SCIENCE, 
FRIDAY, JUNE 27, 1884. 
COMMENT AND CRITICISM. 
Tue new and promising biological depart- 
ment of the University of Pennsylvania has 
issued a modest prospectus, announcing op- 
portunities for special work, and courses of in- 
struction in biology, open to both sexes. A 
high ground is taken in its simple ‘ aim,’ which 
is avowed to be, ‘* to encourage original re- 
search in biology by offering facilities to sci- 
entists engaged in investigation, and by giving 
instruction to advanced students prosecuting 
special work.’’ Besides this principal func- 
tion, ‘‘ the department will further conduct the 
instruction of those students of biology ... in 
a course leading to the degree of doctor of phi- 
losophy, and of those . . . who have elected 
the course preparatory to the study of medi- 
cine.’’ A suitable laboratory is to be ready by 
Sept. 1, and is to possess one feature which 
cannot be too highly commended ; viz., ‘* pri- 
vate rooms for the use of investigators.’’ 
There is as yet no symptom of any attempt to 
force investigation unduly, and let us hope 
there never will be. Investigators are born, 
not made ; and now that the first step has been 
taken in promising them ‘ facilities,’ the next 
will quickly follow ; viz., to supply a stimulus. 
For this, example is better than any mechani- 
cal pressure ; and to the faculty we must look 
for the healthy stimulus of example. Last, 
but by no means least, the university or its 
friends should see to it that a moderate pe- 
cuniary support shall be obtainable in the 
shape of fellowships or otherwise ; so that poy- 
erty may never be permitted to interfere too 
far with the real investigator. 
Dourine the past two years, great interest 
has been manifested in the subject of the uni- 
fication of time and longitudes the world over. 
In our own country, the universal adoption, in 
No. 73. — 1884. 
November last, of standard time according to a 
system of meridians distant from that of Green- 
wich by an exact number of hours, has led to 
results of great importance in the convenient 
arrangements and intercourse of ordinary life. 
Though not at all a matter of necessity, itis still 
desirable that this system of standard meridi- 
ans, or some other, shall be adopted every- 
where ; and, in pursuance of an act of congress, 
the president of the United States has invited 
the principal nations concerned to send dele- 
gates to a time-convention, to meet at Wash- 
ington next October, to deliberate upon the 
question of the adoption of such a prime or 
zero meridian. By far the greater part of all 
calculations in geography, astronomy, and geod- 
esy, where a zero meridian is concerned, are, 
by common consent, referred to the meridian of 
the observatory at Greenwich, England ; so that 
this meridian stands among the first proposed 
for universal adoption. ‘The representatives of 
other governments, however, will undoubtedly 
have decided preferences for other meridians ; 
and there is much to be said in favor of the 
adoption of one or another zero point of ref- 
erence. ‘The interest in this subject is plainly 
apparent from the fact that nearly all of the 
invited nations have appointed suitable dele- 
gates, whom our own commissioners will at an 
early date be expected to receive at Washington. 
It goes without saying, that the learned men 
of other lands, thus convened, will expect to 
see our own nation represented by its highest 
order of talent, especially as the convention 
has been called by ourselves. And it is par- 
ticularly desirable that our own commissioners 
shall be men of the greatest scientific authority 
in these matters; for, as the representatives 
from foreign countries are our guests, they will 
the more readily accept proposals from our 
commissioners, should these representatives 
prove competent to take a very prominent part 
in all the deliberations of the congress, as 
