St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1894-09-06

One who attends princ1pallY one
section, as the writer did, cannot
speak directly of the work of the
whole society, but the term average
as used above, is advisedly employed.
In other places the numbers have
sometimes been over seven hundred
In Brooklyn the badge numbers only
reached about five hundred. Quite a
number of men prominent in different
lines of the work were not present
who usually attend. Professors
Young, Barnard and Holden among
astronomers, Prof. Dolbear Of tele-
phone fame, Prof Bracket of Prince
ton, Prof. Rowland of Johns Hop
kins, Prof Mendenhall, the newly
elected president of Worcester Poly
technic, Prof. Barber of Yale, are
some of those whose presence and
work in other years have been OF
great value, not merely to the society,
but whose contributions to knowl-
edge are of recognized worth to the
world.
Some of these men are now abroad
and some have taken part in the pa
rent associa ton, the British A. A. S.
which has just met at Oxford, and
the addresses of which are now be-
ing published in Mature" AS one
remarks the attendance and work of
the British Association the differ
ence between that and the American
is noteworthy and characteristic.
There more personal interest is mani
tested by the prominent men than in
this country. Some of our leading
scientific men when they attain a
recognized pre-eminence are inclined
to become reserved and are not dis
posed to give their full cooperation
to make the A. A. A. S. allit ought to
be as a scientific society. At this
years meeting of the B. A. A. S. on
the other hand we still see that Lord
Kelvin, formerly Sir VIM. Thompson,
Lord Rayleigh, Prof. o. J. Lodge
and many others of great and
special eminence are not only present,
but as active and ready with the re-
suits of their work as ever.
The address of the president, Lord
it is said by Nature, is
to many who know him
only as politician and minister of
foreign affairs, in the wide range of
thought and reading, and the keen,
faculty displayed in the
handling of the diverse topics which
he passes under review He refers in
his address to his peculiar position
as chancellor of the University hav-
ng to welcome the Association, and
as president of the association to ac-
,ept it. The president of Sec. A. in
lis opening address emphasizes not
only that education is essential to
rational success, but that the import
ance OF learning is as great as the
of education, that the
advancement OF knowledge is not to
De considered secondary to the higher |
Instruction. This is a notion quite |
oreign and almost incomprehensible |
% perhaps the great majority of |
americans, who seem to think that |
science is only to be tolerated as it |
gives commercial or social results, |
md education only to be thought of |
is it fits one for some special career,
entirely the ennobling and |
Uplifting which it may give to our
whole being, and the high incentive |
xemplified in the remark of Agassiz, |
hat 'he had no time to make money"
There was another feature of the
onditiOn of the Brooklyn meeting of |
he A. A. A. S. encouraging in itself, |
tut having an influence quite a little
discussed among the members, and |
hat is the fact that several similar
societies held meetings in Brooklyn |
1t the same time, and drew away a |
,OOd many papers which would have
,een read at the association. Nota-
,ly the sections in mathematics and |
n chemistry were thus affected. !
Brooklyn is justly proud of her gen
raj interest in and work done by
Ter societies and institutions in
many departments of science and
ducation, even though it is true that
he has no university, and these fea-
ures were specially enlarged upon in
he eloquent address Of welcome
,iven by T. J. Backus, LII. D., in the
opening of the general session.
Judged by themselves the papers
presented in section B, that of phys
cs, were such as to indicate great
horoughness of treatment and the
onsclentious, painstaking accuracy
which characterizes all advanced
PRACTICAL work and original research,
hough not many would be of popu-
ar interest if abstracts were given.
! curiosity was shown in an alumni
um violin, the whole body being
aade o. that remarkably light and
cry sonorous metal. The instru-
nent was of great briiIiancS ana
trength of tone. and would doubt
ess fill a valuable place as an orches-
raj or choral instrument, but may
ossibly lack in delicacy. One in
tance occurred of a paper being
cad which did not meet the ap-
'roval of many, but was welcomed
S calling attention to topic which
as not had its full amount of d.
ect, modern, critical treatment.