42 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XVII. No. 419. 



New Hampshire, 10 ; Missouri, 8 ; Canada, 

 8; Nebraska, 7; Minnesota, 7; Vermont, 

 6; Rhode Island, 4; Tennessee, 4; Ken- 

 tucky, 4; Iowa, 4; Florida, 3; Maine, 2; 

 "West Virginia, 2; South Carolina, 2; 

 Georgia, 2; Texas, 2; Montana, 2; Colo- 

 rado, 2; Delaware, 1; "Wyoming, 1; Ar- 

 kansas, 1; Mississippi, 1; Kansas, 1; South 

 Dakota, 1; Alabama, 1; New Mexico, 1. 



Foreign attendance: Canada, 8; Eng- 

 land, 1 ; Ceylon, 1 ; Nicaragua, 1. 



In addition to these, 363 members of 

 affiliated societies also registered at the 

 office of the association, so that the total 

 enrollment of scientific men in attendance 

 at the meetings was 1,352, and the total 

 attendance may be conservatively esti- 

 mated as not less than 1,500. 



The membership of the association, 

 which had reached at the Pittsburgh meet- 

 ing a total of 3,473, was augmented by 

 the election at this meeting of 392 addi- 

 ditional persons. One may assert with 

 reasonable confidence that the gathering 

 was the most representative and extensive 

 which has ever been held under the 

 auspices of any purely scientific associa- 

 tion in this country and stands in favor- 

 able comparison with any similar congress 

 in other lands. This was undoubtedly due 

 in part to the advantages of "Washing- 

 ton in accessibility and attractiveness, as 

 well as to the large number of affiliated 

 societies which cooperated in the gather- 

 ing. One may well affirm that the experi- 

 ment of changing the time of meeting has 

 proved a distinct success, and this is evi- 

 dent not only in the size of the gathering 

 but in the characteristic features of the 

 series of meetings as well. 



In the first place, it was noteworthy that 

 the attendance was composed in great ma- 

 jority of the working scientific men of the 

 country. The meetings of the various 

 sections were well attended and the spirit 

 of the sections was one of work, most grati- 



fying to those who look for renewed scien- 

 tific interest and activity as a result of 

 the change in policy of the association. 

 It is further noteworthy that the number 

 of affiliated societies has been increased 

 by the addition of many of the permanent 

 scientific organizations of the country. 

 Such an assemblage could not be made 

 without numerous and even serious con- 

 fiicts, together with the inconvenience and 

 even friction which is attendant upon such 

 relations. "While this was noticeable in a 

 few points which may possibly result in 

 the temporary withdrawal of a few organ- 

 izations, the advance made has been no 

 less permanent than real in character. 



To be sure, there are some scientific men 

 who have not yet grasped the meaning of 

 organization in scientific fields, and to 

 whom the temporary inconveniences of an 

 affiliation, the minor details of which have 

 not yet been completed, appear to over- 

 shadow the great benefits which must re- 

 sult to science at large from the strength 

 of the ultimate union. Despite this, the 

 broader view has appealed so strongly to 

 the members of most sections that am- 

 icable relations have been entered into 

 between these and the national societies of 

 technical character, and there has resulted 

 a great improvement of the program for 

 those in attendance upon the meetings and 

 of effort and influence for the mutual ad- 

 vancement of the organizations. No one 

 can doubt this on examination of the pro- 

 grams of the sections, which manifest an 

 especially high standard in the character, 

 of the papers presented. Those in at- 

 tendance upon future meetings may look 

 with confidence to the presentation only of 

 that which is most valuable to the worker 

 in the field of the section. The marked 

 improvement in the character of the con- 

 tributions can only be demonstrated by 

 the reports of the secretaries, which will 

 appear subsequently. The more serious 



