126 Editorial CoTnment. 
contradictory statement was gravely received, and unanimously 
passed, and, lo! a new committee deprived of some of the names 
on the old one, and containing several more upon it (though a 
totally different committee) was declared to be in existence and 
■ordered to act. 
Would it not be better to substitute a magazine weekly 
or monthly as the official organ of the American Association 
and print in it in extenso all the important papers which have 
been favorably passed upon by a competent and impartial com- 
mittee? The editing of this magazine would require the at- 
tention of a number of the best equipped members of the 
Association and the selection and replacement of these would 
furnish additional material for Association politics. In this 
manner all that was worthy in the contributions would be set 
forth in full. Two columns of one number might be devoted 
to the "welcomes," the "officers," the "excursions," and the 
•*' butter." 
Would it not be well to let important meetings of Sections 
go on irrespectively of whether a hospitable individual had in- 
vited the entire Association to an excursion or not. Recently 
•on the occasion of a most important Section meeting which had 
been formally devoted to the consideration of a subject, the pre- 
siding officer not only refused to allow any vote to be taken to 
•express the sense of the Section, but actually was so moved by 
the exigency of the moment which although not even a full 
minute he declared to be that at which those who were to 
participate in a 'water party' should leave the meeting, that he 
put a vote to adjourn, with rare courtesy on his part and that of 
the mover, in the middle of a sentence of a sjDeaker and refused 
to allow the speaker even that thirty seconds which must 
elapse to a full minute, to complete it. This should be made 
impossible, for it is easy to see how under possible circumstances 
ii biased presiding officer might deprive members of the Asso- 
ciation of their rights in order to aid some private intrigue of 
his own. 
Let the business of the Sections go right on, excursions or 
no excursions, only leaving timfe enough unfilled to allow all 
who wish to take a reasonable amount of scientific excursion. 
The Association will always furnish enough peoj^le who take 
