Cannot do 
1884. | Editors’ Table. 161 
zations, should they feel the need of them. A committee to de- 
fine the terms of membership was appointed. The time of hold- 
ing the annual meeting was fixed for the Christmas holidays as 
most convenient for teachers. 
e goodly attendance and interest shown in the meeting, 
proved that the City of New York was the most convenient place, 
and that the holidays are the best time for such a meeting. 
Members from the leading colleges and museums of New Eng- 
land and the Middle Atlantic States were present, and the senti- 
ment that such a society had an unworked field before it was 
generally entertained. The topics were in nearly every case of 
a practical nature, such as the methods of lecturing, of teach- 
ing, of laboratory work, of the arrangement of museums, both 
from a scientific and educational point of view. Biology is to be 
More and more dependent on exact and careful methods of 
Preparing material for study, and hence a large amount of atten- 
tion was devoted to histological methods and processes, such as 
the cutting and staining of microscopic sections, methods used in 
the microscopic study of rocks and to allied topics. The rela- 
tions of the original investigator to the public, and the necessity 
of maintaining academies and institutions for original research 
Was discussed. The society has begun well its work, and will 
doubtless, by the numbers of applicants for membership which 
_ Were presented, become a live, zealous and wide-awake body of 
Working men. Its membership should, however, be carefully 
selected, so that it may not be too unwieldy, and be burdened 
with too much dead wood. 
~— It is to be earnestly hoped that the three great national sci- 
Ey bureaus will obtain due recognition from Congress this win- 
= We refer of course to the National Museum, the Geological 
peas and the Fish Commission. The results of these organi- 
a a are doing infinite good in aiding to counteract our.utilita- 
ee — non-intellectual tendencies, and the country cannot 
ei ae aa the value of the labors, especially of Professor 
Gist and afterwards of Hayden, Wheeler, King and Powell, in 
The ane and conducting these admirable enterprises. 
ally ac position of the surplus which the Government is annu- 
Sumulating, has become an important question. Congress 
better than appropriate it for the advancement of sci- 
expencry, ring those great works which by their nature are too 
be mu. to be undertaken by private persons. The money may 
wi spent. ee Sil 
-m Ir 
