SCIENCE 



FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, li 



A MOST INTERESTING CELEBRATION took place in Philadelphia 

 on Dec. 12. The occasion was the one-hundredth anniversary of 

 the birth of Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, the pioneer of the move- 

 ment for the instruction of the deaf in this country. A short bio- 

 graphical sketch of Gallaudet was read, and one of his poems was 

 recited by four deaf girls in the sign-language. The address of the 

 evening was delivered by Prof. A. Graham Bell of telephone fame, 

 and well known for his researches into the heredity of deaf-mutism. 

 Professor Bell gave an interesting history of the knowledge of deaf- 

 mutism, pointing out how completely its nature was misunderstood 

 until within very recent times. Not two centuries ago the legal 

 status of a deaf-mute was like that of an idiot. The notion of his 

 being capable of receiving education was ridiculed, and the only 

 attempts to make them speak was by a church miracle. Three 

 names in the eighteenth century stand out as the successful teach- 

 ers of the deaf, — Heimcke, De I'Epee, and Braidwood. Gallaudet 

 became interested in the deaf-mute by meeting the young daughter 

 of his neighbor at Hartford, Dr. Cogswell. He succeeded in teach- 

 ing her a little ; and when, later, it was found out how many more 

 were similarly afflicted, a meeting was called at Dr. Cogswell's 

 house, and it was decided to send young Gallaudet to England to 

 learn the methods of teaching, and introduce them into America. 

 He arrived in England, and found that Braidwood had bound all 

 his teachers under a heavy fine not to reveal his methods to any 

 one. It was a money-making institution, and after long delays he 

 saw that it was hopeless to stay in England. He then fortunately 

 met the Abb^ De I'Epee, who welcomed him to France with open 

 arms, taught him all he had to teach, and sent with him one of his 

 most talented pupils, Laurence Clerc, to spread the great gift to 

 America. On their arrival they founded the institution at Hart- 

 ford, which soon gave rise to others all over the land. The perse- 

 verance and self-sacrifice of Gallaudet were the means of bringing 

 a life worth living to thousands of the deaf of America. The ad- 

 dress was interpreted into the sign-language as rapidly as it was 

 spoken, and was greatly appreciated by the many deaf persons in 

 the audience. The two sons of Gallaudet, both of whom are en- 

 gaged in continuing the work of their father, — one as the president 

 of the deaf-mute college at Washington, the other as a pastor for 

 the deaf, — were present, and made remarks suitable to the occa- 

 sion. 



The DEATH HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED of Gustav Theodor Fech- 

 ner, professor of e.xperimental physics at the University of Leipzig. 

 Fechner has been before the scientific world in many fields of 

 activity, and for many years. He began his career as a physicist, 

 and for many years devoted himself to experimental work, and 

 edited a physical journal. But the chief work of his life was be- 

 gun when nearly sixty years old. This was the work on psycho- 

 physics, — a field hitherto touched upon in only the most meagre 

 way, and owing its scientific recognition as well as its systematic 

 development to him. He here announced the psychophysic law, 

 stating the relation between the intensity of the stimulus and that 

 of the resulting sensation, and verified it with a large number of 

 ingenious and laborious experiments. Around this central con- 

 ception of Fechner's has sprung up a large literature, in part criti- 

 cising his fundamental points, in part developing and adding to his 

 work and his methods. Whatever the final outcome of the move- 



ment, it will always owe its vitality and its scientific development 

 to Fechner. This interest was maintained by Fechner until his 

 death. Two more books on psychophysics appeared from his pen, 

 and a large number of articles, the last of which were written only 

 a few years ago. Fechner's mind was characterized by two streams 

 of interest ; the one leading him to exact science, the other to a 

 somewhat imaginative speculation. He was deeply impressed with 

 the poetic, the mystic side of nature, and struggled to make the 

 world seem rational without losing any thing of grandeur or mys- 

 tery. These two streams of thought come nearest to meeting in 

 the second part of his psychophysics, but it is greatly to his credit 

 that he succeeded so well in keeping science and speculation apart. 

 Only once did he seriously confound the two, and that was in the 

 somewhat subordinate part he played in ' the fourth-dimension 

 experiments ' of Zollner. Besides his scientific works and his 

 speculative ones, he was the author of a book of poems and a book 

 of riddles. He died at the advanced age of eighty-six. He had 

 been troubled for many years by a double cataract, and was pre- 

 vented from doing much work by this disease. 



The Woman's Temperance Publication Association of 

 Chicago has just issued a little book by William T. Hornaday, en- 

 titled 'Free Rum on the Congo.' This book is an earnest appeal to 

 Americans for the suppression of the liquor traffic in Africa, espe- 

 cially in the Kongo basin. As might be expected, the author 

 ascribes the destructive influence of European civilization upon the 

 natives of all countries almost solely to the influence of alcohol, and 

 overlooks other important agents which nobody, however deep his 

 sympathy with the unfortunate victims of European civilization may 

 be, can remedy. The physical destruction of uncivilized races is 

 brought about by diseases introduced by Europeans, among which 

 alcoholism takes its place, although not by any means the most 

 prominent one. But the mental deterioration of the natives is not 

 less important. The cheap products of European manufacture, 

 which are in every respect superior to those of native manufacture, 

 make the native arts and industries decline rapidly, and vanish with- 

 in a few years. As nothing new is given to the natives in place of 

 their lost arts, their lost culture, they sink to a far lower stage than 

 they occupied before the advent of the whites. It is at this moment 

 that the missionary generally makes his appearance. It is only in 

 rare instances that he succeeds in raising the natives to a higher 

 standard. Generally the Christianity he introduces is nothing else 

 than a new fetich instead of the old one. He is taught that agri- 

 culture is the only means of civilizing a nation, and applies this 

 theory regardless of the character of his pupils and without effect. 

 Thus the native falls into a state in which he requires European 

 products, and has little to offer in exchange. He is not accustomed 

 to work hard and steadily, and therefore the sole effect of his con- 

 tact with the white man is the promotion of his laziness and of all 

 his bad propensities. In these two facts lies the root of the de- 

 struction of uncivilized peoples. Alcoholism is only a small part of 

 the evil influences threatening the natives, and the suppression of 

 the hquor traffic will not go far to improve their condition. It is well 

 known that the negroes throughout Africa, with the exception of a 

 few tribes, were acquainted with alcoholic drinks before the advent 

 of the whites. The Kaffres, the Balunda, the Waganda, brew beer 

 and make palm-wine, which they drink in excessive quantities. But 

 rum and gin are more dangerous, as they contain more alcohol ; 

 and a law prohibiting their importation would be a gain for the 

 natives. But the Woman's Temperance Association, in endeavoring 



