SCIENTIFIC BOOKS The Letters of William James. Edited by his son, HENRY JAMES. Two volumes, xx + 348 and xiii +382, The Atlantic Monthly Press, Boston, 1920. $10.00. William James was one of the half dozen greatest Americans of his generation; he was also a past master of writing. Every one with intellectual interests will wish to read his letters. They will be well rewarded, whether they seek better acquaintance with a great man, or literature itself, or stimuli to reflections upon the conditions of scholarly and scientific work in America. The most notable fact about James himself which the letters reveal and emphasize is that he was from youth a philosopher and moralist, tremendously interested in the world as a whole and in its deeper meanings. Painting, natural history and medicine, each for a brief time, and psychology for almost a score of years, restrained him from the study of fundamental questions and sweeping statements which really had his life-long allegiance. At the age of twenty-six, while studying medicine and expecting to earn his living by practising it, and while gaining considerable acquaintance with the best work of the time in physiology and psychology, he was reading Hegel and writing that Kant's "Kritik ""strikes me so far as almost the sturdiest and honestest piece of work I ever saw." In the partial list of his readings during the half year after he took his M.D. philosophy and religion outweighed science and medicine nearly ten to one. In respect to the actual working of James's intellect, the letters probably do not add m to what the shrewd reader would infer f the "Principles of Psychology," the "Vari of Religious Experience," "Pragmatism" other writings. The letters show brillia the extreme fertility of mind, the recepti to facts, theories and viewpoints of all s the impulsive reaction to approve and m the best out of every man's offering, intuitive sense of causes and consequer and the perfect candor and directness. 1 do not show so well the sheer mastery in serving and organizing the facts of hu nature and behavior, the final recognition truth and value, and the persistent refusa tolerate inadequacies or imperfections which James worked his way to them. As literature the letters have the verve, magic gift of epithet and the utter since which, writing or speaking, James n lacked. His caricature, or possibly charac ization, of the university professor will often quoted: t -a being whose duty is to know everything, have his own opinion about everything, conne with his Fach. . . . has the most prodigious ulty of appropriating and preserving knowle and as for opinions, he takes au grand sérieus duties there. He says of each possible sub "Here I must have an opinion. Let's What shall it be? How many possible opin are there? three four? Yes! just four! Sha take one of these? It will seem more origina take a higher position, a sort of Vermittelu ansicht between them all. That I will do, etc." So he acquires a complete assortmen opinions of his own; and, as his memory i good, he seldom forgets which they are! But is not reprehensible; it is admirable-from professorial point of view. He tells his little daughter of a big mas The ears and face are black, his eyes are yel his paws are magnificent, his tail keeps wag all the time, and he makes on me the impres of an angel hid in a cloud. He longs to do g Of the subtleties in the theme and tr ment of his brother's latest novels he wri You know how opposed your whole "third r ner" of execution is to the literary ideals w 166 animate my crude and Orson-like breast, mine focused by mirrors upon empty space. But you As To this Henry James replied with unparalleled conciseness, You shall have, after a little more patience, a Of a night in the Adirondacks he writes: magical checkered play, and it seeme It would be unwise, within the li Letters review, to discuss the " concerning the forces which deter lectual production and moral zeal science. The readers of this jour prefer to draw their own conclusi only a few matters which might attention. James writes apologetically of sole copy of the "Principles " $1,000 in transit! In 1896, being four, under the spell of Chicago, I tried a stenographer and typew alleviation that seemed almost miracu I shall have to go in for one some at Cambridge. It just goes "whiff eight long letters are done. Apparently he had spent sev Europe before ever going west of dacks; and seems not to have vis Princeton or Johns Hopkins until he was fifty. James's output seems to ha fluenced greatly by outside press for the enterprise of a publis the lecture fou existence of Gifford, Lowell and the Colun ment of Psychology, we migh gone without the "Principles," and "Pragmatism," though w course, have had something be prime of his life, when his ability was entirely SPECIAL ARTICLES NON-DISJUNCTION OF THE FOURTH IN Drosophila melanogaster the gene for "eyeless" (e) and its normal allelomorph (E) are situated in the small fourth chromosome. Normal eye is dominant. When heterozygous Ee normal flies are crossed with eyeless ee, a ratio of 1:1 is expected. Actually this ratio is approached, although the greater viability of the normal type modifies the ratio to approximately 1.3:1. In a single mating of this sort a count of 171 normal to 206 eyeless was obtained. Breeding tests of the descendants of this mating indicate that in all probability nondisjunction of the fourth chromosome has taken place. If an Ee fly formed non-disjunctional gametes Ee and-, the cross with an ee individual would give rise to Eee flies. Here two doses of " eyeless" meet one of normal" eye. The opportunity is given for an upset in the balance of dominance between E and e. The excess of eyeless flies, mentioned above, suggests that such an upset has taken place. Further matings make it appear that the Eee form may be either normal or eyeless in appearance, certain individuals being extremely difficult to classify. In the course of the breeding work several interesting results were obtained. Among these was the isolation of eyeless flies, theoretically of the formula Eee, which when crossed inter se or with other eyeless ee, gave normal eyed progeny in considerable numbers. Ratios of 8, 9, 10 or even 12 normals to 1 eyeless were also produced from matings presumably EEe X Ee. Both these conditions were expected on the hypothesis of non-disjunction. Using the appearance of eyeless flies as a test, it seems that the mitosis of the Eee flies is in the vast majority of cases, if not a Ee and e; while similarly that of the EE is Ee and E. The variation in somatic appearance Eee form and the selective type of mitos ferred to above, make it difficult to demon genetically the presence of EeEe indivi If flies of this type have occurred their m is commonly Ee and Ee. One mating indicates a possible exception to this ty mitosis. This mating shows a peculiar possibly due to the presence of eee e forms. A further detailed report of the work shortly be published. I am greatly ind to Dr. E. G. Anderson for helpful sugges and discussion and to the Misses E. E. J and D. M. Newman for assistance in laboratory. COLD SPRING HARBOR, N. Y., C. C. LITT F THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION The total cash receipts during the period question is $13,096.05. These include $4,381 from the W. Hudson Stephens estate; $1,850 fr 32 Life Membership commutations, and $5,707 from interest on securities of the association. The total disbursements made during the peri in question amount to $10,272.56. These inclu an aggregate of $4,500 for 19 grants authoriz by the council, and $4,431.31 paid for $4,500 fa value Victory Loan 41% bonds. The total amount of funds of the associatio consisting of cost value of securities purchase appraised value of securities received from the Co burn Estate, and cash in banks, is $125,723.59. A balance sheet, showing assets and liabilitie ROBERT S. WOODWARD, Dated December 23, 1920 168 SCIENCE BALANCE SHEET-DECEMBER 23, 1920 S. I. Kornhauser Assets P. W. Whiting 200.00 Investments: Donald Reddick, Chr.... 500.00 Securities (Exhibit "A") $119,242.41 Irving W. Bailey 500.00 Cash in Banks 6,481.18 Daniel W. La Rue 200.00 $125,723.59 Margaret F. Washburn 200.00 Jos. Peterson 200.00 200.00 . Funds: Life Memberships: 345 at $50 Theo Hough 100.00 ...... .$17,250 Carl J. Wiggers 150.00 5 at $100 500 $17,750.00 Ferdinand Canu 250.00 Jane M. Smith Fund W. Hudson Stephens Fund Colburn Fund Accumulated Investments Unappropriated Interest 5,000.00 Interest on Life Membership 4,381.21 350 members at $3 1,050.00 77,755.74 14,355.46 2 members (Jane M. Smith Fund)............ 200.00 6,481.18 Cash in Banks $125,723.59 Fifth Avenue Bank...... U. S. Trust Company.... 5,271.26 1,209.92 AT the autumn meeting of the e mittee of the council, held in New tober 17, 1920, the following report and ordered to be printed in SCIEN only a portion of the fiscal year on fact that the records of the Permane office were turned over to the new P retary on April 1, 1920. The form Secretary, Dr. L. O. Howard, prese nation at the St. Louis meeting, at elected president for 1920 and 1921 Permanent Secretary, Dr. Burton did not assume his duties until Feb and did not actually take charge o until April 1, 1920. During the int ard continued to care for the affai ciation, and he has given much valu assistance to the new Permanent SCHEDULE OF SECURITIES 10,000 Great Northern Railway Co. first and refunding mortgage 4.25 per cent. bonds, due 1961 Par Value Purchase Value $10,000 Chicago & Northwestern Railway Co. general mortgage 4 per cent. bonds, due 1987 10,000 Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Co. general mortgage 4 per cent. bonds, due 1995 $9,425.00 9,287.50 10,050.00 10,000 Pennsylvania Railroad Co. consolidated mortgage 4.5 per cent. bonds, due 1960 10,487.50 10,000 Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Co. general mortgage 4 per cent. bonds, due 1958 9,350.00 10,000 Union Pacific Railroad Co. first lien and refunding mortgage 4 per cent. bonds, due 2008 9,012.50 10,000 Northern Pacific Railway Co. prior lien railway and land grant 4 per cent. bonds, due 1997 9,187.50 10,000 New York Central and Hudson River Railroad Co. 3.5 per cent. bonds, due 1997 8,237.50 20,000 Acker, Merrall and Condit Co. debenture 6 per cent. bonds 7,000 Buffalo City Gas Co. 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