SCIENCE 



FRffiAY, February 4, 1916 



CONTENTS 



The American Association for the Advance- 

 ment of Science: — 

 Poncelet Polygons: Pkofessoe H. S. White. 149 



The Contest with Physical Nature: The Hon- 

 orable r. K. Lane 158 



Daniel Giraud Elliot: Dk. J. A. Allen 159 



Francis Marion Webster: W. E. Walton .... 162 



The Joseph Austin Holmes Memorial 164 



Scientific Notes and News 165 



University and Educational News 168 



Discussion and Correspondence: — 

 Fireflies Flashing in Unison: De. Edward 

 S. MOESE. Polyradiate Cestodes: Propessoe 

 Franklin D. Barker. An Organic Oolite 

 from the Ordovician: Dr. Francis M. Van 

 TuYL. Use of C.G.S. Units: Professor 



, Alexander McAdie. The First Secretary 

 of Agriculture: Dr. G. P. Clinton 169 



Scientific BooTcs: — 



Arrhenius on Quantitative Laws in Biolog- 

 ical Chemistry: Peofessoe Hugh S. Tay- 

 LOE. Underhill on the Physiology of the 



Professor Graham Lusk. 172 



Articles: — 

 The Discovery of the Chestnut-Might Para- 

 site in Japan: Dr. C L. Shear, Niel E. 

 Stevens 173 



The American Society of Zoologists: Peo- 

 fessoe Caswell Grave 176 



MSS. intended for publication and books, etc.. Intended for 

 review should be sent to Professor J. McKeen Cattell, Garrison- 

 On-nudson, N. Y. 



PONCELET POLYGONSi 



There is nothing which can not be 

 known. Such at least is the postulate of 

 science. Wide as is the universe of matter, 

 numberless as are the objects and the events 

 in the world of either dead matter or living 

 organisms, yet the scientist must have faith 

 that all can be observed, classified, named; 

 that a finite number of terms and a finite 

 system of laws will sufSce ultimately for 

 the summing up of what we call the ex- 

 ternal universe. A dream, if one regards 

 it as a positive expectation! Yet how far 

 it has gone in the direction of realization 

 in certain obvious horizons! In our solar 

 system it is not frequently that a major 

 planet is discovered. In the chemist's do- 

 main, does any one concede that the un- 

 known elements are more in number than 

 the known? Does any physicist really ex- 

 pect to come upon a new kind of activity at 

 all comparable in importance with the 

 Eontgen rays? Though the ideal of com- 

 plete knowledge and perfect explanation 

 may be destined never to be reached, yet 

 how prone are we to imagine that it must be 

 not far away ! 



In a certain contrast to the material 

 world stands the world of intellect and rea- 

 son, a contrast partly at least fictitious, but 

 also in part intrinsic. It is in this world 

 that geometry exists. Whatever else be 

 true about geometry, it is plain from ex- 

 perience and from history that its objects 

 are ideas or notions ; that they are comple- 



1 Address of the retiring vice-president and 

 cliairman of Section A of the American Associa- 

 tion for the Advancement of Science, Columbus, 

 December 30, 1915. 



Fes tsi6 



