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 29, 1904. 



CONTENTS: 

 The Moscly Educational Commission: Peo- 

 FESSOE Henkt E. Aemstbong 129 



John Bell Hatcher: Professoe W. B. Scott. . 139 



Scientific Books: — 



Ball on Adolescence: Peofessok Edwaed 



L. Thokjstdike 142 



Scientific Journals and Articles 145 



Societies and Academies: — ■ 



The Torrey Botanical Club: William T. 

 HOENE 145 



Discussion and Correspondence : — 



The Metric System: T. C. M. Honorary 

 Degrees in Engineering : W. ' Peridosper- 

 maphyta: Pbofessoe John M. Coultee... 147 



Special Articles: — 



Autotomy, Regeneration and Natural Selec- 

 tion: Dk. 0. C. Glasee 149 



Current Notes on Meteorology : — 

 James Glaisher; The Dust-fall of February, 

 7903; Tcraperatxire of the Lower Air; 

 New Mountain Observatories in Lapland; 

 NiAcs: Piw;.-essce i\. DeC. Wako 153 



Notes on Entomology : Nathan Banks 155 



Tlie International Electrical Congress 156 



American and German Universities: Heney 



W. DiEDEElCH , 157 



Scientific Notes and News 158 



University and Educational News. 360 



MSS. intended for puhlication and books, etc., intended 

 for review sliould be sent to ttie Editor of Science, Garri- 

 son-on-Hud80n, N. Y. 



THE U08ELY EDUCATIONAL COMMISSION* 

 I. 



The places visited by me as a member of 

 the commission were New York, Baltimore, 

 Washington, Cleveland (Ohio), Buffalo, 

 Ithaca (Cornell University), Boston, Yale 

 and Middletown (Conn.). But on a pre- 

 vious occasion, six years ago, when I was 

 three months in the country, I crossed the 

 American continent twice from east to 

 west, including the journey from Montreal 

 to Vancouver by the Canadian Pacific Rail- 

 way. I then spent a considerable time in 

 the west and saw much of Chicago, as well 

 as of Minneapolis and the great wheat re- 

 gion in the northwest. As a student, I was 

 brought much into contact with Ameri- 

 cans; this has led me always to take a 

 special interest in them, and I have all my 

 life been a close observer of American scien- 

 tific work. Any opinions that I may have 

 formed are, therefore, something more than 

 mere impressions derived from my recent 

 brief ■visit. 



It is very difficult to evaluate the part 

 which school education plays in the United 

 States of America. That it plays a real 

 part can not be doubted; but there is 

 clearly a tendency somewhat, if not greatly, 

 to exaggerate its relative importance as a 

 factor in the national welfare. In point of 

 fact, American cuteness would seem to be 

 conditioned by environment rather than by 

 school education. The country was settled 

 by adventurous, high-minded men ; the ad- 

 venturous and restless spirits of Europe 

 have been attracted there for generations 



* Pieport of Professor Henry E. Armstrong, 

 Ph.D., LL.D., F.R.S. 



