WE learn from Nature that Dr. E. W. Scripture has lately returned from Germany, where he has been lecturing on experimental phonetics applied to the study of English. Dr. Scrip-. ture, who was formerly assistant professor of experimental psychology in Yale University, and associate in psychiatry in Columbia University, is now resident in London, where he has been for some years engaged on studying records of speech in epilepsy, general paralysis and other nervous diseases. Ar the annual general meeting and conversazione of the Harveian Society of London, held on January 13, Dr. Turtle was elected president for the ensuing year. The retiring president, Dr. Hill, delivered an address on the advances in the methods of treatment of disease of the œsophagus during the present century. SIX Hunterian lectures on the "Principles of human craniology," illustrated by specimens and preparations, were delivered by Professor Arthur Keith at the Royal College of Surgeons, during January. THE Osler Society for the Study of Medical History has been organized by a group of twelve physicians of the Mayo Foundation. Dr. William C. MacCarty, associate professor of pathology, has been elected president of the society. A COMMITTEE has been appointed to undertake a campaign for the collection of a fund of $500,000 for the endowment of two memorials to the work of the late Dr. Henry Baird Favill, of Chicago. It is proposed to create a Henry Baird Favill Memorial Laboratory, with fellowship endowments, in St. Luke's Hospital, to the interests of which Dr. Favill devoted many years of special effort. For this purpose a fund of $250,000 is solicited. A like sum is desired for the establishment of the Henry Baird Favill Foundation, the income of which shall be used for the promotion of public instruction in health and hygiene. Mr. Edgar A. Bancroft is chairman, and Mr. N. D. Sibley is secretary of the committee. A BRONZE tablet was recently unveiled in the medical laboratory of the University of Rio de Janeiro to commemorate the Professor Diogenes Sampaio, wh He was influential in the organ laboratory which is henceforth name. DR. HUGH A. MCCALLUM, dear ern University Medical School of ada, died on January 25. SIR LAZARUS FLETCHER, keeper the British Natural History 1 1880 to 1909 and then director o until 1919, died on January 6, seventh year of his age. DR. ODOARDO BECCARI, director cal Garden at Florence, known fo tions in New Guinea from 1860 as an authority on the classificat died at Florence on October 25. THE death is announced of Foerster, professor of astronomy versity of Berlin, at one time di Royal Observatory. Dr. Foerster Grunberg, Schleswig, December PROFESSOR C. GEORGE SCHILL Berlin, on January 29, aged six He was known for his travels in torial Africa and his studies of ogy. THE United States Civil S mission announces an open co amination for psychologist in Health Service throughout the U at a salary of $2,200 a year, or and subsistence $1,600. Applican graduated from a college or recognized standing and have three months of experience in chology. They should apply, befo to the Civil Service Commissio ton, D. C. THE annual meeting of the Ar ical Association is to be held in 6-10, under the presidency of Work, Pueblo, Colo. THE American Psychological will hold its thirtieth annual Princeton on December 28, 29 a THE spring meeting of The American Society of Mechanical Engineers will be held in Chicago at the Congress Hotel, from May 23 to 26. Sessions are planned by the professional sections on aeronautics, fuels, management, material handling, machine shop, power, forest products and railroads. THE Journal of the American Medical Association states that investigations made by the Rockefeller Foundation indicate that the countries of central Europe, with the possible exception of Austria, suffer from a shortage of physicians. Thus, in Poland less than 2,000 physicians are said to be available to care for the 25,000,000 inhabitants, and in Serbia it is stated there are less than 300 physicians outside of the army medical officers. In its efforts to rehabilitate the medical schools of central Europe, the Rockefeller Foundation has decided to aid in the establishment of a high grade medical school at Belgrade. A SPECIAL committee from the Petrograd Academy of Science has proposed a plan to the academy, whereby a closer contact between the scientific men of Russia and Western Europe may be forwarded. ON December 31 the Zoological Society at Hamburg decided to close the Zoological Gardens because the city can not afford to aid in maintenance. MRS. EUGENE SILLIMAN BRISTOL has given $1,000 to the proposed Silliman fund, the income of which will be applied to the maintenance of the American Journal of Science. UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NEWS DR. WALLACE W. ATWOOD, lately professor of physiography at Harvard University, was inaugurated as president of Clark University, on February 1. DR. W. B. CANNON, professor of physiology, and Dr. Otto Folin, professor of biological chemistry, at Harvard University, were last autumn, offered research positions in the Mayo Clinic at Rochester, with all possible facilities for the conduct of research work and with sal aries approximately twice those given by the university. They have, however, decided to remain at Harvard. PROFESSOR F. C. NEWCOMBE, of the depart ment of botany of Michigan University, has been granted leave for the second semester of the current year. His mail address will be Palo Alto, Calif. During Professor Newcombe's absence Professor H. H. Bartlett will be administrative head of the department. DR. EARNEST ALBERT HOOTON has been appointed assistant professor of anthropology at the Harvard Medical School, and Dr. William Lorenzo Moss, assistant professor of preventive medicine and hygiene. DR. G. W. A. LUCKEY, formerly dean of the school of education of the University of Nebraska, has been appointed specialist in foreign education in the U. S. Bureau of Education, Washington. DISCUSSION AND CORRESPONDENCE THRICE TOLD TALES TO THE EDITOR OF SCIENCE: Referring to the letter of Professor Wood,1 I, also, have a story about the Lick Observatory and to enable Professor Wood to have a whack at it I hasten to offer it to the public. In the summer of 1891 I was the guest of the then director of the observatory, Professor E. S. Holden, for a week or ten days while making a series of gravity measurements and I was greatly interested in the "public nights," in the establishment and maintenance of which the institution has done a most admirable piece of work. On one of these occasions I was watching the long line of visitors formed near the big refractor, each awaiting his turn for a look through that wonderful instrument. The object to which it was directed at that time was a star cluster and, as every one knows, when a cluster is viewed through a telescope the number of stars seen is increased enormously and those visible to the naked eye are greatly en1 SCIENCE, January 14, 1921. 138 hanced in brightness and although a glorious sight there is no showing of round disks like the sun, moon or the near planets when examined in the same way. In some way my attention was drawn to a man somewhat back from the head of the line who seemed to be in a condition of tense excitement over the experience in store for him. He may have traveled hundreds of miles (as they do in California) for the opportunity of viewing the heavenly bodies with the aid of the enormous glass and, impatient with those ahead of him who lingered somewhat at the eye-end of the telescope, he seemed to fear lest the world should come to an end before his turn came. Having observed (I have no doubt a very common experience) that the first look through a large telescope or a microscope of very high power is generally a disappointment, I quietly "attached myself" to this man and was at his side when at last his chance came. He had been told the nature of the object and eagerly putting his eye to the eye piece he stood perfectly motionless for one long minute. Then, after glancing around to see if any of the members of the "staff" were near by, and assuming, doubtless, that I belonged to the line," he held his open hand by his mouth to prevent the spread of his voice and hissed into my ear the words " damned fraud.” 1 I have told this story several times in the last quarter of a century, having thought it a rather good one and before Professor Wood despoils me of it by "running across it" in the Novum Organum, the Principia, the Dowager Duchess Cristina's account of her visit to Galileo's Observatory or some other old place, I hope he will remember that constructive criticism is the only thing that goes these days and that a good story should never be "scrapped" except for the purpose of making a better one. T. C. MENDENHALL 66 AtP. S. This letter might be indorsed, tention Mr. David Wilbur Horn," another iconoclast who on the same page shows a disposition to rob us of the charming picture of the young Galileo standing amidst his Aristotelian enemies at the foot of the tower of Pisa (though Professor Cajori has him at Have we not believed that imaginat a sine qua non in the equipment of a science? Even the swinging lamp Duomo has been robbed of its romanc discovery that it was not in existence leo's day. We may cling to the rope b it is suspended, however, for, as far as no one has yet proved that it is not th thing whose vibrations the young ph found to be isochronous. And before it is too late I hope son prising company will "film Archimede ing from his bath and running into t naked as a pair of his own compasses T TO THE EDITOR OF SCIENCE: Ap thrice told tales, as illustrated by munication of Mr. Wood in SCIENCE 14, 1921, I may point out that the story of Lincoln, in his young days, lie in court by showing the witness he said he saw the deed done in t light, because the moon was not at in the sky at night, is found pract same, when ascribed to different occ (1) Plutarch in the life of Alcibia the desecration of the statues of (2) Chambers' "Book of Days," 1 ed., Vol. I., p. 14, in another co (3) "Lincoln, the Lawyer," by Trevor Hill, p. 230 seq. The human mind runs easily and in well-worn channels and one may struct plausible hypotheses, witho ducing that of plagaiarism. I hav seen the story of the lesson taught b ascribed, I think, to still a four which I now forget. There are so good stories we might well allow travel as far and as long as they c instruct and amuse, without going into the question of the absolute y those who pass them along. A good story should never be spoiled by that. JONATHAN WRIGHT PLEASANTVILLE, NEW YORK, January 18, 1921 REPLY TO PROFESSOR HORN MANY times has the undersigned been found to be in error on historical questions. It is not easy to write during a period of over thirty years without occasionally committing mistakes. Even Newton once said, "It's impossible to print the book without faults." However, it is due to myself to state that not all the errors attributed to me are errors in reality. In not a few cases the critics themselves are in error. But never, before the appearance of Professor D. W. Horn's letter (SCIENCE, January 14, 1921), have I been accused of "Romancing in Science." Had Professor Horn been less excited and more contemplative, he would have written differently. My account of Galileo was prepared a quarter of a century ago. Were I to re-write it, I would make some slight changes. 66 "Prior to Galileo it did not occur to any one actually to try the experiment" relating to acceleration. More recent research reveals that Galileo, like most great scientific men, had his forerunners. I say that Galileo publicly experimented "one morning." This may have been the correct time of day, but I am not now able to verify the statement. Galileo allowed a one pound shot and a one hundred pound shot to fall together." From Galileo's "Dialogues Concerning two New Sciences it appears that he did perform this experiment, but I am not sure that these were the particular weights used when experimenting before the university assembly. I have gone over sentence by sentence the passage quoted by Professor Horn and the above are the only changes which seem to me perhaps necessary. I repel as unjust the charge that I am "romancing in science." Dr. Partridge rendered a service in calling attention to Galileo's experiments at the Tower of Pisa. However, I still think that the Doctor overstated his case, was wrong in implying that Galileo made only one expe ment, and without sufficient reason called question the accuracy of Viviani's "Life Galileo "a life which Favaro, after ve many years devoted to the study of Galile has found to be remarkably reliable. course, part of the discussion hinges on t word "exactly." No description of an expe ment can be exact in every detail. Howev if essentials suffice, then our knowledge Galileo's experiments on falling bodies exact, for we know exactly the purpose of t experiments, as well as the mode of expe mentation, namely, the dropping of differe weights of a variety of materials-menti being made of some of the materials droppe Professor Horn quotes: Fortis imagina generat causum. I agree, but whose casus it really? FLORIAN CAJORI UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA A CORRECTION TO THE EDITOR OF SCIENCE: The times a actually worse than I realized when writi recently about "Romancing in Science." T opening quotation should have read "O te pora," instead of "O tempus." The peculi appropriateness of this quotation is appare for the correction came to me (from N York) as part of an anonymous letter! DAVID WILBUR HORN BRYN MAWR, PENNSYLVANIA MEMOIR OF G. K. GILBERT THE undersigned is engaged in the prepar ration of a memoir of the late G. K. Gilbe to be published by the National Academy Sciences, and would be obliged if geologi and others who possess letters from him who recall incidents that throw light up his character would submit them for inc poration in the story of his life. His gr contributions to geological science are pu lished and fully accessible; but the smal non-scientific matters which give the life a man its finer savor can be learned only personal communication from his friends. good number of such communications ha been already received; they are of so gr 140 interest that many more are desired. As an example the following may be instanced: A well-known scientist in whose home Gilbert was a frequent guest, warmly welcomed by father, mother, and children, writes that one of his boys, when a little fellow, became so fond of the visitor that he for a year or so wound up his evening prayer with an added petition of his own invention-" O Lord! bless father, and mother, and Mr. Gilbert, and some ladies." It is often written of an eminent man that he was fond of children, but it is rare to find testimony as spontaneous and convincing as this to show that children were fond of him. CAMBRIDGE, MASS., QUOTATIONS W. M. DAVIS THE PRINTING OF ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS un PRINTING has become so expensive that it will be necessary to revise some of our existing practises, and especially that with regard to original observations. There is an doubted convenience in printing original observations just as they are made, for, however carefully they are discussed at the time, the general advance of astronomy may later provide an improved basis for discussion. Thus, old observations of position, such as those of Bradley or Groombridge, gained much from the growth in knowledge of instrumental errors, and old observations of variable stars have been rediscussed with advantage now that better magnitudes of comparison stars are available. There is no reason to anticipate finality in improvement, and it is therefore a convenience to have the original material widely accessible; but one may have to pay too dearly for this convenience, and it looks as though the recent advance in prices had brought this contingency about. We have have to be satisfied to store a fair copy of the original observations in some accessible place, such as the library of the Royal Astronomical Society or of a well-known observatory. Perhaps it would be better to store two copies, one of W As I have made reference to this cost of printing, may I call the att |