984 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXVII. No. 704 



ical economies have become their presi- 

 dents. A more recent movement in the 

 selection of college and university presi- 

 dents has shown a favoritism to political 

 economists. Perhaps a combination may 

 prove the best solution. A live wire car- 

 ries energy; if insulated it is safe. Pro- 

 fessional modesty forbids me from men- 

 tioning which is the wire. 



A physical chemist sits as a member of 

 the privy council of Great Britain and is 

 helping in the readjustment of its politico- 

 economic policy. A plain, but distin- 

 guished, chemist was for years a senator 

 and member of the cabinet of France dur- 

 ing its trying period of recovery from dis- 

 astrous conflicts without and within. Our 

 nation has been so blessed in natural re- 

 sources that it has achieved a reputation 

 for extravagance, national, communal and 

 personal. "In times of afSuence prepare 

 for depression," is a trite rendering of an 

 expression usually enunciated in simpler 

 words. In recent times no chemist has had 

 a voting voice in affairs at Washington. 

 It was fortunate for our city that in a time 

 of the fullest prosperity it should place in 

 charge of its fitnances a chemist who had 

 known the needs of laboratory economy and 

 the benefits of earned prosperity. For he 

 successfully applied those principles to the 

 municipality in times of stress, and per- 

 haps will yet apply them for the welfare 

 of the nation. I have the honor of pre- 

 senting the Comptroller of the City of New 

 York. 



Mr. Metz spoke of the important part 

 the chemist plays in the control of struc- 

 tural work, the purchase of supplies, health 

 and happiness of the community, and em- 

 phasized the reliance a large municipality 

 should place in the chemical profession. 

 He called attention to the immense saving 

 to the City of New York which had come 

 about through his establishing a chemical 

 laboratory in torgunction with the depart- 



ment of finance. He expressed his obliga- 

 tion to his course in chemistry in the 

 Cooper Union, and the gratification of the 

 city officials at present in power in having 

 had a part in completing the handsome 

 buildings of the coUege of the city where 

 the high and low alike might secure ade- 

 quate preparation for their life work. 



In presenting the Honorable James W. 

 Hyde, the secretary of the board of trus- 

 tees. Professor BaskerviUe referred to Mr. 

 Hyde's reluctance to appearing too prom- 

 inently at public functions where such 

 striking evidence of his remarkable execu- 

 tive capacity was to be seen on every hand. 

 After thanking those who had come for 

 their presence. Dr. BaskerviUe said: 

 "Come again. This college and its every 

 department is yours. It belongs to you, to 

 me, to every man, woman or child of our 

 great city, who pays taxes or rent, and you 

 have a right to know whether we keep the 

 faith. ' ' 



Mr. Hyde then formally opened the 

 building and declared it fit for tjie use for 

 which it was devised. 



At the conclusion of the exercises, an 

 informal reception was held by the speakers 

 and the laboratory was inspected by parties 

 under the direction of the various members 

 of the staff. 



SCIENTIFIC BOOKS 

 Conductivity and Viscosity in Mixed Solvents. 

 By Harry 0. Jones, Professor of Physical 

 Chemistry in the Johns Hopkins Univer- 

 sity, and C. P. Lindsay, C. G. Carroll, H. 

 P. Bassett, E. C. Bingham, C. A. Eouilleb, 

 L. McMaster and W. E. Veazey. Car- 

 negie Institution of Washington, Publica- 

 tion No. 80. Pp. v + 235. 

 In this volume are presented the results of 

 an extended series of investigations on the 

 electrical conductivity and viscosity of solu- 

 tions of certain electrolytes in water, methyl 

 alcohol, ethyl alcohol and acetone; and in 

 binary mixtures of these solvents. 



