508 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. IX., No. 225 



On Monday, the 23ci, both associations settled 

 down to work. At the morning session of the 

 Historical association a most valuable paper was 

 presented by Judge Mellen Chamberlain of Bos- 

 ton, on " The constitutional relations of the 

 American colonies to the English government at 

 the commencement of the American revolution." 

 Judge Cliamberlain's argument was purely legal, 

 and called forth from Professor Johnston of Prince- 

 ton a few remarks on the relation of the legal to 

 the political argument in considerations of this 

 sort. The other papers of this session were ' His- 

 torical grouping,' by James Schouler ; ' Diplomatic 

 prelude to the seven-years' war,' by H. E. MiUs ; 

 and ' Silas Deane,' by Charles Isham. 



The corresponding session of the Economic as- 

 sociation was devoted to the transportation prob- 

 lem, and developed many points of interest. The 

 standing committee on transportation presented 

 a report which indicated the plan of the work to 

 be undertaken. Professor James of Philadelphia 

 gave an historical resume of the agitation for 

 national regulation of the railways in the United 

 States, and a notice of the Windom report of 1873, 

 and the CuUum report of 1886. The interstate 

 commerce bill he regarded as tentative, but as a 

 step in the right direction. 



Dr. Seligman of Columbia followed with the 

 most valuable paper of the session, on the ' Long 

 and short haul clauses of the federal railway law.' 

 Dr. Seligman entered minutely into the subject of 

 railway charges, and explained carefully and 

 clearly the phrase ' what the traffic will bear.' 

 After showing the difference between differential 

 and preferential rates, the speaker defended the 

 former on grounds of public policy, while heartily 

 condemning the latter. Dr. Seligman was very 

 emphatic in his assertion, and very clear in his 

 proof, that the charge for railway service should 

 be based, not on its cost, but on its value. From 

 this principle follow classification and discrimina- 

 tion. Dr. Seligman concluded, " Under a system 

 of free competition among private railways, the 

 principle of volume of service, or charging what 

 the traffic will bear, is the only rational method 

 calculated to give the most efficient service and 

 greatest profits. But the existence or possibility 

 of the abuse of power requires the restriction of 

 this unlimited liberty in the public interest. The 

 reconciliation of the railways and public interest 

 can take place only through the interposition of 

 public authority. The public authority must lay 

 down the rule of equal treatment as the funda- 

 mental doctrine, but must recognize the principle 

 of value as a reason for departing from the doc- 

 trine in individual cases. Omission of either duty 

 necessarily entails injustice or inefficiency." Si- 



mon Sterne, Esq., followed with a paper on Euro- 

 pean railroads, and an animated discussion en- 

 sued, participated in by Professor Hadley of Yale, 

 Simon Sterne, and Edward Atkinson of Boston. 



'In the afternoon both associations were enter- 

 tained at Wellesley college by the faculty and 

 students of that institution. At the evening ses- 

 sion of the Economic association, Mr. Franklin 

 H. Giddings, editor of Work and wages, offered a 

 philosophical paper on the 'Sociological character 

 of political economy.' Hon. John Jay read before 

 the Historical association an essay on the ' Peace 

 negotiations of 1783,' Dr. H. B. Adams gave an 

 interesting account of Ranke's personality -and 

 work, and Dr. Francke of Harvai'd discussed the 

 • Parliamentary experiment in Germany.' 



HE A L TH MA TTERS. 



Mountain-climbing. — Dr. L. Barkan of Brook- 

 lyn has contributed an article to the New YorTc 

 medical journal on the advantages of mountain- 

 climbing. He regards the pure mountain air as 

 one of the best of disinfecting agents. He says 

 there are floating in the air numberless germs, 

 many of them of a harmful nature ; and it would 

 seem possible that the injurious germs which, 

 especially in large places, are received into the 

 human organism, might be rendered innocuous 

 by the oxygen of the air, and perhaps also by air- 

 currents acting in a mechanical way, while in 

 stagnant air — as, for example, in a badly venti- 

 lated apartment, where the exhalations from the 

 lungs and skin are constantly accumulating — 

 there is less disinfectant action because of the 

 diminished quantity of oxygen. The best inhala- 

 tion apparatus, baths, and medicaments, are of 

 but temporary value, if no compensation is made 

 for the loss of vitality and of muscular tone, es- 

 pecially that of the heart and vessels ; if the 

 blood stasis in the glands and other organs does 

 not yield to an increased flow of blood in the ar- 

 teries and veins ; if the thinned blood does not be- 

 come thicker and more rich in albumen ; if the 

 accumulating carbonic acid is not expelled by a 

 more plentiful supply of oxygen ; if the fat de- 

 posited in the body is not more rapidly oxidized ; 

 and if the kidneys are not made to act more effi- 

 ciently. All these effects are produced, according 

 to Jacobi, Loomis, Veit, Oertel, and other authori- 

 ties, more certainly and more generally by moun- 

 tain-climbing than in any other way whatever. 

 After several weeks spent in mountain excursions, 

 the condition of the patient is radically changed 

 for the better. There is an elasticity of the mental 

 processes in place of the former hebetude ; vpill, 

 thought, and impulse seem to move on wings ; the 



