November IS, 1010] 



SCIENCE 



691 



gentlemen appointed by the Secretary of 

 State to represent this country at that con- 

 gress, with instructions to add to their 

 number. A considerable delay elapsed be- 

 fore any active steps were taken, but at the 

 first meeting of this committee its number 

 was increased somewhat, so that the work 

 of making the complete committee could be 

 more intelligently performed. This some- 

 what enlarged committee has held one 

 meeting, and its principal work has been 

 to complete as far as possible the joint 

 organizing committee of nearly two hun- 

 dred which is to meet on October 8 at the 

 Chemists' Club for the first important for- 

 mal work of the congress. 



No additional officers have been elected 

 except the secretary, so that at that meet- 

 ing no one will find affairs cut and dried 

 and the oifiees allotted. Its principal busi- 

 ness will be the election of the treasurer of 

 the congress and the president and vice- 

 presidents of the numerous sections, upon 

 whom so much will depend. An executive 

 committee will also have to be chosen. 



In order that no chemist of prominence 

 should be lost sight of in this matter, care- 

 ful steps have been taken, by correspond- 

 ence with all the members of the organiza- 

 tion, to provide two or three candidates for 

 every office, so that the members will have 

 a free and full opportunity- of expressing 

 their will. In a democratic country like 

 this, where so much depends upon the feel- 

 ing of responsibility which each member 

 of the committee will carry, it is of the 

 utmost importance that every one should 

 consider himself responsible for the suc- 

 cessful outcome of the congress, and be 

 placed in a position in which he would have 

 no excuse for shirking his duties. 



As a result of communication with forty- 

 four chemical societies in various parts of 

 the world, as well as with many of our own 

 people living at a distance, the meeting of 



the committee as first enlarged determined 

 to hold the congress during the early part 

 of September, 1912, and that its opening 

 session should be in the city of Washington 

 and its active sectional work in the city of 

 New York. 



The selection of Washington for the 

 opening meetings was entirely natural 

 when we consider that the invitation has 

 been a national one. It will also be much 

 more convenient for the president of the 

 United States and other high officials who, 

 it is hoped, will take prominent part. This 

 will give an exceptionally favorable oppor- 

 tunity for our guests to see our beautiful 

 capital under the most favorable auspices. 



New York, as a manufacturing center, 

 with its hotel accommodations and other 

 facilities, is ideal as a place for carrying 

 on the sectional work and occasional large 

 meetings of such a congress ; and if we are 

 not too strenuous in our hospitality a week 

 should see that part of the work well on 

 towards completion. This will permit vis- 

 itors to see other portions of the country 

 with the view alluded to above of showing, 

 as far as possible, the resources of the coun- 

 try to our foreign guests. 



Even to those who have not attended 

 previous sessions, it will be plain from the 

 above brief outline that the work of prop- 

 erly organizing the congress, securing suit- 

 able papers for its consideration, providing 

 discussions on same, arranging for hospi- 

 tality, transportation and all the thousand 

 and one matters which come up on such 

 occasions will be no child's play. It will 

 require the work of hundreds of men and 

 the loyal support not only of everj' chemist 

 in the country, but of every college and 

 every business concern which has to do 

 with chemists in any capacity. The finan- 

 cial question alone is one of very great 

 importance, especially in view of the fact 

 that when the new Chemists' Club is fin- 



