Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-04-10
$. P. LANGLEY.
SCIENCE AND INVENTION.

Topics Of Great Interest Discussed at Last
Nights Meeting.
An ADDRESS BIZ PROF LANGIEY-PRoF. TRow-
BRIDGE ON PSYCHOLOGICAL scuooIs-PRoF
THURsToS AND TIE STEAM EsGISE-ADDREssE:
III DE- BRACKETT AND PROF. CLARKE.
There was not large audience in attendance
at the fourth public meeting of the congress
yesterday evening. indeed. as a matter of fact
there were a great many seats unoccupied in
Lincoln Music Hall when Prot. S. p. Langley,
secretary OF the Smithsonian Institution, was
introduced as the presiding officer for tine occa-
sion. ripple Of applause followed the an
nouncement and then Prof. Langley went into
temporary retirement while the orchestra dis
posed of a somewhat bela.ed overture. When
that was thing of the past the secretary once
more stepped to the front and voicelessly COM
manded silence.
PROF. LANGLEYs ADDRESS.
The secretary called attention to the fact
that the Smithsonian Institution and the Ma
tiOnal Museum had both inherited much of the
accumulation Of the patent office, and then
went on to describe the growth of the great
collection. which a most interesting his
tory Of invention and discovery Man. as a
tOOl-using animal must at some time have in
vented his FIRST implement. and the professor
in discussing that certainty asked attention to
the fact that tens OF thousands of years elapsed
between the time when rough-chipped stone
tools came into Use and the period when man
discovered that by rubbing two stones together
he could produce a superficial polish With
ouickeninC inventive progress, but still occu-
rying thousands of years. man discovered
bronze and adapted it to its uses From the
bronze age TO the iron age was a span of CEN
turtles and not thousands of years and this
showed that the quality of the inventors mind
was quickening. II that historical philosophy
meant any thing the world might look forward
to its entrance into another age-aluminum.
whatever else IL may be-during the next de-
cade- One hundred years ago that which is
now the capital OF the nation was a wilderness.
but its growth into the city OF today was no
more wonderful than the growth of the in
yentive mind. One hundred years ago facili-
ties for transportation or communication were
slow and uncertain At that time the Presi-
dent OF the United States or the most powerful
European monarch had to employ the methods
of communication common to the Scriptural
patrL1rchs- Il might be that the more modern
morse Was trihe the swifter, but that was all
that had been gained in many thousands Of
years Prof langley said he had counted
among hiS friends man who competed with
Stephenson in the first railway locomotive con-
test. and he now counted among his friends the
inventor of the telephone, Prof. Alexander
Graham Bell, who was still a young man 1t
Was by such measurements as these that tie
public could estimate the increasing speed of
inventive endeayor.
PROF wz- p TEowBRIDGE.
Applause greeted the professors remarks,
and when that had ceased Secretary Langley
introduced Prof. William P. Trowbridge, Phi.
D., LID, professor of engineering school of
mines, Columbia College, New York. Prof
TrOwbridge talked of the effect of technology
cal schools upon the progress OF invention and
he discussed the subject in pleasing manner.
Commencing with the Luna Society of Birm-
Inghan,, he traced the course of scientific the
orics and the necessary growth OF scientific
education. There was a vast difference between
theoretical conception and its practical execu-
hon- and the theoretical minds needed practical
training before the truly inventive faculty was
IN proper working order. archaeological
schools had resulted in scientific press and
through these publications ideas were
disseminated and ventilated in the most thor
ouyb manner. In those schools were taught
many essential things, which the speaker
enumerated, ard lie Ibid especial stress upon
the fact that legal training was not the least of
the studies IN the curriculum He was of tine
opinion that inventors were apt to suffer if
they did not know their legal rights The
spreading abroad of technical and seIni-tecnni-
cal information among the people was a good
work, because there were many inventive
projects that lacked practical utility. With an
increasing public knowledge would come a de-
crease IN the amount OF money wasted III fool
ish investments. The activity III the field of
invention today was the professor closing
theme.
Daring Prof. Trowb-ilge's address the dis
enSE gcd orchestra, which had retired beneath
tiIe stage, attracted some att, ntion. II the OBJ
security OF their retreat the musicians forgot to
remember the scientific fact that wood is cor.
ductor Of sound The somewhat vociferous
vocal gymnastics came to an end when a mes
sSN;er from the upper region conveyed to
Them request for the formation of a CONVEX
satioAal vacuum
-HE INVENTION OF THE sTEAsr ENGINE
The EeAr speaker was Prof. Robert H. Thurs
toll. A NJ, IL D.. Doc Eng, director and
professor Of mechanical engineering in SibIey