738 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XX. No. 518. 



Gives his hearty approval to the editor's sug- 

 gestions and views. Commends as well worth 

 trying the plan (see editor's article) of each 

 society sending accredited delegates to the 

 annual meeting. 



J. S. KiNGSLEY (29 Jan., '04, No. 474, pp. 



194-5). 



It seems hest that societies retain their in- 

 dependence and hold their meetings without 

 regard to movements of larger organization. 

 Might meet together where accommodations 

 were adequate but such places would be few 

 and far between. Separate societies have by 

 right of preemption a claim upon Christmas 

 holidays for their meetings. 



Jas. Lewis Howe (5 Feb., '04, No. 475, pp. 



228-230). 



Each society should have its regular annual 

 meeting in summer for presentation of papers, 

 for excursions, for study or for whatever is of 

 most value to the members as specialists. 

 Meetings should be held without regard to 

 those of any other society, as to either date or 

 place. In winter should be held a convocation 

 week meeting of all the scientific societies to- 

 gether with the American Association. No 

 papers of restricted interest should be read; 

 presidential addresses and lectures should be 

 given and sectional discussions on topics of 

 general sectional interest. No inconsiderable 

 attention should be paid to social side of these 

 meetings but each day should be properly ap- 

 portioned. Advocates a federation to take 

 place of existing organizations. Council to 

 be made up of representatives chosen by the 

 societies. Finances to be on same basis as at 

 present. Addresses to be printed in Science 

 and ' Proceedings ' to be discontinued. Such 

 a winter gathering should be held in a large 

 and easily accessible center. To obviate diffi- 

 culty of great distances separating workers 

 hold general meeting biennially and divide 

 country into several geographical sections with 

 raeetings in each on alternate years. 



H. "W. Wiley (5 Feb., '04, No. 475, pp. 230- 



231). 



Advocates the solidifying of smaller societies 

 into national societies which latter are to bear 

 same relation to sections in the American Asso- 



ciation for the Advancement of Science as the 

 American Chemical Society does to Section 

 at present. Believes there is too great a 

 tendency to organize separate and independent 

 societies in each branch of investigation. .Be- 

 lieves in American Medical Society affiliating 

 with the American Association for the Ad- 

 vancement of Science. If all this could be 

 accomplished we should more than quadruple 

 the membership. 



John M. Clarke (5 Feb., '04, No. 475, pp. 



231-2). 



Confesses to a ' feeling of apprehension at 

 the insistent and impetuous efforts which are 

 making toward the centralization of scientific 

 endeavor in the United States and the creation 

 of a formidable scientific machine in which 

 individuality is to be reduced to a cog.' 



" I am disposed to apprehend that central- 

 ization of science means the creation of a 

 juggernaut which will crush endeavor, stupefy 

 ambition, incinerate stimulus, minify personal 

 achievement and cachinnate at honor." 



O. T. Mason (5 Feb., '04, No. 475, pp. 232- 



233). 



Take especial pains to have at annual and 

 mass meetings men of distinction, of whom 

 all have heard and whom they desire to see. 

 Encourage specialization. Closest affiliation 

 of specialists and aggregation into a mutually 

 helpful cooperation are necessary to the in- 

 tention of a science. It can not be too com- 

 pact or too lively. 



Simeon E. Baldwin (12 Feb., '04, No. 476, 



pp. 263-264). 



I think the association meetings should be 

 held when and where they will attract the 

 largest attendance and sectional or affiliated so- 

 ciety meetings so arranged as to make it easy 

 for members to pass from one room to another 

 and hear something on many subjects. Larg- 

 est attendance, I believe, can be secured in 

 July or August. Convocation week is not 

 even a free week for all college and university 

 professors, to school teachers seldom free, and 

 to business and professional persons, rarely if 

 ever free. 



Theodore W. Eichards (12 Feb., '04, No. 

 476, pp. 263-264). 

 A general meeting once a year ought to be 



