ANNOUNCEMENT OF MEETINGS OF THE ACADEMY AND AFFILIATED SOCIETIES1 Tuesday, January 8: The Washington Academy of Sciences, at the Cosmos Club, at 8.15 p.m. Program: Annual meeting for the reports of officers, announcement of elections, and other business. Address of the retiring President of the Academy, DR. W. H. HOLMES: "Man's place in the Cosmos, as shadowed forth by modern science." Wednesday, January 9: at 8 p.m. The Geological Society, at the Cosmos Club, Thursday, January 17: The Washington Academy of Sciences, at the Cosmos Club, at 8.30 p.m. Program: Major AULD, of the British Mission: The use of gases in warfare. Saturday, January 19: The Philosophical Society, at the Cosmos Club, at 8.15 p.m. Program: E. T. WHERRY: Certain relations between optical properties and crystal form, and their bearing on the question of “crystal molecules" in organic compounds. (By invitation.) 30 min. W. F. MEGGERS and C. G. PETERS: The refractive index and optical dispersion of air. 20 min. 1 The programs of the meetings of the affiliated societies will appear on this page if sent to the editors by the thirteenth and the twenty-seventh day of each month. CONTENTS Page Physics. The size and shape of the electron. ARTHUR H. COMPTON...... Chemistry. A silica-glass mercury still. J. C. HOSTETTER and R. B. This JOURNAL, the official organ of the Washington Academy of Sciences, aims to present a brief record of current scientific work in Washington. To this end it publishes: (1) short original papers, written or communicated by mem. bers of the Academy; (2) a complete list of references to current scientific articles published in or emanating from Washington; (3) short abstracts of certain of these articles; (4) proceedings and programs of meetings of the Academy and affiliated Societies; (5) notes of events connected with the scientific life of Washington. 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Special rates are given to members of scientific societies affiliated with the Academy. THE WAVERLY PRESS HISTORY.-The origin and early days of the Philosophical Society of Washington.' WILLIAM H. DALL, National Museum. The history of the scientific societies in Washington has been admirably told by Mr. G. Brown Goode in his memoir on the origin of the U. S. National Museum. There were, before the formation of the Philosophical Society, two or three societies, all of which finally died. One that included most of the naturalists was called the "Potomac-Side Naturalist's Club;" and it is a matter of some little interest that I had recently a call from Prof. John Chickering, the son of Professor Chickering, of Gallaudet College, who was one of our former members; and he told me that in going over his father's papers, he found the records of meetings of the "Potomac-Side Naturalist's Club." Then there was the National Institute, which struggled along for a number of years very bravely against adverse circumstances, and finally was obliged to give up on account of the expense of maintaining a museum and other things of that sort which were beyond the means of the members of such a small society. When I returned from Alaska in 1868, I found that there existed in Washington a club of, I presume, about 20 members, which was, to the best of my recollection, called the "Physical Club." It may be added that its membership comprised some of the most distinguished men of science in Washington, and 1An address delivered at the 789th meeting of the Philosophical Society of Washington, April 28, 1917. |