50 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. XVI. No. 390 



SCIENCE: 



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Vol. XVI. NEW TOEK, July 25, 1890. No. 390. 



CONTENTS: 



The Most Destructive Torna- Letters to the Editor, 



DOES SINCE 1872 H. A. Hazen 43 

 Lightning - Conductors from a 

 Modern Point of View 



Oliver J. Lodge 45 



Notes and News 47 



The Degeneration of the Tech- 

 nical Societies 50 



Health Matters. 

 Chemical Salts developed in Liv- 

 ing Organisms 51 



The Use of Leeches in Bacteri- 

 ology 51 



Osteological Notes D. D. Slade 51 



One of Dr. Hann's Teachings 



Research 52 



The Aurora, if. A. Veeder 52 



Book-Reviews, 



Contributions to American Edu- 

 cational History 52 



Reflections on the Motive Power 

 of Heat and on Machines fitted 

 to develop that Power 52 



Lead-Poisoning 51 ' Among the Publishers 53 



THE DEGENERATION OF THE TECHNICAL SOCIETIES. 



There is much current discussion of the present condition of 

 the great technical societies in the United States. The older 

 members seem to be somewhat apprehensive lest the fruits of 

 their great labor and zeal in the earlier days, in the formation, 

 especially, of the national societies of engineers, may be sooner or 

 later wholly lost. The discussions at recent conventions of the 

 Society of Civil Engineers, the most venerable of them all, and 

 the criticisms of our exchanges among the technical journals 

 most interested in its work, lead us to suppose that there is a 

 question whether it does not require some such agitation and 

 revolutionary reconstruction as brought it out of its stupor and 

 threatened decadence fifteen years or more ago, to prevent its 

 utter evanescence now. It is said by the agitators, that the num- 

 ber and quality of its papers, and its influence and growth as a 

 national association, are falling oflf constantly ; that local societies 

 are absorbing those who should enter it, and who should form its 

 material of the coming generation, so generally, that it must ap- 

 parently, unless this retrograde movement be promptly checked, 

 soon lose its old pre-eminence. It is said by the critics that it no 

 longer holds interesting sessions at its central office; nor does it 

 get together, except by robbing its regular meetings, either much 

 or valuable material for its annual conventions. It is said that a 

 few of the older members only, "run " the society; and that the 

 great men of the profession, and the promising young men, do 



not come in as they should, either submitting papers or taking 

 part in the discussions. 



Of the Mining Engineers' Society we hear little of such criti- 

 cism. But it is sometimes suggested that it is by no means a rep- 

 resentative or a professional association ; that it includes whoever 

 chooses to join; and that those who thus choose are largely non- 

 professionals, or, at least, that the semi-professionals form a large 

 proportion of its body of members, as well as associates. The 

 criticism made of its publications is, that they often include the 

 purely mercantile rather than the professional and scientific ele- 

 ment, and that shop and advertisement are too often mixed with 

 the more instructive and original papers. 



Of the mechanical engineers we note the observation, by its 

 special constituency among the journals, that while its growth 

 seems to be healthy and steady, its finances well managed, and 

 its conventions well attended, the reader of its " Transactions" 

 misses the names and the papers of a number of the able men 

 who were in its earUer days regular contributors ; while the tone 

 of the discussions has deteriorated, and courtesy and good breed- 

 ing are sometimes forgotten by too youthful or too earnest dis- 

 putants. 



Of the electrical engineers are said, so far as we have observed, 

 only words of praise; though the remark is made that its mem- 

 bership seems to be drawn from among the electricians rather 

 than from the engineers of the great body of electrical engineers 

 who are its natural recruits. Many and excellent papers are pre- 

 sented relating to the dynamo and its physics; few relating to 

 the dynamo as a piece of engineering, or to the designing and 

 construction of stations, of engines and boilers fitted to this de- 

 partment of work, or the engineering of the distribution of elec- 

 trical energy. 



We presume that in many respects these criticisms are simply 

 the outcome of that spirit of fault-finding which is rife in all 

 young societies and among the "fresh" members, who are more 

 ambitious and earnest than wise or just ; but there may be some 

 reason behind it all, and the questions are often asked, How may 

 these societies be made more truly national ? How may they be 

 given a more representative character? How may the dis" 

 tinguished and experienced members of each be brought into 

 view, and induced to work with and for their continued growth 

 and improvement? The formation of committees of each of the 

 societies to confer together, and to seek some way in which all 

 can be brought into closer relations, and of other committees 

 looking to the absorption of local societies as chapters of the 

 national body, give color to the suspicion that there may be some 

 cause of criticism, and some opportunity of improvement. 



If we might make a suggestion, it would be about as follows : 

 see that the presiding officer and the members of the boards of 

 management are elected invariably from among the oldest and 

 most distinguished of available candidates, and that Benjamin 

 Franklin's principle — " No American citizen has a right to seek 

 office ; but no true American citizen will refuse to accept office, 

 when called by his fellows to take a position of honor and re- 

 sponsibility " — be paraphrased, and adapted to the case ; see that 

 the wise, experienced, able, and honesfe members are encouraged 

 to present the best fruits of their labors ; and especially see that 

 they are treated respectfully, and fairly and kindly, in all dis- 

 cussions. See, the -'Transactions" carefully placed in the great 

 libraries, and that the papers going before any meeting are given 

 in advance to the representatives of the technical press; see, also, 

 with especial care, that these journals have capable and discreet 

 representatives at the conventions and meetings ; and insure, if 

 possible, with still greater care, their treatment with all courtesy, 

 otherwise no complaint of discourtesy will hold against them or 

 their principals. Let the presiding officer and the secretary see 

 that the slightest rudeness or discourtesy, the least variation from 

 the rules of good manners and good breeding, is instantly repri- 

 manded, and the offender properly dealt with ; making it the 



