762 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXIV. No. 883 



1801. The function of n represented by <^(m) 

 is, however, generally called Euler's function, 

 since Euler had studied some of its funda- 

 mental properties before the appearance of 

 Gauss's " Disquisitiones." 



It is a well-known fact that it is easy to find 

 errors in nearly every book and the few errors 

 noted above would be of very little interest if 

 they did not occur in such an excellent work. 

 As they were met incidentally, it is not im- 

 plied that they include the most important 

 mathematical errors in the work under con- 

 sideration. They may perhaps serve to em- 

 phasize the great importance of a thorough 

 study of the question on hand before express- 

 ing a definite conclusion, and also the large 

 amount of labor involved in such a study. 

 There is a vast amount of error afloat 

 even in the best literature of the present time, 

 and this calls for a larger army of workers 

 who investigate questions ah initio and who 

 are fearless in resisting the tendency towards 

 the further spreading of these weeds on the 

 intellectual earth. 



G. A. Miller 



University of Illinois 



more washington science 

 To THE Editor of Science: I have been 

 reading with much interest the recent com- 

 munications on Washington science. No one 

 will deny credit to the scientists who are 

 giving the government department their best 

 energies. Still, these same men are occasion- 

 ally lacking in — I am almost tempted to say 

 a system of professional ethics. I have been 

 quite near the inside of Washington methods 

 and herewith present the case. 



In the event of choosing a scientific as- 

 sistant for a vacancy, I have known in several 

 cases that the matter of minimum salary the 

 applicant would accept was of paramount im- 

 portance while the ability and training of the 

 applicant seemed to be an insignificant matter. 

 I know cases where men with practically no 

 college or scientific training of any sort were 

 preferred to college graduates with experience, 

 because the former could be obtained for five 

 dollars a week less. I know a case in one 



division where $100 per year represents the 

 difference between the beginning salary of an 

 untrained man and that of a post-graduate of 

 a large eastern university. I do not refer to 

 men appointed under the civil service competi- 

 tive examination, but rather to those who 

 come under the general heading of agents and 

 experts, who are appointed merely at the 

 recommendation of a division chief. Many of 

 us know of cases wherein good men were dis- 

 couraged, by this state of affairs, to the extent 

 of entering other lines of endeavor. It is now 

 in order for some one to sign an earnest com- 

 munication containing the phrases " love of 

 science," " mercenary," etc. To one interested 

 in this subject I would suggest looking up the 

 records of resignations of very good men from 

 the government bureaus as a result of the 

 order of Secretary Wilson (1909) that no pro- 

 motions were to be made for the next fiscal 

 year. Is there not a system of ethics in these 

 matters ? 



For obvious reasons, I emulate my predeces- 

 sors and sign myself 



A Former Washingtonian 



COLUMBIA AND BERLIN 



A STATEMENT has recently appeared in a 

 number of newspapers to the effect that 

 Columbia University having passed the 

 University of Berlin in attendance is now 

 the largest university in the world. As a 

 matter of fact it will probably be several years 

 before the attendance at Columbia exceeds 

 that of Berlin. The error in calculation has 

 arisen primarily from the fact that the Co- 

 lumbia figures include not only the fall attend- 

 ance but also the enrollment of the summer 

 session of 1911, proper allowance, of course, 

 being made under duplication for the summer 

 session students who returned for work this 

 fall. The figures of the University of Berlin, 

 with which a comparison has been made, in- 

 clude, however, only the attendance during the 

 winter semester, the summer semester enroll- 

 ment not being considered. Inasmuch as 

 registration at the University of Berlin for the 

 winter semester of 1911-12 is not yet completed, 

 it is simpler to make a comparison between 



