SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. I. No. 1. 



meetings than by anything contained in the 

 ponderous vohimes of their transactions. 



At the present day one of the aspects of 

 American science which most strikes us is 

 the comparative deficiency of the social 

 element. We have indeed numerous local 

 scientific societies, many of wliich are meet- 

 ing with marked success. But these bodies 

 cannot supply the want of national coop- 

 eration and communication. The field of 

 each is necessarily limited, and its activi- 

 ties confined to its o^vn neighborhood. We 

 need a broader sympathy and easier com- 

 munication between widely separated men 

 in every part of the country. Our journal 

 aims to siipplj' the want of such a medium, 

 and asks the aid of all concerned in mak- 

 ing its efforts successful. It will have little 

 space for technicalities which interest only 

 the specialist of each class, and mil occupy 

 itself mostly Avith those broader aspects of 

 thouglit and ciilture which are of interest 

 not onlj- to scientific investigators, but to 

 educated men of every profession. A spe- 

 cialist of one department may know little 

 more of the work of a specialist in another 

 department than does the general reader. 

 Hence, by appealing to the interests of the 

 latter, we do not neglect those of the scien- 

 tific profession. At the same time, it is 

 intended that the journal shall be much 

 more than a medium for the j)opularization 

 of science. Underljdng the process of spe- 

 cialization which is so prominent a feature of 

 all the knowledge of our time there is now 

 to be seen a tendency toward unification, a 

 development of principles which connect a 

 constantly increasing number of special 

 branches. The meeting of all students of 

 nature in a single field thus becomes more 

 and more feasible, and in promoting inter- 

 coui'se among aU such students Science 

 hopes to find a field for its energies, in 

 which it maj' invite the support of all who 

 sjnnpathize with its aim. S. Newcomb. 



AVashington. 



SCJIIPTOFIBUS ET LECTOEIB US, SA L UTE.V. 

 Ea^eetbody interested in Science knoAvs 

 what it ought to be, bright, A-aried, accurate, 

 fi-esh, comprehensive, adapted to many men 

 of many minds ; a ncAVspaper , in fact, planned 

 for those who wish to folloAv a readable 

 record of what is in progress throughout 

 the world, in many deijartments of know- 

 ledge. It is not the place for ' memoirs,' 

 but for 'pointers;' not for that which is 

 so technical that none but a specialist can 

 read it ; not for controversies, nor for the 

 advancement of personal interests, nor for 

 the riding of hobbies. It should not be 

 maintained for the dominant adA'antage of 

 any profession, institution or j)lace. Wordi- 

 ness is inappropriate ; so, on the other hand, 

 are figures and sjTiibols, unless thej' are 

 indispensable. Reviews, summaries, pre- 

 liminary announcements, descriptions, ex- 

 tracts, correspondence, reports of meetings, 

 biographies, should all find a jjlace ; but 

 they must be put in the right sort of phrases 

 and paragraphs. 'There's the rub.' Who 

 is to collect, prepare, rcA'ise and set forth 

 these accounts of what is going on in the 

 Avlde domains of iuA^estigation ? Money 

 helps to secure such articles, but the work 

 must be done ' for love and not for money.' 

 Altruism is called for, the willingness, if 

 not the desire, on the part of scientific 

 Avorkers, CA'en in the A^ery highest classes, 

 to conti'ibute prompt, brief, readable, trust- 

 Avorthy reports of what is going on, with 

 fitting comments. 



Scientific men haA'e rarelj' the editorial 

 instincts or aptitudes, like those of the edi- 

 tors of Nature, the Popular Science Monthly, 

 the Journal of Science. Caution, close at- 

 tention to details, precise expressions, are 

 indeed theirs, but readiness to collect and 

 impart news, and ability to make use of the 

 phraseology of common life, are often want- 

 ing. There are notewoi'thy exceptions 

 among men of the first rank. Dr. Asa 

 Gray, the botanist, could say what he had 



