The daily morning journal and courier., 1894-08-28
Men of keisnes at Rroeklyn.

ry part of our broad republic, and
 some of them from other lands. to at-
 tend the annual meetings of the Amer
 ican Association for the Advancement
 of Science, and several of its affiliated
 societies. The public lectures were
 given in the Academy of Music and the
 Art Assembly rooms, but the working
 sessions were in the rooms of the Poly technic and Packer Institutes. The
 scientists met for play as we'll as work.
 An unusual number of delightful ex- cursions were planned for their enjoy
 ment. A steamboat was chartered to take them the round of all points of in- terest in the waters of New York and Brooklyn; and another to take them up the Hudson to West Point. The United States steamer Fish-hawk took them out on two dredging trips. Par ties were also made up for Cold Har- Dor and Glen Island. Mrs. Hermann, wealthy patron of science, enter | tained three hundred of them as her
 guests for day at Long Branch. And finally, after the general enjoyment, a special trip was made by about a hun
 dred persons to inspect the forests of
 the White Mountains. But 1t should
 be remarked that all these excursions gave valuable opportunities for study
 ing matters of scientific interest as
 well as for social enjoyment.
 The daily working hours were from
 10 to 12 a. m. and from 2 to D. m.; and
 by systematic planning much was &C., complished. There were IFS addresses
 made and papers read in the main as-
 sociation, besides at least hundred
 more in the affiliated societies; and
 most of these were more or less fully
 discussed. The only way in which
 such an amount of work could be done
 simultaneously in eight or ten rooms at
 once; the association being divided up
 into sections of Geology, Physics,
 Chemistry Astronomy, Botany, Zoolo-
 gy, etc. Among the more important topics discussed may be mentioned: "The Magnitude of the Solar System;"
 "The Water Supplies of Europe and
 America" Human Faculty as Deter
 mined by Race;" Man as Related to
 the Other Mammalia;" "The Vikings
 and Their Civilizations" "The Battle With Fire" "The Battle of the Forest"
 "The Value of a Gold Dollar;;" "The National Domain" "The Aluminium Violin" "The Migration of Cockroach- es;" "The Duration of Niagara Falls" ," etc., etc. A synopsis of these papers will not even be attempted. Suffice it to say that almost every conceivable topic was discussed that ever engages
 the attention of thoughtful men-even
 down to Colonel Ingersoll's latest fad to justifiable suicide.
 The individuals themselves thus as- sembled were an interesting study. Some of them hailed from Wayback, and came from the frontier on purpose to rub up against civilization for a
 while, with the expectation of going home to their farms in Texas or Dako- ta wiser than they came. And 1t should not be forgotten that some of our most interesting discoveries have been made by just such lowly devotees of science Others. have names that have been heard in every land on the globe. That plainly dressed man with an empty coat-sleeve is Major Powell, long director-general of the United
 States Geological Survey, and now at the head of the National Bureau of
 Ethnology. That florid, courtly gen.
 tleman beside him is Professor w. J. o. c. Marsh graces the occasion with
 his presence, though giving no papers
 this year; and Professor E. D. Cope, of Philadelphia, is also on hand, but not in a belligerent mood. Professor Jo- seph LeConte of California, is one of
 the most striking figures among the older geologists; while others who are widely and favorably known in that
 branch of science are Walcot, the pres ent director of the United States Sur vey, White, the geologist of West Vir- ginia, Fairchild of Rochester, Spencer
 just from his explorations in Cuba, and Major Jed Hotchkiss, of Staun- ton, Va., who made all the war maps of Virginia during the war, and who is now employed by the directors of the Worlds Fair to complete two maps showing the relative progress of geolo- gy from 1876 to 1893. President D. G.
 Brinton made a most capable and ge-
 nial presiding officer; and Professor Putnam, who for twenty-one years has
 been the permanent secretary of the association, and still holds that ardu-
 ous office, was as bright and interesting as ever.
 The local committee included Mayor Shieren, President Backus, Professor
 Plympton, Professor Hooper, President
 Cochran, General Howard, MT. H, w..
 Maxwell, and many others whose ae-
 tivity and generosity made the meeting
 successful. The chairman of the La
 dies Reception committee was Mrs.
 J. s. T. Stranahan.
 The next annual meeting of the A. A. A. s. will be held in San Francisco,
 provided favorable terms can be made with the railroads. This will probably be done,a ,as there are to be sev- eral great conventions held in San Francisco next year, one of which will be that of the Christian Endeavor so-
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