SCIENCE 



A WEEKLY JOURNAL DEVOTED TO THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE, PUBLISHING THE 



OFFICIAL NOTICES AND PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION 



FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. 



Friday, July 15, 1904. 



G0NTEN-T8: 

 The Age of Science: President Iea Eemsen. 65 

 Higher Education in Germany and the United 

 States: Rtjdolf Tombo, Je 73 



Scientifio Books: — 



The Ward-Goonley Collection of Meteorites : 

 De. Olivee C. Fakeington. Woodworth's 



. he Mouvement : De. Shepheed Ivoey Feanz 77 



Societies and Academies: — 



Society for Experimental Biology and Medi- 

 cine: Dr. Wm. J. Gies. The Torrey Bo- 

 twnical Glub : William T. Hoene. The Psy- 

 chological Glut of Cornell University 79 



Discussion and Correspondence: — 

 Kindergarten Science: Dr. C. R. Eastman". 

 'Vegetable Balls': J. Adams. A Notable 

 Paleobotanical Discovery: Edwaed W. 

 Beery 86 



Special Articles: — 



Evolution and Physics: 0. F. Cook 87 



Agricultural Exhibits at St. Louis 91 



Honorary Degrees Conferred by the Univer- 

 sity of Wisconsin 92 



Scientific Notes and Neics 94 



University and Educational Neics 95 



MSS. intended for publication and bookg. etc., intended 

 for review should be sent to the Editor of Science, Garri- 

 BOQ-on-Hud8on, N. Y. 



THE AGE OF SCIENCE* 



As much of the time of those who go 

 forth from this institution to-day has been 

 spent in the study of the sciences, it has 

 seemed to me fitting to ask your attention 

 to some considerations suggested by the 

 phrase, 'This is the age of science.' I do 

 not remember ever to have heard this state- 

 ment questioned, much less denied, nor do 

 I remember ever to have heard it satisfac- 

 torily explained. It sounds simple enough, 

 and does not appear to call for explanation 

 or comment, and yet I think it worth while 

 to examine it a little more carefully than 

 is customary, to see in what sense it is true. 

 For in a sense it is true, and in a sense it 

 is not true. The statement raises two 

 questions which should be answered at the 

 oiitset. These are: (1) What is science? 

 and (2) In what sense is this the age of 

 science ? 



First, then, what is science? Surely 

 there can be no difficulty in answering this, 

 and yet I fear that, if I should pass through 

 this or any other audience with the ques- 

 tion, I should get many different answers. 



A certain lady, whom I know better than 

 any other, has told me that, should she ever 

 be permitted to marry a second time, she 

 would not marry a scientific man, because 

 scientific men are so terribly accurate. I 

 often hear the same general idea expressed, 

 and it is clear that accuracy is one attribute 

 of science according to prevailing opinions. 

 But accuracy alone is not science. When 

 we hear a game of baseball or of whist 

 spoken of as thoroughly scientific, I sup- 



* Commencement address delivered at Worcester 

 Polytechnic Institute, June 9, 1904. 



