Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-04-22

place made vacant by the resignation Of Prof
s. p. Langley, secretary of the Smithsonian
Institution, was held. Gen. Francis A. Walker
Of Boston was the man chosen to fill this position
| Of honor.
| Messrs. Geo. J. Brush Of New Haven, Conn,
BENZ. A. Gould of Cambridge, Mass. Prof.
Simon Newcomb Of Washington, Ira Remsen of
Baltimore, Nd, NJ. C. Meigs Of Washington
and Prof. s. p. Langley Of Washington were
elected additional members of the council.
| THE NEW VICE PRESIDENT.
Gen. Walker, the new vice president of the
academy, was superintendent of the census in
1870 and again in 1880. He is at present presi-
dent Of the Massachusetts Institute of Tech
nology. He is one of the best known scientific
men In the country. He is president of the
Thursday Club of Boston and is connected with
number Of the leading scientific societies of
| the country.
Surgeon General J. s. Billings Of the Army
Medical Museum read an interesting report on
the human bones Of the Heminway collection
in the United States Army Medical Museum,
prepared by DR.. Washington Matthew'S U. S. A.,
made under the direction OF Mr.. Frank Cush-
ing among the village ruins in Arizona.
| Dr. Matthews recognized the possible value
| OF these bones that were being found, in con-
| nection with the implements and tools. DIR.
| Workman was sent out in November. 1887, with
| All facilities for hardening and preserving the
| bones as they were found.
ABOUT THE zuNrs' BONES.
DIR. Billings paper began by describing the
| localities where the bones were found. 1t is
| learned from Zuni folk lore that among these
/ Indians it was customary to bury certain
| classes within the house and under the floor
The little children were often buried near the
hearth, to be near the nourishing and
cherishing fire spirit. The villages ex-
1
| population Of about $4,000 Las Muertas is
thought to have had about Il, 000 As to the
antiquity Of these relics it can only be said
that the villages were complete ruins $50
years ago. 1t is supposed they are at
| least 1000 years old and they nav
| Of bones found in these ancient cities were for
| the most part, very badly broken when they
| reached this city, and it required the utmost
care to put them in shape again. When this had
been done the bones and skulls were carefully
| measured and studied by DIR. Matthews and as
| sistants DIR. Matthews made an extended re-
port to the surgeon general and it was from
| this report that DIR. Billings made extracts to
show the value of the work accomplished.
About sixty-nine sets of bones have come
into possession Of the museum, each represent
ing more or less of a skeleton. Among these
bones many curious anomalies were found, as
well as many traces of disease. These DIR.
Billings describedat some length together with
| VIC CudTdcttTBtlCS Vi these ChlauO DOQes.
The skulls vary in size from the ordinary class
down to the lowest form, the microcephaia;
but it should be remembered that Judging from
| the size Of the bones the Saladoins were dimin-
| utive and slight in frame. One of the most in
/ teresting features is the prevalence of the
| among the Peruvians- 1t Is even more COM
mon among the Saladoins. The Incas are re-
| moved from the rest of the human race, but
! the SaIadoins are still farther removed. They
fout-Inca the Incas.
At the conclusion Of the paper remarks upon
special features Of it were made by Messrs.
Morse, Putnam, Cope and Brewer.
REMAINDER OF THE pnooRAx.
At this point an adjournment until O'Clock
was taken for luncheon. The remainder of the
| program is as follows:
"Stellar Motion Problems" Lewis Boss.
effect Of Pressure and Temperature on the
Decomposition OF Diazo-Compounds," Ira
Remsen.
Researches on the Double Halides, ~ Ira Rem
sen.
"Allesropic Silver" N. Carey Lea Gntro-
"Ncte on a Paper by NJ. G. Lippmann," NJ.
Carey Lea introduced by Ira Remsen).
ION the Yttrium Earths, and Method of
Making Pure Yttrium." II. A. Rowland
Report of the Watson trustees and presenta-
ton Of the Watson medal to Prof. Arthur Au-
| wers of Berlin.
"On the Distribution of Colors in Certain
North American Reptiles" E. D. Cope.
Gill.
There will be no public meeting tomorrow.
but the reading of the papers will be continued
on Friday. Tomorrow morning there will be a
special meeting Of the academy FOR the election
OF new members, and in the afternoon the
members will take q trip to Marshall Hall as
the guests Of Prof. 8. P. Langley.
NEW MEMBERS TO BE ELECTED.
The academy will tomorrow elect new men,
bors. The outcome Of this annual election is
looked for with interest among scientific men.
The membership Of the academy is practically
limited TO hundred.
After the membership has reached that
number it requires under the rules a much
larger majority to elect . new member At
present there are ninety-eight living MEM
bers, and two can be chosen before the
hundred line is reached. To fH
those two vacancies many names are in
nomination and election Of new members are
such as to secure the greatest care in making a
choice. name has to be proposed by three
members year before it can be voted
list Of the candidates. contributions
to science, is sent to every member of the
academy for his consideration. Every member
of the academy takes part in the ballotting,
Whetner or not ne ls present In person at the
meeting. If he is not present he sends his bal
lot by mail or otherwise.
WHAT A MEMBER SAYS.
4 member of the academy said to SrAR re-
porter today that in his opinion there we're at
least fifty men not members of the academy
who were, by their attoinments. las much en-
titled to membership as the rank and file of
those who are now members.
Owing to the limitation in the membership.
however, these men had to wait their turn.
There were in the academy, he said twenty
five or more men who were pre-emineut-
undoubtedly the leading men in science
The remaining fifty or more members vere
undoubtedly worthy Of membership. but there
were doubtlessly as many men outside equally
deserving.
Scientific men Of course prize the recoeni-
ton Of election to membership in the academy
very highly. The elections are go conducted that
personal popularity or unpopularity counts for
little. 1t is q mans achievements and scholar
ship that count. There are, Of course, different
branches OF science, and physicists naturally
vote for q man who is eminent as q physicist II,
preference to a biologist, and the biologist is
likely TO express his preferences in the same
way.
THE WATSON MEDAL
This afternoon the formal presentation of
the Watson medal will be made to DIR. Arthur
AuVers Of Berlin In recocnitioc cf that .,;.x;,,