370 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXVII. No. f 



ciples and not merely by personal consider- 

 ations. 



Our scientific societies are the type of 

 such organizations in science. The mem- 

 bers make their own laws, elect new mem- 

 bers, appoint officers in rotation from the 

 membership, read their own papers and 

 pay their own expenses. In turn, groups of 

 members take on the duties of hosts to the 

 others, and it is a genuine and deep 

 pleasure, for are they not returning the 

 numerous hospitalities that they have re- 

 ceived'? Such meetings are among the best 

 events of the year in science, the most 

 stimulating, the most fraternal; and the 

 impetus to the progress of science is in- 

 calculable. 



The Marine Biological Laboratory is 

 another example of a free cooperative or- 

 ganization in biology. I believe I need not 

 apologize for using this organization to 

 illustrate my remaining remarks, because 

 it belongs to the Naturalists of America 

 and it illustrates better than any other in- 

 stitution with which I am thoroughly 

 familiar certain working principles of co- 

 operation in biologj'. 



The government of the laboratory is 

 vested in a corporation consisting of 64 

 life members and about 125 annual mem- 

 bers, and a board of trustees of 31 mem- 

 bers (at present, full number 35), of whom 

 three are ex officio. The corporation meets 

 annually to elect a clerk, treasurer and 

 eight trustees to serve four years. Mem- 

 bership in the corporation is by election by 

 the board of trustees. To the latter body 

 is delegated the administration of labora- 

 tory affairs, and they appoint all officers 

 and agents. Of the 189 members of the 

 corporation, 129 are professional biologists ; 

 of the 31 members of the board of trustees, 

 25 are of the same class. The corporation 

 has the power to modify the policy of the 

 laboratory in any respect by virtue of its 



control of the membership of the board of 

 trustees. 



The government and ownership of the 

 laboratory thus rest absolutely in the hands 

 of American biologists, and this is the first 

 and fundamental cooperative feature of 

 the organization, viz., cooperation of those 

 interested in affecting an organization for 

 research. I believe that much of the use- 

 fulness and effectiveness of the institution 

 rests on this basis. It establishes a thor- 

 ough democracy of sentiment, which is 

 more nearly like the sentiment of our sci- 

 entific societies than that of any other in- 

 stitution that I know. Out of this grows 

 a feeling of loyalty that is shared in greater 

 or less degree by nearly all who have 

 worked at the institution. These now 

 represent practically every university and 

 college of the country, most of which are 

 represented either in the board of trustees 

 or in the corporation. 



This fundamental cooperative principle 

 was established at the foundation of the 

 laboratory, though the proportion of pro- 

 fessional biologists in the membership, both 

 of the corporation and of the board of trus- 

 tees, was less then than now. 



A second important form of cooperation 

 exists between the laboratory and other in- 

 stitutions. Many of our institutions re- 

 quire the facilities of a marine station for 

 the research work of their biological de- 

 partments. Some have sought to supply 

 these facilities independently, but I believe 

 I am correct in saying that this method has 

 not usually proved permanently successful, 

 partly because of the expense of the under- 

 taking, and partly because such an indi- 

 vidual undertaking lacks the inspiration 

 that comes from the presence of representa- 

 tives of other institutions, who bring in 

 new ideas and establish a congenial com- 

 munity. 



In the year 1891, after four years of ex- 



