SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. I. No. 4. 



the tendency in colleges having uniform 

 courses of study was to cut down the num- 

 ber of hours given to this science, as well 

 as to the classics, and to parcel oiit the time 

 among the modern languages and various 

 sciences. It is believed that even ah-eadj^ 

 the oi-ganization, the meetings, and the 

 publications of the Society have, by the ef- 

 fect of numbers in association, perceptibly 

 strengthened the tone of the mathematical 

 departments of many institutions of learn- 

 ing and assisted in enabling them, more or 

 less successfully, to stem the hostile tide of 

 sentiment to which I have just referred. I 

 say ' assisted,' for other agencies, especially 

 the journals, have done great good. That 

 the dissemination of knowledge concern- 

 ing the gigantic strides latelj;^ made and 

 still making in mathematical science must 

 in the future have the same favorable effect 

 to an even greater extent is not to be 

 doubted. 



As to the next point in my list of objects, 

 I need hardly mention to you that the 

 Societj' has succeeded and is succeeding in 

 disseminating information fally and speed- 

 ily concerning mathematical publications 

 abroad as well as at home. In addition to 

 this general statement, for the proof of 

 which we need only refer to the monthly 

 numbers of the Bulletin, I may recall to jou 

 that the Society is at this moment engaged 

 in j)ublishing, at its own expense, supple- 

 mented bj' personal subscriptions, one of 

 the largest and most important volumes 

 ever pubhshed containing nothing but orig- 

 inal investigations ; namelj', the extensive 

 and very valuable collection of papers — 

 mostly by European authors — ^prepared for 

 and presented to the Mathematical Con- 

 gress in 1893, held in connection with the 

 World's Fair at Chicago. 



Again, considerable success has been at- 

 tained in inducmg competent critics to MTite 

 and publish papers descriptive of the con- 

 tents and indicating the merits or defects of 



the more important current mathematical 

 publications in all countries. In this re- 

 spect it is hoped that the usefulness of the 

 JBullefin, already recognized, will be largely 

 augmented as time goes on. You have to- 

 day strengthened the Publication Commit- 

 tee by the addition of a third member of 

 tried capacity. The Committee dejiends 

 for its critical papers upon the cooperation 

 of other members of the Society, and it is es- 

 pecially pleased to receive voluntary offers 

 of siich papers from members who have not 

 not j'et contributed to the Bulletin. It is to 

 this resource as much as to any other that 

 we must look for the enlargement and im- 

 provement of the Bulletin. The Committee 

 must be aided freelj^ by the presentation 

 of an increasing amount of material from 

 which to choose; and I use this occasion to 

 urge upon each member that he take every 

 opportunity consistent with other engage- 

 ments to impart to his fellows the historical 

 and critical results of his own reading in 

 any special branch, and particularly in con- 

 nection with any new and important work 

 recentljf published in that branch. The 

 well-known saying of Bacon cannot be too 

 constantly before our minds : " I hold every 

 man a debtor to his profession, from the 

 which as men of course do seek to receive 

 countenance and profit, so ought they of 

 duty to endeavor themselves by way of 

 amends to be a help and ornament there- 

 unto." 



Finally, and I might say above all, it is 

 the object of the Society that every mem- 

 ber should be stimulated to the most suc- 

 cessful effort possible in his own branch of 

 mathematical labor, whatever it may be ; 

 whether it be in teaching, or writing, or 

 original investigation, or in any combina- 

 tion of these lines of activitj^. The inves- 

 tigator must also be a writer ; the writer 

 may present his own investigations, or com- 

 ment upon or summarize or write the his- 

 tory of those of others, or elaborate a treatise 



