National Republican., 1880-09-09
PRACTICAL SCIENCE.
Interesting Session of The Social Science
Association.
Discussion of Subjects in which the People
are Observation-Disclosures, Eduoa-
tlonnl and Medical.

ulB ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS isdueh-
tlonnl and Medical.
Meeting of tho Social Science Association.
Social Science Association.
SARATOGA, N. ", Sept. Sat the OPEN
ing of the Social Science association Mr. +. B..
Sanborn, the secretary, read his annual re-.
port, giving q statement of The changes made
In tho sessions of the association and the sep
aration from the association Of the conference
of charties. Feeling alnsions were made to
the members who nave died during tho year.
The proposition Of George r. Augell of Boston,
touching adutcrated foods, was submitted.
synopsis of q paper on Christianity and
the Relations of Nations" by Charles L.
Brace Of New York, was read 1t was u
statement at length of the advancement made
In tho direction of humanity by reason of
christian teachin gs. Formerly, When arms
were taken up IN war, Hll rcvG renee for
human and divine law was thrown away
Now, thanks to repeated international con-
icrcnces, everything has been amcloraled,
until II is recognized fcature of intcrna-
tiOnal law TO carry out one of tho foundation
rules OF christianity: to love your enemies.
COAL MINE CASUALTIES.
James d. Weeks of Pttsburg. associate
editor of the Iron Age, read tho report of the
committee on casualties in coal mining 1t
treated Of the statistics Of casualties and their
causes, and made some suggestions as to rem.
edics. In England tho inspection of mines
began In 1850, but in Pennsylvania inspections
only began In 1869 in the anthracite regions,
| and not until 1877 in the bituminous mines
Ohio has had state inspections since 1S74
| From 1850 TO 1879 tho total casualties in Great
| Britain were 20,457 In Pennsylvania one
man was lost for each 81, 900 tons of coal raised
! in the anthracite region in 1863, aud in
1879 ono for each 10000 tous--a much
! greater mortality than in England, not.
withslanding the greater danger of explosions
aud inundatons IN the latter country. lu
OhIo,the figures conlessedl y imperfect, give one
| death to 1898 tons Of coal raised In 1874
and in 1878 one death TO 255 600 tons raisod.
| While some accidents Ure unavoidable there
| Is no doubt that great ajority of explosions
come from the carcessmess of miners who
will not hesitate to open safety lamp sur.
rounded by fire damp to light 4 pipe. The
peril from the falling of roofing aud slate is
greater however than auy other, being about
forty per cent. of the total, aud of these the
public hears the least because they are so COM
mon. Thesu arc too often the result Of for
getfulneBs rashness or neglect. Aud again
employees arc more at fault then employers
1n fact csrelessness and neglect arc common
nhioHB W ucsicS W NlllCn StCluo bClICtly
possible
EDUCATIONAL.
After a brief introductory address by T. w
| Higginson of Massachusetts, during which he
stated that tho so.called Quincy method of
education was only u revival of the same
method advocated by the late Horace Manu.
Mrs. Tolbot Of Boston read the report Of w.
II. Harris OH kindergarten schools, which was
debated. President Gregory of Illinois spoke
| an nj naf tnnn al.
uothousht If children were Kept out ofschoo oil
until nine or ten years old, ut fifteen or six.
teen they would be in advance of those who
began school earlier. He said ho had expe.
riencc, aud this was his conclusion from sew
eral examples within his oxn knowledge. Hc
thought the kindergarten system WAS In dan.
ger of no great harm, because teachers would
try 10 force children to learn.
HEALTH REGULATIONS.
Miss A. II. Virgins of Saratoga had oh
served kndergartens in Germany, aud thought
in this country less machinery would be
needed for them. She advised that children
should not be sont TO school before nine or ten
years old.
Mr.. G.. w. Higginson said the best scholars
he had known began going to school young.
| In the health department, DIR. A. f. Lincoln,
who presided, made an address OH the national
board of health, which he said had been in cx.
istencc only eighteen months, and was brought
forward to meet a national calamity by the
yellow fever at Memphis, which the local
authorities could not manage. II was called
| into existence in haste. Coming into existence
under adverse circumstances, the board had,
| by great eXertiOn, become an assured success
The great and blind reliance upon quarantine
| had been done away with aud local cleunli-
ness had been enforced.
Thanks to measures of local cleanliness adj
vised by the national board of health Memphis
is now clean city, aud IL will be almost i'm.
possible for it to be again scourged by yellow
| fever
| EDUCATION or WOMEN.
TW. Higginson, in the general meeting, in.
Producing the discussion on the paper of Miss
SincoX, smoke of the eject Of the lsbors of
| Moucure ID. Conway OF London, an American,
in bringing about the improvements in the
education of women.
Mr.. Conway then proceeded to give some Of
his experiences after going to London, begin.
ming with how Miss Garrett, now DIR. Garrett
Anderson, had to study medicine surreptiously
at the gates of the Lock hospital, and showing
how the cause of women's education had beon
advanced step by stop without any really
| serious opposition.
Mr.. Conway thought that in few years
| the co.cducatiOu of the sexes in tho colleges
aud universities of England would be an rs.
| sured fact. Miss Green Of Worcester, Mass,
presented paper on the relation of the pub
| lie library TO the public schools The leading
! idea was that one or more teachers in public
schools and professors In colleges should meet
| the students at stated periods in public libra
ries and advise with them in relation TO books
containing information on special subjects,
also advise them rs to general reading.
TREATMENT OF THE INSANE,
DR.. L. w. Cushing of Boston, secretary of
the department, read paper on tho rogula-
ton of medical practice by statute law. lie
showed that good care is one Of the chief
remedial agencies in the treatment Of the in-
sane. Thirty to forty per cont. Of recoyeries
arc ut present had in insane hospitals. Tho
besl.inlormed writer's estimate that of eleven
persons who become insane six recover and
| five during the attack. Of the six who re.
cover no more than two remain well during
| the balance Of their lives the other four sus.
tanning removed attacks, from which two at
| least die.
1t is one purpose Of this paper to urge the
| importance of tho study OF psychology OF
psychological medicine by medical men. This
subject has been generally neglected in medi-
cal schools.
AMERICAN AND ENGLISH NEWSPAPERS.
At the opening of the afternoon session OF
the American Social Science association j, NJ.
Gregory, the president Of the Illinois state
university, read paper on "Ihe American
Newspaper aud American Education" The
American newspaper, he said, is tho best la
dex of American life and the ihirost repre-
sentation Of the people, Tho paper was loug