Januaet 18, 1907] 



SCIENCE. 



91 



are to be had that are likely to contain 

 matter of interest to chemists. Particu- 

 larly is this true in my own field of min- 

 eralogy and geology. Very many of the 

 publications to be drawn upon, if this field 

 is to be properly covered, are accessible 

 only in the city of Washington, and most 

 of these only in the library of the geolog- 

 ical survey. 



It will thus be seen what a task devolved 

 on the editor of the Journal when the pub- 

 lication of an abstract journal was decided 

 on. The time will undoubtedly come when 

 the society must employ, at a good salary, 

 a man whose whole time can be devoted to 

 editing the society's publications, for they 

 will demand all of his time. An alterna- 

 tive would be to continue the present plan, 

 but to relieve the editor of all but super- 

 visory labor by furnishing him with ade- 

 quately paid and competent assistants. As 

 it is, the editor has been obliged to engage 

 an associate to share with him the arduous 

 labors that have fallen upon his shoulders. 

 And here I can do no less than testify to 

 the patient, unwearied efforts and pains- 

 taking care bestowed by Dr. Wm. A. Noyes 

 in planning for the new publication. This 

 I can do the more authoritatively from 

 having been in active cooperation at close 

 hand with him throughout the past year. 

 He has been heartily aided in the way of 

 advice on many knotty points by the mem- 

 bers of the committee on papers and pub- 

 lications and the present corps of abstract- 

 ors, as well as by others, but the great 

 weight of the task has devolved upon him, 

 and I trust that our members will give him 

 due credit for what appears to them good 

 in the results attained, and withhold judg- 

 ment if there be defects. That there will 

 be mistakes to rectify and omissions to 

 make good is to be expected, for such an 

 undertaking can not spring into full frui- 

 tion at once; it must be given time to de- 



velop; premature judgment must not be 

 pronounced. 



I will not present to you the divers rea- 

 sons that influenced the decision of those in 

 charge of the matter in their choice of the 

 form the society 's publications should take. 

 The result has been made known to all. I 

 will, however, briefly repeat that the Pro- 

 ceedings and Journal of the society will 

 appear monthly as heretofore, and will in- 

 clude reviews of all kinds. The abstract 

 journal, to be known as Chemical Abstracts, 

 will issue semi-monthly and will be given 

 up wholly to abstracts. These abstracts 

 will naturally not be so fuU or so complete 

 as is desirable, but the best will be done 

 that our means allow and 'improvement' 

 win be the watchword from year to year. 

 It is altogether probable that we shall finish 

 the first year or two with a deficit, hence 

 the obvious need that our present members 

 should stand by the society and endeavor 

 to add largely to its numbers. A large 

 proportion of our membership— that en- 

 gaged in educational centers — has access to 

 existing abstract journals covering all fields 

 of work. They are hence, as a rule, in no 

 special need of additional abstracts, and I 

 wish my technical friends to bear this well 

 in mind and to give due credit to these 

 many members who, although their wants 

 are largely met by existing conditions, have 

 yet readily consented to an increase of dues 

 and in many eases have taken on themselves 

 the preparation of abstracts out of sheer 

 loyalty and a desire that those who are less 

 fortunately situated may reap the fullest 

 benefit that the society can offer. I can 

 not refrain from mentioning also the fact 

 that in some quarters where at least indif- 

 ference might have been looked for, not 

 only was this feeling not apparent, but, on 

 the contrary, the proposed changes excited 

 a satisfaction, I might almost say, enthu- 

 siasm, that was in the highest degree en- 

 couraging. 



