October 2, 1914] 



SCIENCE 



477 



the people of this country, but will mean a tre- 

 mendous increase in our annual farm productions, 

 and will add to the country's wealth, prosperity, 

 happiness and greatness. 



THE PANAMA EXPOSITION 



President Charles C. Mooee, of the Pan- 

 ama-Pacific International Exposition, to open 

 in San Francisco on February 20, 1915, has 

 issued the following statement: 



One month ago the decision of the Panama-Pa- 

 cific International Exposition management not to 

 postpone was first published. The development of 

 events since then, in their relation to the exposi- 

 tion, all tend to confirm the wisdom of that orig- 

 inal decision. 



At the time the decision was made no word had 

 been received from any foreign nation as to the 

 effect on its plans caused by the European war, 

 but it was hoped that at least those nations not 

 fighting would go on with their plans. Later de- 

 velopments have proven that hope well founded; 

 in addition, we have definite assurances from 

 Prance, from Italy, from Turkey and from Japan 

 that their intentions are unchanged. Holland has 

 added $300,000 to her original appropriation. 

 Italy has ordered work on her building and ex- 

 hibits rushed. Japan has asked for and received 

 an increase of space. The Argentine Eepublie has 

 increased its appropriation from $1,250,000 to 

 $1,750,000. 



"We shall undoubtedly lose some of the promised 

 exhibits from Europe, but not by any means all of 

 them and not by any means the most important of 

 them. Both Germany and Great Britain will be 

 represented by individual exhibitors or by associa- 

 tions thereof. We shall undoubtedly lose some of 

 the promised entries by European champions in the 

 athletic events, but the international character of 

 those events will not be lost. We may lose some 

 of the art treasures promised us for the Pine Arts 

 Building, but we shall gain others because of the 

 war. 



Of compensating gains we have many. There is 

 a very sharp demand for space from the manufac- 

 tures of this country, of South America and of the 

 European nations not at war. The Exposition 

 suddenly becomes an important factor in an extra- 

 ordinary economic situation. It is seen to be the 

 one, great, easy, efficient way by which American- 

 made goods can be brought to the direct attention 

 of the distributors and consumers of South Amer- 

 ica and the Orient. The latter are coming here in 



force in 1915 to make new individual and com- 

 mercial coimeotions forced by the war. 



As regards attendance, every transportation ex- 

 pert confirms the opinion that a continued Euro- 

 pean war is likely rather to increase travel to Cali- 

 fornia in 1915 than to reduce it. 



The Exposition is 92 per cent, ready to-day. It 

 will open February 20, as planned — and it will be, 

 as planned, the most beautiful and most interest- 

 ing exposition ever seen. There is no reason to 

 believe that the success of the exposition, in any 

 phase, will be any less than that which was so cer- 

 tain before the European war broke out and it is 

 certain to be even more important commercially 

 than was ever dreamed. 



THE FEANKLIN MEDAL 

 Samuel Insull, Esq., of Chicago, Illinois, 

 writing under date of December 23, 1913, to 

 the board of managers of the Franklin Insti- 

 tute, Philadelphia, stated that he had been 

 informed it would be a source of gratification 

 to them if the institute had available, in addi- 

 tion to such medals already in its gift, a medal 

 to be known as the Franklin Medal, and to be 

 awarded from time to time in recognition of 

 the total contributions of individuals to sci- 

 ence or to the applications of physical science 

 to industry, rather than in recognition of any 

 single invention or discovery, however impor- 

 tant. He agreed to provide for the founding 

 of this medal under the following general con- 

 ditions : 



1. That an amount not exceeding one thou- 

 sand dollars should be furnished by him for 

 procuring appropriate designs and dies for the 

 medal and diploma. 



2. That the medal should possess distinct 

 artistic merit, and have on one side a medal- 

 lion of Benjamin Franklin done from the 

 Thomas Sully portrait in the possession of 

 the institute. 



3. That the medal should be of gold and 

 have an intrinsic value of about seventy-five 

 dollars. 



4. That the sum of five thousand dollars 

 should be provided by him to be held in trust 

 in perpetuity to be a foundation for this 

 medal, and to be known as the Franklin Medal 

 Fund (founded January 1, 1914, by Samuel 

 Insull, Esq.). 



