64 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXIII. No. 835' 



the end that all chemical names shall be 

 understood, because they indicate exact com- 

 position? J. H. Eansom 

 Purdue Ukiveesitt, 

 Lafayette, Ikd. 



i 



COASTAL SUBSIDENCE IN MASSACHUSETTS 



To THE Editor of Science : "While Professor 

 D. W. Johnson has clearly shown in the No- 

 vember 18 issue of Science that there are cer- 

 tain factors which produce fictitious appear- 

 ances of coastal subsidence, chief of which is 

 the irregular height of the tidal wave due to the 

 varying character of the shore, there are a 

 number of marks of subsidence on the Massa- 

 chusetts coast which it is not probable can 

 be so explained. For example, near Misery 

 Island, Beverly, stumps of forest trees appear 

 in place at a depth of twelve to fourteen feet 

 below low tide. 



The striking example given by Professor 

 Johnson of the fictitious appearance of coastal 

 subsidence at Scituate proves also, it seems to 

 me, that subsidence has really been going on. 

 The very fact that the level of the inside marsh 

 was several feet below the outside level of high 

 tide showed how much the land had sunk 

 since the mouth of the North Eiver had been 

 nearly closed. A very similar state of affairs 

 exists in the region of the Norfolk Broads in 

 the eastern part of England. Here, in the 

 same way, the land is slowly sinking, but, 

 owing to the silting up of the mouths of the 

 Yare and the Bure rivers, aided by dyking, 

 the tides have been largely excluded, the marsh 

 has become fresh and has so long ceased to 

 build up that it is below the level of high 

 water outside, and there is danger of the sea 

 breaking through the sand dunes and, as at 

 Scituate, drowning out the region. 



Charles W. Townsend 



Boston, 



December 2, 1910 



■'calendar eeform 



To THE Editor op Science: I read with 



interest Professor Chamberlin's suggestions 



for the reform of the calendar, in the current 



number of Science, November 25. It happens 



that I had thought of a scheme the same as 

 that of Professor Chamberlin in all essential 

 features, but was led to abandon it before 

 publication because I considered that its dis- 

 advantages outweighed the advantages. 



The advantages of the seasonal division are 

 very slight. The scheme would suit condi- 

 tions here as well as the present arrangement. 

 In Great Britain, however, the winter begins 

 in November, spring in February, etc. Hence 

 Professor Chamberlin's arrangement with win- 

 ter beginning in January would not suit con- 

 ditions and would not be accepted. The earth 

 receives the smallest amount of heat and light 

 at the winter solstice, and neglecting lag this 

 should be midwinter. To call it the beginning 

 of winter as astronomers do, is to allow 45 

 days lag. To call January 1 the beginning 

 seems to be allowing 55 days lag, not 10 as 

 stated by Professor Chamberlin. This lag 

 varies so much in length with latitude and 

 local conditions that it does not appear that 

 any division of the months into seasons will 

 be universally satisfactory. 



The desirability of a year divisible into 

 quarters is unquestioned. But let us see the 

 disadvantages of the scheme. A man who 

 pays rent, for instance, would find his rent due 

 in the first quarter on the first of the month, 

 say. It would be due the Monday of Easter 

 week, on the twenty-second of the month in 

 the second quarter, fifteenth in the third and 

 the eighth in the fourth. Likewise with 

 monthly salaries and, in fact, all business done 

 by the month. A promissory note dated Feb- 

 ruary 15 due in two months would be due 

 April 8, but if due in one month, March 15, 

 or if due in nine months it would be due 

 October 22. If due in eight months, on the 

 first day of Gregorian week. Likewise, in 

 finding the interval in days between two days 

 we should always need to be on guard against 

 omitting or including wrongly one of these 

 weeks. This problem is a very common one 

 in business. Since the suggestion has been 

 made, there will be no difiiculty in multiplying 

 these illustrations indefinitely. When we com- 

 pare this complexity with the simplicity of the 

 same problems in the regular 13 months of 28 



