called another meeting of the ad hoc organizing committee. At this 
meeting Tingley reported that the subcommittee had finished writing 
a constitution and by-laws. After discussion which resulted in minor 
revisions, the group adopted the document.? 
The constitution they accepted consisted of six articles covering 
the society’s name, its mission, members, officers, meetings, and amend- 
ments. According to Article I of the Constitution, the new society would 
be called ‘‘The Academy of Science of St. Louis’’ instead of ernie 
Academy of Natural Science.’’ This decision reflected a conscious ef- 
fort to give the new organization a broader scope than the old Western 
Academy of Natural Sciences. The natural science tradition was still 
strong in the Midwest in the mid-nineteenth century, but ‘‘natural 
philosophy,’’ a term used to define the study of Newtonian physics, 
had also long been in vogue.* Some of the founders of the second St. 
Louis science society, such as engineer James B. Eads, were more in- 
terested in natural philosophy than natural history—hence the choice 
of the all-encompassing name. 
Article II outlined the Academy’s mission, which included the pro- 
motion of ‘‘Zoology, Botany, Geology, Mineralogy, Paleontology, 
Ethnology (especially that of the Aboriginal Tribes of North America), 
Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Meteorology, Comparative Anatomy 
and Physiology.’’ Other ‘objects’ of the association would be ‘‘to col- 
lect and treasure’’ specimens, to maintain a library and instruments for 
the study of specimens, to publish original research, and to establish 
correspondence with ‘‘scientific men, both in America and in other parts 
of the world.’’5 
Article III dealt with membership; two categories were defined: 
associate and corresponding. The authors of the Academy’s Constitu- 
tion defined associate members as St. Louis residents ‘‘desirous of 
cultivating one or more of the branches of Science.’’ The drafters of 
the document categorized corresponding members as ‘‘men of science, 
not living in the city and county of St. Louis, who shall be elected such 
by virtue of their attainments, and of other persons, not resident in the 
city of St. Louis, who may be disposed to further the objects of the 
Academy by original researches, contributions of specimens, or other- 
wise.’’6 
Article IV named the offices of the Academy and outlined the 
responsibilities of each office. In addition to the usual roster of presi- 
dent, vice-presidents, corresponding secretary, recording secretary, 
treasurer, and librarian, the Constitution required the offices of a board 
Articles V and VI provided for meetings and amendments. The 
12 
