The Portland daily press., 1873-07-18
The Scientific Association.

The meeting in this city of the American
Association for the Advancement of Science
will be marked event in our annals, and
cannot fail to awaken very deep and general
interest among those citizens who have at
heart the progress and welfare of Portland.
In justice to ourselves, as well as to the dis
tinguished guests who are about to visit US,
it should be the care of each one of us to do
his part toward their proper reception and
entertainment.
This society, which has existed little more
than twenty years, numbers among its mem
bers nearly every scholar in America whose
name is identified with the great advances of
the present time in scientific knowledge 1t
is composed of nearly nine hundred members,
and the annual meetings are very fully at
tended by them-the number present usually
ranging from 400 to 60O-and still more num-
erously by citizens and strangers, to whom
the personal presence and the papers, discus
sions and lectures of the most famous scient-
lists in America are powerful attraction.
The Association has held its meetings in
various prominent cities of the United States,
and has everywhere been received with APP
wropriate distinction. This year, disregard
ing invitations from other cities, the Associa-
ton has, unsolicited, selected Portland as its
place of reunion. Our city, from its beaut-
full surroundings, the bold cliffs and wooded
islands OF its harbor, the fresh sea-breezes
which temper the heat of summer, is ever an
attractive spot to the tourist; its natural adj
vantages moreover offer varied and numerous
points of interest to scientists of different de-
partments, and their report cannot fail to add
noted for its beauties of land and ocean seem
cry.
The usefulness to the community of these
meetings of the Scientific Association, contin-
uing as they will for ten days, can hardly be
over-estimated. The opportunity will be afford
ed for our citizens to hear, under most favora-
BILE circumstances and in great abundance,
statements and discussions of those subjects
for whose treatment by isolated lecturers we
annually expend large sums.
The first part of the convention will be de-
voted to indoor work, debates, reading of
papers, etc., by the two sections into which
the Association is divided-one for the espec-
ial consideration of Mathematics, Physics and
Chemistry, the other for that of Geology,
Natural History, etc. To these is sometimes
added third section, whose topic is EthnoIo-
gy. In the evenings the proceedings will as
sumo a more general and popular character;
lectures will be given by eminent scientific
men, accompanied by illustrations upon the
blackboard and by experiments. Such names
as those of Professors Agassiz, Morse and
Hitchcock are guarantees of the great value
and interest of these lectures.
The latter portion of the allotted ten days
will be pleasantly passed in excursions to the
many places of note and attraction in the vi
entity of Portland, in receiving "object les
sons'' from Nature herself, and storing up
health and vgor for The arduous labors of the
ensuing year.
In no more beneficial or agreeable manner
can science popularize itself than by these
social meetings, and we believe that our ctf-
zens need no Acknowledgment the men-
ton of the fact that tho Scientific Association
is to come here in August-to induce them to
make every effort for the comfort and pleas
ure of these welcome guests.