Febeuaey 20, 1903.] 



SCIENCE. 



283 



ship, to try the experiment of meeting in 

 the winter season, in the hope that in this 

 way the seceding professional interests 

 might be held, while the afSliation of all 

 the organized scientific bodies promised 

 a power for the advancement of eveiy in- 

 terest concerned such as nothing but com- 

 bination of forces could give. 



In many respects, the recent Wasliington 

 meeting, the first held under the new plan 

 of the association, was the most successful 

 and satisfactory meeting yet held in this 

 country; but sight should not be lost of 

 the fact that it was an experiment, not only 

 on the part of the association, but of aU 

 the organizations that met with it, and it 

 was scarcely to be hoped that these should 

 not find that something in efficiency in the 

 promotion of their individual aims had 

 been sacrificed for the advancement of the 

 collective interests represented. It must 

 be conceded that the balance can not yet 

 be struck in such a way as to show con- 

 clusively that the new plan is better than 

 the old one. On the other hand, it is evi- 

 dent that such a balance should not be 

 struck until the experiment has been car- 

 ried further, and much of the conflict of 

 interests can be avoided by the closest co- 

 operation of the officers of the affiliated 

 societies in the earliest stages of the prep- 

 aration for the program. 



It is urged on these officers, therefore, 

 that they come together without loss of 

 time and combine their several tasks in 

 such a manner as to provide for a program 

 for the St. Louis meeting which shall com- 

 bine the maximum of breadth and strength 

 with the minimum of conflict of interests. 



For the most efficient realization of this 

 end, it is almost imperative that the meet- 

 ing places of the different sections of the 

 association and of the affiliated societies be 

 closer together than proved possible in 

 Washington, and it is to be hoped that the 

 St. Louis committee, when organized, will 

 spare no effort to arrange for ample meet- 

 ing places for aU the bodies that meet in 

 connection with the association, as well as 

 for its own section, in contiguity to each 

 other, as well as conveniently situated with 

 reference to the hotels at which most of the 

 persons in attendance at the meeting are to 

 stay. 



That the Plant Morphologists and Physi- 

 ologists and other organizations whose con- 

 stitutions or precedents prescribe a limited 

 territory within which meetings are held, 

 may not feel warranted in setting aside 

 these restrictions, is possible and beyond 

 the field of extraneous criticism, although 

 it is sincerely to be hoped that they will 

 decide to meet within their own territory 

 next winter only after the most careful 

 consideration of the aid that their presence 

 in St. Louis can afford in the effort to 

 unify all interests. As now organized, 

 with eastern and central branches, the 

 American Society of Naturalists has be- 

 come a truly national body, justifying its 

 name, and wiU doubtless meet at St. Louis. 

 It is to be hoped that the professional so- 

 cieties of national scope which have usually 

 affiliated with it will unite with the Ameri- 

 can Association next winter, for a further 

 trial of the plan of affiliation. 



We need a national society for each of 

 the sciences, and while these societies may 



