The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-09-01
THE SCIENTIFIC ASSOCIATION.
Prof. Coulter HonOred-New Fellows Elected
Papers Read in the Various Sections.

ANN ARBoR Mich, Aug 31-The scientists
spent SuIflay resting, after their excursion of
Saturday and attending the various religious
services of Sunday At 9 o'clock this morning
the Botanical Club met and elected Prof. j.
NJ. Coulter chairman and Prof. J. G.. Arthur
secretary. Resolutions were adopted support
ing the Commissioner of Agriculture in asking
for an appropriation for investigating the dis
eases of plants. Prof ]. J. Burrell. of Illinois,
read paper on a new dry grape rot not hereto
fore recognized, which has done great damage in
Illinois and Michigan. Other papers were read
on plants and methods \ drawing. In the after
noon the club went on an excursion to the tam
marack swamp for botanical purposes.
The general session was not called to order
until II o'clock, when the general secretary an
nounced the names of sixty-eight members rec
ommend ed by the standing committees for cleo
ton as Fellows. All of them were elected
The committee on weights. meas ures and
coinage not being ready to report was con-
tinued
The committee on best methods of science
teaching in public schools reported that this
subject was being largely considered throughout
the country. The tendency has been to too
advanced course The Importance of the work
is unquestiOned.
The committee on deaths, births and mar
rages reported its object as the urging of the
government to take action towards making some
uniform method of registering births, deaths
and marriages Statistics in regard to the mat
ter were advanced.
The committee to confer with foreign associa-
tons with reference to an international scien
tlfic congress reported that the matter is not
yet settled, but there is no doubt that such a
congress will be held within two three years.
Mrs. Elizabeth Thompson, of Stamford, Conn.,,
has literally endowed this congress by a dona-
tion of $25, 900 for the benefit Of science
| The accounts of the association were reported
| from the auditors and the report was accepted.
| When the general session adjourned it was
| past noon and several of the sections did not
| meet. In the section on economic science
paper was read on 'Vital Statistics of the Col
ored People of the Southern States by g. w.
Hubbard He discussed their prospects as a
race the main fact against their vital superiority
to the white being that the death rate is twice
that of the whites. Ignorance, superstition and
poverty are the causes for this. Reliable stats
tics are hard to get There is an increase in the
educational advantages and in wealth, SO that
| the death rate is decreasing.
THE Science of Statistical Analysis" by G. S.
Hill, was the first paper of the afternoon. He
considered the Importance of the analysis of
statistics as affecting all interests of this and
other countries, and showed what has already
been done in their collection by our government.
John Muller argued for social economy. claiming
that it is possible to live we'll on thirty to forty
cents day He believes people live too much
on these things which are not necessary. He
also insists on allowing the stomach and digest
i've organs to have a period of
rest. The establishment of more workshops
was his method for overcoming the troubles be-
tween labor and capital. In the succeeding dis
cussion, socialism or communism was pro-
nounced a failure, and the working out of tine
'life problem" was said to be personal matter,
which each must work out for himself
No TN1.vr a,ofc ynof NC of or,H
cussed papers which of interest only to
specialists; such was also the case with chemists.
In the section on geology and geography, b.
w. Claypoies paper was read, In which he con-
sidered the origin of the material for the forma
ton of what is now the Appalachian mountain
| system.
| George F. Kunze read several papers describ-
ing geological formations in different Places and
| new associations Of old formations.
| President Edward Orion, of Columbus O.,
gave the record of the formations passed through
in boring the deep well of the Cleveland Rolling
| mill Company
| The leading papers in the biological section
| were: Organization and Death" by Charles
| Sedgwick Minol. and the Importance of Indi-
| vidual Facts of Environment in the Formation Of
Groups of Animals byJ. B. Steere. DR.. Minol
| held that death is the penalty of high orSaniza-
| ton, man dies because he is man.
Anthropology was the section where number
OF interesting descriptive articles read. DIR.
| Z. 5. Minol gave records of number of trials of
| what is called the number of habit" which
negatively disproves mind-reading. He also
read paper affirmatively answering the ques-
| ton, "Are contemporary phantasms of the dead
! to be explained partly as folk lore9'
The committee on nominations met to night
and decided to nominate Edward S. Morse, of
Salem. Mass, for president of the association.
Stringent resolutions were adopted for the
secrecy of the nomination. The leading con-
testants were Prof. Alex. Winchell of the Mich
igan University. and E. d. Cope of Philadel-
phia. Morse is a popular lecturer, and was
lecturer at Lowell Institute, Boston, last year
He is thorough Japanese scholar, having been
| in the scientific service of that government for
| several years. His collection of Japanese pot
| terry, valued at 800, 600, is the finest in this
| country. The committee continued in session
late in the night. A full list Of vice presidents
was nominated. Tomorrow morning at the
general session, these will all be submitted to
| the vote of the association