194 
CLARKE. 
lished in New York. It obtained a fair membership and 
published a journal, but as all the meetings were held in one 
city, it did not command the support of the country at large, 
and it became essentially a local body in spite of its claims 
to national scope. It was national in theory, and also in pur¬ 
pose, but it failed to receive general recognition, and it exerted 
no widespread influence until after sixteen years of existence 
it became a potent factor in the development of a larger en¬ 
terprise. 
In 1884 the Chemical Society of Washington was formed. 
This was professedly local in its character, and so too were 
several other bodies of chemists which were organized within 
a year or two of this time. There was no concentration of 
effort among the chemists of America except in the American 
Association, and that unfortunately met but once a year. 
There were nuclei enough, however, for crystallization to 
begin, and in 1888 another step was taken. The Chemical 
Section of the American Association appointed a committee 
to confer with like committees from other societies and to 
report upon the question of a national organization. Con¬ 
ference after conference was held, report after report was 
presented; there was opposition, of course, from various 
quarters and indifference to be overcome; there were con¬ 
flicts of interest and the inevitable rivalries. But the move¬ 
ment was started; it was finally indorsed in due form by the 
old Chemical Section, and in time success was won. In 1891 
and 1892 a plan was agreed upon and the present American 
Chemical Society was established. 
The two principal factors in the problem, apart from the 
American Association, were the Anferican Chemical Society 
in New York and the Chemical Society of Washington. The 
former had the name and a charter, and, with some reason, 
claimed to occupy the field. The other made no claims, but 
would not concede primacy to the first. Professional interests 
and good feeling, however, carried the day; there were con¬ 
cessions from all sides, and the following plan was adopted: 
The existing name and charter were accepted. The New 
