SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. ■ 13 



Transactions for December, 1903. 



ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



Los Angeles, California, December 7, 1£'03. 

 The regular monthly meeting of the Academy of Sciences was held 

 this evening at 940 South Figueroa Street. 

 President Comstock occupied the Chair. 



The subject for the evening was a lecture on Sweden, by B. R. 

 Baumgardt. The speaker illustrated the subject with 100 lantern views 

 and dealt with the ethnology, history, art and literature of that country. 

 There being no further business, the meeting adjourned. 



B. E. BAUMGAEDT; Secretary. 



ASTRONOMICAL SECTION. 



An unusually interesting and instructive session of the Astronomical 

 Section was held on December 21st, the occasion being a "Herbert Spen- 

 cer Symposium. ' ' 



The subject was appropriately introduced by Chairman W. H. Knight, 

 who first presented Dr. Theodore Comstock, president of the Academy, 

 whose theme was "Spencer's Early Papers, Precursors of Recent Scien- 

 tific Conclusions." 



The speaker gave a clear and concise exposition of Spencer's early 

 works, showing the remarkable insight of the great philosopher into the 

 intricacies of nearlj^ all of the sciences, and touching upon the beautiful 

 simplicit_y and humility of the life that had commanded the respect and 

 reverence of the civilized world. 



Rabbi S. Hecht then presented the topic of ' ' Spencer as a Man. ' ' .He 

 went into the boyhood and early manhood of Spencer, emphasizing his in- 

 dependence of thought and action and his devotion to the logic of princi- 

 ples. He also dwelt upon the encyclopaedic knowledge of the great 

 thinker, and his power to use the knowledge he possessed. 



At this stage of the proceedings an unexpected pleasure was derived 

 from the reading by Mrs. Calvert Wilson of a poem in praise of the 

 virtues and achievements of Spencer^ written by Mrs. Elizabeth Cheney. 



"Spencer's Attitude Toward Metaphysics, and His Contributions to 

 the Science of Astronomy, ' ' was the theme of Secretary B. R. Baum- 

 gardt 's remarks, who, in his usually clear and forceful style, gave a 

 synopsis of the philosopher's views on the more abstruse topics of 

 thought and investigation, and gave him due credit for the substantial 

 aid rendered by him to the sciences of astronomy and chemistry, notably 

 in his attitude toward the nebular hj^pothesis and the theory of the 

 nature and origin of the universe. 



Mr. W. A. Spalding was then introduced, and spoke of "Spencer's Law 

 of the Development of Society." He represented Spencer as "one who 

 set aside Divine revelations except so far as they could be explained on 

 iscientific principles," and as "having broken away from the thraldom 

 of religious dogma." 



Hon. W. A. Cheney was the last speaker of the evening, and his topic 

 was ' ' Spencer on the Phenomena of the Mind. ' ' 



Judge Cheney gave high praise to Spencer's system of philosophy, 

 calling it "the philosophic yard-stick of all time to come." 



He claimed that Spencer taught the evolution of the human mind and 

 the human soul, as well as of the human body, and that no name of the 

 last centurj^ could be compared with his for greatness of conception and 

 magnificence of execiition. 



In criticism of the English authorities in denying to him burial in 

 Westminster Abbey because of his supposed atheistic sentiments, he said 



