and able at 

 the same time to write abstracts in English. 

 A further element of difiiculty here arose, 

 that few, if any, are sufficiently at home in 

 all fields of chemistry to be able to prepare 

 satisfactory abstracts in them all, a diffi- 

 culty which was also encountered in those 

 cases where a competent man is available 

 here at home for certain fields of work in a 

 little known foreign tongue, but not in 

 others, and the man for these others is not 

 to be had. Often, too, appeared the need 

 for finding some one in a particular city 

 where alone, perhaps, certain publications 



