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SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXIII. No. 851 



family termination to some — one can do what 

 he chooses with them. S. W. Williston 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 



THE PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY OP WASHINGTON 



The 691st (40th anniversary) meeting was held 

 on March 11, 1911, President Day in the chair. 

 The evening was devoted to hearing the annual 

 address of the retiring president, Mr. E. S. Wood- 

 ward, who spoke of the ' ' Meaning of Research. ' ' 



The speaker mentioned the importance of the 

 time element in measuring progress in research, 

 and stated that we are often prone to measure 

 progress by months and years instead of decades. 

 As a study of the society may throw some light on 

 the meaning of research, the speaker briefly re- 

 viewed the great work the Philosophical Society, 

 which is yet young, has done, what it is for and 

 what it may do. 



The society has had thirty-two presidents, of 

 whom the speaker had known all except two, and 

 he had worked with two thirds of them. The 

 chief work of many of these were mentioned. 

 Forty years ago was a time of profound intel- 

 lectual agitation, the principal cause of which was 

 Darwin 's ' ' Origin of Species, ' ' and it is probable 

 that the Philosophical Society was due to the 

 great influx of new ideas coming at that time. 

 Stirring intellectual enterprise (not repose) was 

 the order of the day. At that time biology was 

 the most conspicuous sign of the intellectual up- 

 rising; the work of Kelvin and Tait, and Max- 

 well was not more revolutionary than Darwin's. 

 Progress has since been at an accelerated rate. 

 Applications of results of physical science have 

 multiplied ten to one hundred fold. 



The development of scientific work by the gov- 

 ernment was described at some length, mention 

 being made of a number of departments and indi- 

 viduals therein that have contributed to both prac- 

 tical and theoretical results in many branches of 

 science, including medicine, most of which had 

 been done by members of the Philosophical So- 

 ciety. The characteristic features of research by 

 members of the society during these years were 

 mentioned. 



Eesearch has not been understood by the masses, 

 and has not generally been recognized as a voca- 

 tion. The methods of science are now coming to 

 be recognized by all as the best method for the 

 discovery of truth. The meaning of research is 

 best recognized by the fruits of this and other 

 similar societies. 



The chair expressed the thanks of the society 

 to the speaker for his excellent address. The 

 address will soon appear in full in a bulletin of 

 the society. 



The 692d meeting of the society was held in 

 the new auditorium of the National Museum on 

 March 25, 1911, this being a joint meeting with 

 the Washington Academy of Sciences. The eve- 

 ning was devoted to hearing an address by Dr. 

 Svante Arrhenius, by invitation, on the subject of 

 ' ' The Atmosphere of the Planets. ' ' 



The constitution of the sun and its probable 

 temperature were briefly mentioned. Owing to its 

 gaseous condition the specific gravity of the sun is 

 about one fourth that of the earth, that of Jupiter 

 and Saturn being about the same as that of the 

 sun. The majority of the planets are void of an 

 atmospheric envelope. The moon's atmosphere is 

 about one thousandth that of the earth. 



The critical velocities of bodies at the earth and 

 at the moon were mentioned. In speaking of the 

 critical velocities of various substances at the 

 moon it was stated that hydrogen and helium had 

 long ago flown off from the moon. 



The minor planets, lying in orbits between the 

 sun and Mars, have no atmosphere. Mars, Venus 

 and the earth only, have an atmosphere. Venas 

 has a very heavy atmosphere and which is now 

 like that of the earth ages ago. 



Laplace's theory of the extension of the sun's 

 gases to Neptune and Uranus was mentioned. 



The question of how the earth got its present 

 atmospheric properties was discussed. When the 

 temperature of the earth reached 55° C. organ- 

 isms could live. The polar regions of Venus are 

 about 60° C. and organisms may live there. 



In discussing the important function of the 

 existence of COj in the atmosphere, it was stated 

 that the time will come when the amormt of it will 

 dangerously decrease, and finally all of it and 

 some of the water will go from the earth, the earth 

 will grow colder and the rest of the water will 

 freeze. 



Mars is now a desert with a low temperature, its 

 atmosphere is about one twentieth that of the 

 earth. This will nearly all vanish, especially when 

 the sun's radiation allows Mars to cool down. 

 This is the fate of all planets. 



President Day, of the Philosophical Society, 

 thanked the speaker, on behalf of the joint meet- 

 ing, for his very interesting address. 



E. L. Fabis, 

 Secretary 



