SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLII. No. 1095 



results of original research into a language 

 intelligible to any or all of the others. In 

 spite of the sensational vaporizing about 

 scientific men and scientific discoveries that 

 abounds in the Sunday newspapers and fills 

 the pages of popular magazines, it is abso- 

 lutely true that at the present day there are 

 almost no attempts to popularize science, 

 that is by men who know what they are 

 talking about. A great journal which for 

 half a century was devoted to the exposi- 

 tion of the results of scientific investigation 

 in the vernacular common to educated men 

 has recently been compelled to suspend fur- 

 ther publication for lack of support. It 

 seems to be a case in which both producer 

 and consumer have disappeared. 



The Ohio Academy of Science is organ- 

 ized in such a way as to afford, it is hoped, 

 an effective check upon this unfortunate 

 tendency. In its sectional meetings oppor- 

 tunity is offered for the discussion of re- 

 sults of research of the most specialized 

 character, while in its general sessions the 

 more important of such results, when 

 finally accepted, may be presented in a 

 manner intelligible and interesting to all. 

 As an illustration of the latter possibility I 

 may be allowed to refer to the great pleas- 

 ure and profit with which, as one whose in- 

 tellectual horizon has always been regret- 

 fully restricted, I listened at the last meet- 

 ing of the academy to a most able, inter- 

 esting and instructive summary of work 

 done in the suppression of the foot and 

 mouth disease. 



I think it fortunate that the academy is 

 never likely to be very great in numbers. 

 Let us hope that there will always be at 

 least one institution whose excellence is not 

 to be measured by a numerical standard. 



The American Association for the Ad- 

 vancement of Science with its ten thousand 

 members, its twelve sections and its twenty- 

 three affiliated societies, all meeting at one 



time and place, is an aggregation of parts 

 not very closely related. It no longer af- 

 fords, as in the early years of its existence, 

 a great opportunity for that commingling 

 in social and scientific intercourse which 

 counted for so much in both pleasure and 

 profit for its members. The smaller, spe- 

 cialized national societies take its place in 

 large measure in this respect, but these 

 fail in one most important particular. In 

 them a man mingles with his kind; it is 

 mingling with the other kind that he often 

 most needs. 



Finally, the Ohio Academy, being a state 

 institution, should appeal to all residents 

 of the state who are interested in the ad- 

 vancement of science or the promotion of 

 scientific discovery. The geographic com- 

 pactness of the state and the network of 

 transportation lines by which it is covered 

 makes it easy for all to attend its meetings, 

 wherever they may be held, while the na- 

 tional societies are usually in session at 

 such distant points that the burden of ex- 

 pense and time makes them impossible for 

 many. 



The academy, therefore should be ac- 

 cepted as a very desirable, indeed neces- 

 sary adjunct to the scientific activities of 

 the state and it is entitled to the loyal sup- 

 port of all residents of the state, especially 

 of those who are actually engaged in scien- 

 tific work. 



Let us now consider its relation to the 

 state under which it enjoys a corporate 

 existence. In answer to the question 

 "What has the state done for the acad- 

 emy?" a single sentence will suffice. A 

 quarter of a century ago the state gave the 

 academy its charter, in payment for which 

 it received the sum of five dollars; about 

 two years ago when the academy desired to 

 correct a slight and hitherto undetected 

 error in its name as recorded in the charter 

 the state graciously allowed one word to be 



