SCIENCE 



Friday, November 21, 1913 



CONTENTS 



The Structure of the Universe: Dr. J. C. 

 Kapteyn 717 



Blood Parasites: Dr. Henry George Plum- 

 MER 724 



Some Educational Proilems in Kansas : Chan- 

 cellor Frank Strong 730 



The American Society of Naturalists: Dr. 

 Bradley M. Davis 734 



The American Psychological Association: 

 Professor W. V. Bingham 735 



The Dana Centenary 736 



Scientific Notes and News 736 



University and Educational News 740 



Discussion and Correspondence : — 

 Atomic Ionization and Atomic Charges: 

 Professor Pernando Sanforb 741 



Scientific BooTcs: — 



The Maryland Devonian Boohs: Dr. John 

 M. Clarke. White's Technical Gas and 

 Fuel Analysis: Professor B. P. Anderson. 742 



Professor Noguchi's Researches on Infective 

 Diseases : Sir Stephen Paget 746 



Diatom Collection of the United States Na- 

 tional Museum: De. Frederick V. Coville. 748 



Special Articles : — • 



Beversibility in Artificial Parthenogenesis: 

 Professor Jacques Loeb 749 



Societies and Academies: — 



The Biological Society of Washington: D. 

 E. Lantz. The Anthropological Society of 



ton: Daniel Folkmar 751 



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

 review should be sent to Professor J. McKeen Cattell, Ga 

 On-Hutlson, N. Y. 



TBE STBUCTUBE OF THE UNIVEBSE^^ 



I HAVE been asked to address you on the 

 structure of the universe. The title is am- 

 bitious, and I fear that what I have to say- 

 on the sub.ject will be sadly in dispropor- 

 tion with what some of you will be led to 

 expect by this title. 



It will, however, I hope, give you a 

 glimpse of what astronomers now-a-days 

 are attempting to do, in order to penetrate 

 somewhat into the mystery of the starry 

 sky. 



The problem, as I take it, is a double one. 

 We have, first, the structure of the uni- 

 verse as it is at the present moment; and 

 this problem is, in the main, no other than 

 finding the star distances, because the star 

 directions we can readily ascertain. 



We have, second, the problem of the his- 

 tory and evolution of the system. 



The time at my disposal being so short, 

 I must confine myself to one of the two. 

 At the present moment, undoubtedly, the 

 first is the more promising one, owing to 

 the recent discovery of star-streaming. 

 Furthermore the history of the system 

 during the past ages, ages to be counted 

 by millions, probably hundreds of millions 

 of years, is and perhaps forever will re- 

 main enshrouded in much mystery. Still I 

 have thought that the second problem, that 

 of the evolution of the system, may, per- 

 haps, be the more suitable subject for the 

 present lecture. 



You will all, of course, understand, with- 

 out my saying anything to the purpose, 

 that what we have to expect can not well 

 be anything else than a few more or less 



1 Address delivered before the National Acad- 

 emy of Sciences, April, 1913. 



