SCIENCE 



Friday, October 27, 1911 



CONTENTS 

 The Fundamental Properties of the Elements : 



Professor Theodore W. Eichards 537 



Science and Literature: Professor Sidney 



GuNN 550 



The Number of Students to a Teacher in 



State Colleges and Universities: Professor 



C. H. Handschin 556 



Scientific Notes and News 557 



University and Educational News 560 



Discussion and Correspondence: — 



Text-books and Reviewing: Professor T. 



D. A. Cockerell. "Air in the Depths of 

 the Ocean": Professor Percy Norton 

 Evans. The Influence of Heredity and En- 

 vironment in Determining the Coat Colors 



in Mice: Professor C. C. Little 561 



Quotations : — 

 Congress of the Universities of the British 

 Empire; Technical Judges 563 



Sciejitific BooTcs: — 

 Knott's Life and Scientific Work of Peter 

 Guthrie Tait: Professor Alexander Mac- 

 FARLANE. Sherman's Chemistry of Food 

 and Nutrition: Dr. H. S. Grindley. Zool- 

 ogisches Addressbuch: Professor Charles 

 Atwood Kofoid 565 



The Pribilof Fur Seal Herd and the Prospects 

 for its Increase: Dr. C. H. Townsend . . . 568 



Botanical Notes: — 



Further Studies of the Coconut; "PecTc's 

 Reports" ; The Forests of the Philippines; 

 Plant Protection; Short Notes: Professor 

 Charles E. Bessey 570 



Special Articles: — 



Phosphorus Metabolism during Early Cleav- 

 age of the Echinoderm Egg: L. F. Shack- 

 ell. Observations on the Inheritance of 

 Characters in Zea mays Linn. : Dr. J. 

 Burtt-Davy 573 



MSS. intended fot publication and bookg, etc., intended fop 

 review should be sent to the Editor of Science, Garrison-on-. 

 Hudson, N, Y. 



FABADAY LECTURE '^ 



THE FUNDAMENTAL PROPERTIES OF THE 



ELEMENTS 



We meet to-night to honor the memory 

 of Michael Faraday. It is fitting that we 

 should come to this historic place ; for here 

 were his home and his laboratory, and in 

 this room he lectured. Science is one of 

 the great influences promoting the solidar- 

 ity of mankind ; it is world-embi'acing, and 

 recognizes no bounds of nationality. Fara- 

 day's work especially was a message to the 

 whole world, and has grown into a priceless 

 heritage for all humanity. Therefore, 

 from time to time the generous guardians 

 of this famous lectureship have called 

 chemists and physicists from many lands 

 to honor his unique genius. England, Ger- 

 many, Prance, Italy, Eussia have all sent 

 eminent representatives; and now from 

 across the sea there comes a pilgrim who 

 is proud indeed to bring the homage of the 

 new world to this shrine of cherished mem- 

 ories. The many ties which bind together 

 our two nations add especial pleasure to 

 the fulfilment of the trust. 



The mystery that enshrouds the ultimate 

 nature of the physical universe has always 

 stimulated the curiosity of thinking man. 

 Of old, philosophers sought to solve the 

 cosmic problem by abstract reasoning, but 

 to-day we agree that the only hope of pene- 

 trating into the closely guarded secret lies 

 in the precise estimation of that which is 

 tangible and visible. Knowledge of the 



^ Delivered before the fellows of the Chemical 

 Bociety in the theater of the Eoyal Institution, on 

 Wednesday, June 14, 1911. Printed in the Journal 

 of the Chemical Society, Vol. 99, p. 1201, 1911. 

 See also Proceedings of the Chem. Soc. Vol. 27, 

 p. 177, 1911. 



