502 
fore, be classified as those which can be re- 
ferred to an ‘atomic’ factor, and those 
which possess a ‘mass’ factor. The former 
are in the majority. And the periodic law 
is the bridge between them; as yet, an im- 
perfect connection. For the atomic factors, 
arranged in the order of their masses, dis- 
play only a partial regularity. It is un- 
doubtedly one of the main problems of 
physics and chemistry to solve this mys- 
tery. What the solution will be is beyond 
my power of prophecy ; whether it is to be 
found in the influence of some circumstance 
on the atomic weights, hitherto regarded as 
among the most certain ‘constants of Na- 
ture,’ or whether it will turn out that 
mass and gravitational attraction are in- 
fluenced by temperature, or by electrical 
charge, I cannot tell. But that some 
means will ultimately be found of reconcil- 
ing these apparent discrepancies, I firmly 
believe. Such a reconciliation is necessary, 
whatever view be taken of the nature of 
the universe and of its mode of action ; 
whatever units we may choose to regard as 
fundamental among those which lie at our 
disposal. 
In this address I have endeavored to ful- 
fill my promise to combine a little history, 
a little actuality and a little prophecy. 
The history belongs to the Old World; I 
have endeavored to share passing events 
with the New; and I will ask you to join 
with me in the hope that much of the 
prophecy may meet with its fulfilment on 
this side of the ocean. 
Witiiam Ramsay. 
ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDuNT BEFORE THE 
SOCIETY FOR THE PROMOTION OF 
ENGINEERING EDUCATION. 
In opening the proceedings of this fourth 
annual meeting of the Society for the Pro- 
motion of Engineering Education I wish, 
first of all, to congratulate the Society upon 
its great success thus far in accomplishing 
SCIENCE. 
[N. S. Vou. VI. No. 144. 
the object for which it was founded, an ob- 
ject fully expressed in its name. ‘The vol- 
umes of its proceedings already published 
are filled with discussions and the ripe con- 
clusions of the best thought that can be 
expressed to-day upon many phases of en- 
gineering education. No one who desires 
to become informed upon these matters can 
afford to neglect these volumes. It is be- 
lieved that all interested in the object of 
our Society will find it to their advantage 
to unite with us. 
One striking peculiarity of engineering 
education seems to me to lie in the fact that 
it has been determined so largely as to its 
scope and the lines of its development by 
the engineering colleges themselves in ad- 
vance of the formulated demands of the 
engineering profession and of the public in 
general, and often, indeed, in opposition to 
such demands. Through the wisdom and 
foresight of these organizers of engineering 
education the profession of engineering has 
come forth during this generation into pub- 
lic estimation as a learned and responsible 
profession, quite the peer of law or medi- 
cine. This is the work of the engineering 
colleges, and from the deliberations of this 
Society it is evident that they still have a 
large work before them. The educational 
institutions of our country are in a state of 
flux. The present movement in education 
is powerful. These times will be looked 
back to in future days as those in which 
mighty educational forces were inaugurated 
and were adapted to the needs of the nation 
just as it was coming to its full conscious- 
ness as one of the great family of nations, 
a consciousness of power and responsibility 
that is causing it to depart somewhat from 
the revered advice of Washington,which was 
to keep aloof from European affairs and en- 
tanglements with other nations of the earth 
and work out its own destiny by itself. 
National growth and our multiplied facili- 
ties for communication have greatly modi- 
