I 



214 



If any one wishes to have pass before 

 him in review the scientific activities of the 

 Mathematical Society he has only to con- 

 sult two pamphlets issued a few months 

 ago. I refer to the general index to the 

 first thirteen volumes of the society's Bul- 

 letin, compiled by Dr. Emilie N. Martin 

 and to the index to the first five volumes 

 of the Transactions compiled under the 

 direction of the editor-in-chief of the 

 Transactions. The American Mathemat- 

 ical Society to-day serves to bring together 

 into a harmonioi;s whole all the mathemat- 

 ical activities of America. It is only infre- 

 quently that a mathematical paper of im- 

 portance is published without having been 

 read previously at a meeting of the society. 

 To give an account of the present condition 

 of the society is practically the same as to 

 give an account of the present condition of 

 American mathematics. 



Nothwithstanding the great progress re- 

 cently made in America by our science, we 

 are far from being in a position that we 

 can regard as entirely satisfactory. "We 

 have only to look about us in order to see 

 that improvement is not only possible but 

 necessary in almost every direction. 



In the first place, the most pressing de- 

 mand, perhaps, is that those engaged in lec- 

 turing on the more advanced branches of 

 mathematics at American universities 

 should be given greater opportunities for 

 private study and research. At present 

 Ihe time of almost every university pro- 

 fessor is taken up to a very large extent 

 with administrative matters connected with 

 the care of comparatively young students. 

 Discussions in regard to admission require- 

 ments, the courses of study, discipline and 

 the control of athletics absorb a large part 

 of the time and strength of the faculty of 

 every university. It is possible that this 

 situation will in the course of the next 

 twenty years be greatly relieved by a 

 change, which many consider is already in 



[N. S. Vol. XXI. Xo. 528. 



sight. This change is nothing more or 

 less than the relegation of the first two 

 years of the ordinary college course to the 

 secondary school and the establishment of 

 university courses that will begin with the 

 present third year of the college. The 

 progress made in recent years by the public 

 high schools makes it plain that before long 

 they will be able without difficulty to 

 duplicate the first two years of the present 

 college course, and as more highly trained 

 teachers take up the work of these schools 

 there is no doubt that there will be a con- 

 stantly increasing effort to take up this 

 work. If this be done, not only will the 

 condition of the secondary schools be 

 greatly improved, but our university 

 teachers will secure the relief so greatly 

 needed for the advancement of the highest 

 interests of our science. 



In the second place, it is of the greatest 

 importance that the mathematical journals 

 already established in this country— the 

 Bulletin of the American Mathematical So- 

 ciety, the Annals of Mathematics, the 

 American Journal of Mathematics and the 

 Transactions of ihe American Mathemat- 

 ical Society — should all be encouraged and 

 assisted to extend their influence and in- 

 crease their efficiency. It is the duty of 

 every member of the society to interest 

 himself to the greatest possible extent in 

 the work of each of these journals. It is 

 important also that we should strive to 

 secure for these journals more adequate 

 financial support. In other countries it is 

 not unusual for the government itself to 

 give financial support to such publications. 



In the third place, we must have im- 

 proved methods of teaching, better text- 

 books and more good treatises on advanced 

 subjects. The members of the society, 

 working as individuals, can do much along 

 these lines. The society as a whole, let us 

 hope, will some day be able to render im- 

 portant assistance in the publication of 



SCIENCE. 



