SCIENCE. 



FKIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1884. 



COMMENT AND CRITICISM. 

 The Philadelphia meeting of the American 

 association is credited with being the most suc- 

 cessful up to this time. The total attendance 

 was 1,249. Great Britain contributed 303; 

 Pennsylvania, 246 ; New York, 161 ; Massa- 

 chusetts, 87 ; District of Columbia, 84 ; New 

 Jersey, 58 ; Ohio, 57 ; Connecticut, 32 ; and 

 Virginia, 22. The membership was increased 

 nearly twenty-five per cent, 515 new members 

 being elected, and the number of members up 

 to this meeting being 2,033. The number of 

 papers read was larger than ever before ; and 

 it is to be hoped that the weecling-out of the 

 trivial matters so often offered was carried to 

 a greater extent than usual. There was a gen- 

 eral feeling that there was too much going on. 

 A large portion of the physicists were engaged 

 as examiners at the electrical exhibition, and 

 were, of course, interested in the meetings of 

 the electrical conference. Somewhat less sci- 

 ence, and somewhat more time to enjoy the 

 junketing, would be more in accordance with 

 the desires of many, if one ma} 7 judge from 

 the opinions expressed on the way home. A 

 proposition to confine the reading of papers 

 to the mornings would have met with many 

 supporters. 



The International association, which has 

 been so earnestly advocated by Dr. C. S. 

 Minot, has now a more assured existence ; 

 thanks to the fund of twenty thousand dollars, 

 which will be established through the liberality 

 of Mrs. Elizabeth Thompson. Of this fund, 

 five thousand dollars have alreacty been paid 

 to the association ; and five thousand more will 

 be paid next year on condition of ten thousand 

 being raised from other sources. The income 

 from this fund is to be devoted to research. 

 Not only did Mrs. Thompson give liberally 

 to this new society, but also gave one thou- 



No. 85. — 1884. 



sand dollars to the American association for 

 the advancement of science, to be used in 

 researches on light and heat. Mrs. Thompson 

 takes great interest in the recent marvellous 

 advances in the application of electricnYy and 

 felt a desire to contribute, as far as lay in her 

 power, to the advancement of our knowledge 

 of the forces of nature. Appreciating the 

 unity of energy, whether displayed as heat or 

 light or electricity, Mrs. Thompson gave the 

 money for researches as to the nature and 

 sources of light and heat, in the hope that 

 more may be learned of the connection which 

 may exist .between heat and light and elec- 

 tricity. 



Congress passes laws to favor science and 

 literature in importations ; and the treasury 

 officials, under the pretence of protecting the 

 revenue, interpose vexatious requirements, 

 which defeat the purpose of congress. Are 

 the treasury officials so devoid of administra- 

 tive skill that they cannot devise some way to 

 further the end of congress, and protect the 

 revenue at the same time? Have colleges, for 

 instance, no rights under the laws which 

 treasury officials are bound to respect? What 

 is the use of congress giving colleges the right 

 to import current periodicals, duty-free, if 

 these protectors of the revenue cause delays 

 and expense, to incur which were worse for 

 the colleges than to pay duty? Under recent 

 decisions of the treasury, each successive part 

 of a periodical for a public institution must be 

 made the matter of a distinct oath, involving 

 time and money, and the passage and re-pas- 

 sage of documents between the college and its 

 agent at the port of entry. If all the wits 

 these treasury officials have spent in devising 

 these vexations are not exhausted by the 

 process, they may perhaps calculate what new 

 endowments colleges will now need to help 

 these officials protect the revenue ! It is hard 

 to contemn the witless. 



