New-York tribune., 1897-08-20
THE CONGRESS OF SCIENCE.
NOTABLE PAPERS READ AT THE IO'
RCNTO MEETING.
DR.. j. SCOTT kettle TELLS ABOUT PRhsHNi
PROBLEMS IN GEOGRAPIIY-MATiiEMAl
MADE INTEREST," TING-ADDREssEs BY
GREAT CHEMIsTs-A NEW
ELEMENT PROBABLY
Al HAND.
f,y rrt rcvApu TO THE TRiBUSE.I

.,o,,n,. o,,ond,ry the meeting Of the British AS
sociation here did not assemble az one po"' -,
The ten sections devoted TO separate sc'eh'' 49,
assembled in its own lecture-room. Members a''er
getting their mail and programmes AT III. "a'
college building strayed down the paths oi o'"'
tfu, Ouoep.s PARK in search OF the pafucui'i
building wherein the speaker Of their cho0e
to be heard. The audiences varied III S'"' 'o ,
erably some exceeding htty III "" 49,,
others including two hundred or th'ee "''.- ~
There was fair sprnkling OF "oin." ''''n -,
them. Presidential addresses were "e ,,
the heads of eight sections Two others WIZ Po'
poncd until tomorrow. although papers VI io'' ''
portanco were read TO the members. -.
Ono ~ tho most popular addresses was 'ha' U.
pr j. Scott Kelte. for many years S',,,
the Royal Geographical Society. AI'e' n "'",
the great stimulus given to the study OF geosr'p"s
+, common schools In England and the 'hite"
S,,tcs through the efforts of his society ""
wears ago he cons dercd the present p'oo''" "
this science In Europe, the region most III ~"
EXPLORATION being Albania. In Asa uefe wa w.
10 be done In the Malay Peninsula an" SUM"
and Central Arabia But the chief stress was ''"
upon the district lying between the Iilm"'aY"' ""
the forbidden city Of Lhasa In Ihipe''
China too were still n blank on the maps ''.
there was something to learn about the So",o
the Irrawaddy River. In Africa II was "''
to explore the Central and Western Sah"i", '''
region south Of Abyssnia and northwest oi Lame
ON the latter Dr. Kettle remarked that IL might oc
necessary 10 find homes for future generations
when the United States and Canada became over
populated The discovery by the young gooR'"p"''
and biologist Moore of saltwater fau'i n'',
Lake Tanganyika showing that that country had
once been beneath the ocean, was an important
revelation and indicated what fine surprises YET
awaited the intelligent Investigator. In the arc'c
region the archpelago Of North America was one
now most needing attention. The speaker ehia's'u
also on the desirabiIity OF studying Antarctic terr
tory.
Considering the dryness Of mathematics II was
remarkable that the address on this subject py
Professor A. r. Forsyth, OF Cambridge InVers't!
was so largely attended. 1t was forcible plea TOT
the study Of that science not only in Its relation
to other branches of knowledge. but for its own
sake. Among the men who sat beside the preSi-
dent of the section mathematics ana physics
we're Lord Kelvin and President Loudor OF the
University OF Toronto. one moved ana the other
seconded vote of thanks to Professor Forsyth
Lord Kelvin dwelt on the immense practical I'M
portance Of mathematics, and said such WORK as
harnessing Niagara impossible without
thorough grasp of the higher mathematics lie
dwelt, too the rapid spread Of the study OF
this science by engineers in the last twenty years
II was an odd coincidence that an hour later an
eminent city engineer of Liverpool. George Fred
erick Deacon. uttered an opinion seemingly contra
dctory TO Lord Kelyin's. Mr.. Deacon once worked
in the laboratory of Sir william Thompson uloW
Lord Kelvin and accompanied the latter on the
c>pediton which laid the first successful Atlantic
cable in 1855. As president of the mechanical sci
ence section ne discussed the education which
young engineers ought to have. He commended the
technical sch Iols OF the United States and Canada
superior to many in England in extent or the
workshop practice provided for students. This he
considered more valuable than some or the mathe-
matical training given them College-bTed men
not always the most successful engineers.
Wc.l-drected observation and long experience were
Professor William Ramsay. Of London, who di-
vides with Lord Ra ayeigh the honor OF discovering
the new element in the atmosphere MIlcn lncS
named argon and who alone discovered IN tcrr,S-
trial substances helium. which was formerly De-
lieved to exist only In the sun and a ie" STAR, pr
sided over the chemical sccuoh . iie m7 "a "a nS"wng
why h. expected still another element would IN unle
be found rcss milling both hcium and argon III some
respects Chemists were familiar with severa
Ference IN atomic weight brtween the first and the
third members was g. The atomic weight Of
heium was first placed at I. and that OF argon al
duced somewhat. but the interval would probably
remain about the same He was thus lea to be be
ieve that another member would oe ioind ior ms
group to ill vacancy between heum and argon;
Such discoveries. based on Mendeliefs Peri0dlc
Law" have been predicted and made before tnis
Professor Ramsay and his assistant have already
examined extraordinary number of substances
without success. The speaker. In c.osing TOOK
GSandEsss to OF fn5s aw SW sp
crepancies between the actual atomic weights Wen @ OF
Ramsay has been announced for tomorrow, IN In
| Rayeigh who was expected to attend this meeting,
has not appeared This distinguished chemist pre-
sided over the Montreal meeting OF the British AS
| ISOLATION and is well remembered in canada
Zoology. physiology and botany were lotin9rH ti1
| Each now has It's separate organization
Professor l.. C. Mall Of Yorkshire College, Leeds,
is this years president of the zoology section He
| began his address to-day by remarking that the
| vhe he sfu
taught TO dissect animals and study their develop
| conversation of animals" how they defend them
selves. feed and make love was commonly passed
scientific Yet the study of all animals assisted
| powers OF man And to know more of life, the
| speaker said was an aim as nearly ultimate and
sefexpanatSry a. any purpose NAT man c0nd
urali.t. Charles Darwin. forcbly illustrated the
results which might be secured by ths method m , OK
! to what is called the recapitulation theory. This
is that the Development of an individual man or
animal Is an abbreviated summary Of the develop
| nent OF the whole race. Much OF this teaching ne
| was willing to accept. He admitted that many
| phases in the development OF an animal had an
historical significance. He could perceive evidence
/ OF the origin of man from creature like hsh'
! scure Nor did he like tie statement that this
law was compulsory He rebelled when he was
told that every animal was compelled 20 discover
| it's parontage In its own .embryolocical develop
ment. and that every animal thus climbed i's own
genealogical tree The resemblance could be traced
back only about 80 far. and then II was lost
Professor Michael Foster. president of the physi.
oogy section referred to the fierce differences OF
| opin.on which developed when certain
! class OF men asserted that all the phenomena or
| life could bt explained hy chemical ana physical
action. The time had not com" he thought; to
| settle that question. However. one OF the great
| advances OF recent years In Physiology was IN the
| line OF chemistry. which had told much about di-
gestion. the clottng OF blood and other phenom,
ena. The study Of cell structures and or Internal
| secretion, were also notabl" features OF modern
| physiological researches He attached more I'M
| portance however. to the work done on IN"
| functions and mechanism of the nerve centres.
| Little Of general interest was dore by the
| botansts to-day.
| owing To illness President Conner of the
| economies section could not attend III" meeting
| His paper was read 10y vice-president. II nrsi
considered IN" causes which had given rise 20 the
| labor problem. Some Of these were the Invention
| of machinery specialization OF work I'm manu-
| featuring. separation of employer ana employed
! into classes the weekly wage system and the
| politIcal power now given 10 whar are called tho
| unrklnl, cln Iha nrOhems now htmAnalne