104 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



of the union to the study of stellar 

 spectra was discussed at some length. 

 Opinion in favor of such a step ap- 

 peared to be almost unanimous, and, 

 on motion of Professor Schwarzschild 

 (Potsdam), it was formally resolved 

 " that the Solar Union extend its 

 sphere of activity so as to include as- 

 trophysics generally," and this was 

 followed up by the appointment of a 

 committee on the classification of stel 

 lar spectra. 



Invitations to hold the next meeting 

 at Bonn, Barcelona and Rome were 

 presented, and it was decided to meet 

 at the first, in the summer of 1913- 

 the exact date to be determined by the 

 executive committee. 



The former committees of the union 

 were in most cases reappointed, a 

 number of new members being added 

 The new committee on stellar spectra 

 includes Messrs. Pickering (chairman), 

 Adams, Campbell, Frost, Hale, Hamer, 

 Hartmann, Kapteyn, Kustner, Newall, 

 Plaskett, Russell, Schlesinger (secre- 

 tary) and Schwarzschild, with power 

 to add to their number. 



Resolutions of thanks — proposed in 

 very felicitous speeches — completed the 

 business, and the conference adjourned, 

 to reassemble on Saturday evening at 

 Pasadena as the guests of Dr. and Mrs. 

 Hale at a dinner, which brought the 

 proceedings to a close. 



The only cloud upon an otherwise 

 flawless week was the ill-health of Dr. 

 Hale, who was able to attend only the 

 opening session of a conference whose 

 success was above all things the result 

 of his hospitable preparations. 



SCIENTIFIC ITEMS 

 We record with regret the deaths of 

 Dr. Charles Otis Whitman, head of the 

 department of zoology of the Univer- 

 sity of Chicago and lately director of 

 the Woods Hole Marine Biological 

 Station; of Dr. Christian Archibald 

 Herter, professor of pharmacology and 



therapeutics in the College of Physi- 

 cians and Surgeons of Columbia Uni- 

 versity; of Dr. Octave Chanute, of 

 Chicago, known for his important con- 

 tributions to scientific aviation, and of 

 Dr. Angelo Mosso, professor of physi- 

 ology in the University of Turin. 



A memorial has been erected at the 

 National Bacteriological Institute in 

 the City of Mexico to Howard T. Rick- 

 etts, who at the time of his death was 

 assistant professor of pathology in the 

 University of Chicago and professor- 

 elect of pathology in the University 

 of Pennsylvania. His death was caused 

 by typhus fever, which he contracted 

 while conducting researches in this 

 disease. 



Dr. Edgar F. Smith, for twenty-two 

 years professor of chemistry in the 

 University of Pennsylvania and for 

 twelve years vice-provost, has been 

 elected provost in succession to Dr. C. 

 C. Harrison. — Mr. R. A. Sampson, 

 F.R.S., professor of mathematics and 

 astronomy in the University of Dur- 

 ham, has been named astronomer royal 

 for Scotland in succession to Mr. F. 

 W. Dyson, F.R.S. 



At the celebration of the centenary 

 of the University of Berlin degrees 

 were conferred on three American men 

 of science — the degree of doctor of 

 philosophy on Dr. George E. Hale, 

 director of the Mount Wilson Solar 

 Observatory, and on Dr. Bailey Willis, 

 of the U. S. Geological Survey, and 

 the degree of doctor of medicine and 

 surgery on Dr. Theodore W. Richards, 

 professor of chemistry in Harvard 

 University. — Dr. Henry F. Osborn, of 

 Columbia University and the American 

 Museum of Natural History, and Pro- 

 fessor E. B. Wilson, of Columbia Uni- 

 versity, have been elected correspond- 

 ing members of the Munich Academy 

 of Sciences. — Mme. Curie is a candidate 

 for the fauteuil at the Academy of 

 Sciences, rendered vacant by the death 

 of M. Gernez. 



