Daily globe., 1883-08-16
Aftern0On Session.

afternoon Session.
The afternoon work was devoted to work
in sections, A, B, and E meeting in desig-
mated rooms at 2:4O, and and H at 4:3O
p. m.
SECTION "H.'
A 2:30 p. m. section ''H" was called to
order in the chapel and Prof. Otis Mason,
vice president and chairman of the stand
ing committee, delivered an address on the
Scope and Value of Anthropological
Studies,' of which the following is mere
outline:
Prof. Mason commenced by saying that
everything which presented itself before
human consciousness is subjected to a
process of weighing and measuring. Be
fore giving up their lives to any study,
men wished to know what good or honor
or happiness would result. Mr.. Mason
then defined anthropology to be the appli-
cation of the instrumentalities and meth
DDS of natural history to the 1nductive
study of man, not merely taking super
| fetal view, collecting old things because
they were old, nor running after curiosi:
ties, but the patient investigation of man
kind, just as If our race were group of
unintell1gent animals. The horse, adduced
to an example of what patient study would
accomplish, when concentrated upon a
single group. A series of topics were
| drawn up, the consideration of which
| would constitute a science of hippology.
| Returning to the human race, it was as
sumed that humanity had an origin, and,
therefore, whole series of problems
would arise concerning that fact. Many
of these questions were stated by the
| speaker. After epitomizing the topics in
| cluded in anthropology, it was next shown
| what are the advantages to be gained by
| so much unity of observation. The first
advantage is that studies are improved.
| All sciences begin with vain specula-
tion, astronomy with astrology, chemistry
with alchemy, theology with mythology,
etc. The second benefit of anthropology
| is its good effect on human veal. The
study of climatology already begins to en-
| able those who direct physical movements
to thwart the destructive energies of ma
ture and to add to the natural selection of
physical force. The history of civilization
is in one sense a history of individual
| accretlons, which can be read backwards
by the elimination of Inventions in the
reverse order of their addition.
The third and perhaps most interesting
part of the paper was that anthropology
afforded opportunity for the exercise of the
most diversified talent. The speaker
showed that every one in the audience
by his occupation or natural gifts was
thus qualified to be an expert in anthropol-
ogy. Some very graphic illustrations of this
point were given, such as the identifca-
tion of all the birds in the mound-pipes
by Mr.. Harshaw and others equally as
strange.
The closing potion of the address re;
lated to the future OF anthropology. In
the study man is brought face to face
with the inscrutable. With all science
| comes the consciousness of new ignor-
ances. There is more known to be un-
known now than when the wisest men
knew that they did not understand many
| things well known to US, and it will ever
be. We are just on the threshold of apply
ing instruments of precision to the
study Of man. But there is no uLtimo
| thule in science. Still we should not de-
spair. Science should feel that it is on a
pleasant journey, whose destination may
remain unknown, but every mile of whose
progress unfolds new vistas of beauty and
variety in nature, each transcending its
predecessors.
SECTION "a -
Section "A''-mathematics and astrono-
my-flled and organized regularly. O..
B. Mather was put upon the standing COM
mittee; Profs. Bessey, Lozenbury andCope,
sectional committee; Herbert o. Shorne,
nominating committee. At the meeting
at 2:30 p. M. Prof. William A. Rogers
opened the business by reading
ing his address. He treated first astrono-
my. He spoke of the difficulties encount-
cred in solving the wonderful problems
of the sun and stars. He stated that all
the observations made up to this time had
proven differential in their char
acter. The paper was lengthy and ex
haustive, and is only reproduced in
abstract form in this report, although the
whole would beyond doubt prove interest
ing and instructive to all readers.
Our first inquiry will be with respect to
the condition of the question of stellar
positions at the time when the proposal
was made by the Gesellschaft in 1865. A
position of the observations made up to
this time were made without direct refer
ence to any assumed system of stellar
co-ordinates as base, but for the larger
part are differential in their character
This remark holds more especially with
reference to eight occasions. Nearly all
the observations of the brighter stars made
previous to about 1880 were referred to
the origin from which stellor c-oordinates
are reckoned by corresponding obser-
vations of the sun, but since that
date it has been the custom to select a suf-
ticient number of representatives sym
metrically distributed both in right ascen-
sion and declination and whose co-ordin-
ates were supposed to be well known.
The unequaled Pulkowa observations for
the epoch 1916, form, 1 believe, the only
exception to this statement. From the
assumed system Of primary stars are
covered the clock errors and
instrumental constants which are
employed in the reduction
of all the other stars Conserved.
The following list comprises the most
Importance of the catalogue which have
been independently formed, viz: Bissell,
Bradley for 1856, the various catalogues
of Maskelyne between 1865 and 1906,
Gould's D'Agilet for 1888, Prazzi for 1900,
Anwer's Cocciatore for 1905, Bessel for
1915, a few of the earlier catalogues of
Pond, Bornkley for 1924. Bessel for 1926
Struve for 1925, Bessell for 1927, Struve
for 1870 and PuJEowa for 1QAS An ono1