42 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXVII. No. 680 



No better success as to numbers attended 

 the regularly called meeting of the next 

 year at Burlington, only 73 being present. 

 The leaven was working, however, and the 

 first Chicago meeting may be said to have 

 begun a new period of prosperity. 



This meeting was attended by 259 per- 

 sons, the total membership being 428 at 

 the time of assembling, showing a remark- 

 ably large ratio of attendance to mem- 

 bership. The enthusiasm which had been 

 aroused was indicated by the fact that 261 

 persons took membership in the associa- 

 tion at this meeting. The list of names is 

 interesting. It includes many business 

 men whose names have been and are promi- 

 nent in connection with the enormous 

 growth and development of Chicago's com- 

 mercial interests. 



It seems especially noteworthy that the 

 list includes John Crerar, Orrington Lunt 

 and G. C. Walker, whose names are as- 

 sociated, respectively, with the John Crerar 

 Library in the city, the Orrington Lunt 

 Library at Northwestern University, and 

 the Walker Museum of the University of 

 Chicago. 



The majority of the 261 names belong to 

 the city of Chicago, but the addresses are 

 widely enough distributed to show that in- 

 terest in science and in the association was 

 awakened in all settled parts of the north. 

 There were 151 papers presented on a wide 

 range of topics. To one whose contact 

 with the association is confined to later 

 years, it seems odd to find a single sectional 

 program containing papers on subjects be- 

 longing to astronomy, physics, - chemistry, 

 economics and engineering. Present at the 

 meeting and presenting papers was G. W. 

 Hough, then of Albany, N. Y., but for 

 years professor of astronomy in the North- 

 western University. So far as the writer 

 could ascertain, he is the only one of those 

 attending this first Chicago meeting who 

 also attended the one just held, where he 

 was present at the sessions of Section A. 



The opening session of the meeting at the 

 University of Chicago was held Monday, 

 December 30, in Leon Mandel Hall, at 10 

 A.M. It was called to order by retiring 

 President William H. Welch, who intro- 

 duced President B. L. Nichols, who pre- 

 sided. Addresses of welcome were made 

 on behalf of the university by Dean George 

 E. Vincent, representing President Judson, 

 and on behalf of the city by Mr. George B. 

 Adams, vice-chairman of the local commit- 

 tee. President Nichols replied briefly on 

 behalf of the association. An interesting 

 feature of the addresses was the graceful 

 reference of the speakers to the recent con- 

 ferring of both the Copley medal and the 

 Nobel prize on Professor A. A. Miehelson, 

 of the University of Chicago. 



The address of retiring President Welch 

 was delivered in. the same hall on Monday 

 evening and was intently followed by a 

 large audience. After it the members of 

 the association were received by Mrs. H. P. 

 Judson and Dean Vincent. 



The number of members officially regis- 

 tered for the meeting is 725. Members of 

 affiliated societies not members of the asso- 

 ciation registered to the number of 185. It 

 is certain that many members of the asso- 

 ciation failed to register, while compara- 

 tively few from the affiliated societies regis- 

 tered with the permanent secretary. No 

 account was taken of visitors not members 

 of any society. From data available at the 

 close of the meeting, it is fair to assume 

 that the number of persons attending was 

 close to 2,000. The members of the associa- 

 tion who registered are distributed as fol- 

 lows: 



Illinois 221 North Dakota 3 



Ohio 57 New Jersey 3 



New York 56 North Carolina .... 3 



Dist. of Columbia. . 47 Louisiana 3 



Indiana 38 Texas 2 



Wisconsin 36 Maine 2 



Michigan 34 Mississippi 2 



Minnesota 32 Kentucky 1 



Missouri 31 Delaware 1 



