396 
PHILOSOPHICxlL SOCIETY OP WASHINGTON. 
in agriculture. [Published in Journal of Physical Chemistry, 
vol. ix, p. 617 (1905).] 
The paper was discussed by Mr. Radelfinger. 
553d Meeting. May 10, 1902. 
Vice-President Gore in the chair. 
Fifty-four persons present. 
Mr. S'. P. Langley read a paper on The laws of nature. 
Having been invited to witness a so-called miracle, he was led to 
realize that the attitude of a scientific man toward such phenom¬ 
ena should be simply judicial. Then he was led to study the 
phrase, Law of Nature. A century or more ago these laws were 
almost deified; Hume’s famous argument against miracles, 
though logically conclusive, is not now convincing because based 
on an antiquated conception; then there was less mystery than 
now; his century was satisfied with its knowledge, and more 
arrogant than ours. The answer to the question, What is a 
miracle? depends on the intelligence of the questioner. The 
doctrine of Phlogiston was cited as an illustration of a changed 
attitude to once-accepted principles. Of the order of nature we 
may know something; but the so-called laws are the work of our 
own minds. The lesson for us is to keep in mind the notion that 
we know nothing absolutely. [Published in Smithsonian Report 
for 1901, pp. 545-552; Science, vol. xv, p. 921.] 
In the discussion that followed Mr. Henry Farquhar cited a 
pertinent passage from Tyndall; Mr. Abbe thought the Laws 
should be qualified by adding “as we know them”; Mr. Edward 
Farquhar pointed out that the expression in question is an illus¬ 
tration of the domination of words; Mr. Hall urged that the 
scientific man must at any rate assume the constancy of nature; 
Mr. Wead thought of the Laws as corresponding to principles of 
classification, and therefore temporary conveniences; and Mr. 
Gore pointed out the difficulty of finding the law applicable to 
given facts. 
Mr. C. G. Abbot, by invitation, read a paper On the relation 
of the sunspot period to meteorology. About 15 phenomena 
have been supposed to depend on sunspots; a relation is proved 
