February 8, 1895.] 



SCIENCE. 



161 



of discovering the true religion, but for the 

 purpose of discover uig the history of re- 

 hgious opinions. If we use the writings of 

 antiquity in this spirit the records of the 

 past are of priceless value for the lessons of 

 history- which they teach. Let us call this 

 the Scripture Book. 



Modern history resorts to the Stone Book, 

 the Ruin Book, the Tomb Book, the Folk 

 Book and the Scripture Book for the mate- 

 rials to be used in discovering and formu- 

 lating the development of the industries, 

 pleasures, languages, institutions and opin- 

 ions of mankind. 



The present generation has inherited all 

 the labors of the past. The culture of the 

 day is but a slight modification of the cul- 

 ture of the last generation, and that was 

 derived from the antecedent generation ; so 

 all the generations have wi-ought for us, 

 and our culture is the product of their 

 labor and invention. Every generation 

 has added its minute increment, and hence 

 there has been progress. We cannot ilis- 

 sever our life from that of the past. We 

 inherit its arts and improve them a little ; 

 we inherit its pleasures and make but a 

 slight change ; we inherit its speech and 

 improve our expression only to a slight de- 

 gree ; we inherit its institutions and mod- 

 ify the forms of justice only in small par- 

 ticulars, and we inherit its opinions and 

 entertain new ideas only as we have discov- 

 ered a few new facts. So we are indel)ted 

 to the dead for that which we are, and 

 are governed by the dead in all our activi- 

 ties. Yet the past is not a pall on the 

 present, hiding the truth, but a search- 

 light that may be turned on the future. 

 The past is not a tyranny on the present, 

 but an informing energy wliich evolves 

 throngli us that the future may be im- 

 proved. Science endeavors to guide the 

 waj- by a study of the past and to conserve 

 and direct our energies in a legitimate 

 course of development. The past is the 



chart of the future ; if misread it is a false 

 guide, if correctlj' read the way is cleai-. 

 It is thus that the five volumes of the pilot 

 book of life are of profound import;uice. 



J. W. PoWKI.I,. 

 WASHIStiTON" D. C. 



rxirv OF NOSIEKCLATURE IX ZOOLOGY 

 AXD BOTANi'. 



Systematic biologists have reason to re- 

 joice at the appearance of the completed 

 list of ferns and ilowering plants of north- 

 eastern Xorth America,* on which a com- 

 mittee of leading botanists has been en- 

 gaged for the past two or three yeai-s. Fol- 

 lowing the example set by American orni- 

 thologists in 1883, a number of prominent 

 botanists determined to sink individual 

 preferences for the sake of that much sought 

 goal — uniformity and stability in the names 

 of genera and species. In 1892, therefore, 

 a committee was appointed by the Botani- 

 cal Club of the American Association for 

 the Advancement of Science, comprising !N. 

 L. Britton, J. M. Coulter, H. M. Rusby, W. 

 A. Kellerman, F. Y. Coville, Lucien M. Un- 

 derwood and Lester F. Ward: and was after- 

 ward increased by the addition of Edward 

 L. Greene and AVilliam Trelease. j Although 

 the De Candolle or Paris Code of 1867 is 

 the alleged basis of departure, it is evidi-nt 

 at a glance that nearly every important 

 rule is borrowed direct from the American 

 Ornithologists' Union Code of Nomencla- 



* List of Pteridophyta and Spermatophyta growing 

 without cultivation in Xorthea-stern North America. 

 I'repiired by a Coiuniittce of the Botaniail Club, 

 .Vmerican Association for tlie Advancement of .Science. 

 ( From Memoire Toitcv Botanical Club. ) New York. 

 1893-189-1. [Also i.'^ued in dated signatures, a.s pub- 

 lished, during 18-3 and 1884.] 



t In addition to the members of the committee tlie 

 following botanists have contributed special jMirts to 

 the 'List': L. H. Riiley, T. H. Kearney, .Jr., Tliom- 

 as Morong, F. Lani.son-Scribner, John K. .'^mall, .1. 

 G. Smith and Wm. E. Wheelock. 



