Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-08-10
SCIENTISTS AT DETROIT
Prof Moeill Of This CITY Delivered a Eulogy
on Piof. Cope
Prof. Colburn raiked of Improvident
81
CfvtiHattOn-Ae Number Of other
Interesting Papers Read.

AT the beginning of the session of the
American Association for the Advancement
of Science at Detroit yesterday Prof. Nc
Gill of the Smithsonian Institution read
memorial address on the late Prof. Cope
OF Philadelphia, who at the time of his
death last April was president Of the as.
ISOLATION.
The meeting then organized, with Prof.
McGill in the chair
'1mprovident Civilization" was the sub
ject of an address by Prof Richard T.
Colburn. chairman of the section of social
and economic science. He said of the con-
trcversy in respect to bimetallic money
Standard:
When we speak of value, equivalency.
wealth. FISK, trust distrust, panic, pros
perity, We are dealing, not with concrete
substances. like gold pieces but with states
OF mind; yet these ideas lie at the founda-
ton of commercial exchanges and none
tary science.
! Have any of you ever imagined what
would happen If some modern Rosicru-
clan should succeed in turning the de-
basement cheaply into gold? No one can
maintain that this is impossible. Such
discovery would introduce into the world
of commerce, and, indeed, into all fiscal
relations Of men, an appalling confusion.
First by general rise of prices, and,
opd, by a dislccation of fixed payments of
1.-The same thing would happen, only
more slowly, If vast deposit of gold
were unearthed, and if, after gold was
thus discredited by practically mex
to put silver in its place the price of which
would be enormously enhanced) this state
of things would be liable in it's turn to be
upset by similar discoveries.
Il am not sure but the after benefits
to mankind, and especially to labor, of
precipitating the necessity of inventing
some more efficient tool of exchanges, a
scientific and more stable enumeration of
values, would compensate for all the dis
aster 1t would temporarily cost Shall We
have to wait for such an accident for set
tIement OF NOR etary system?
Our present civilization is lopsided; it's
contour is not symmetrical; 1t is not
abreast of the Knowledge of the time, and
is not yielding to mankind nearly the
amount of comfort and well being it might
b., made to do.
From a great number of social ills, de-
fects and shortcomings, due chiefly to this
overlapping CT the childhood of the world
upon its adult stages, 1 select a few of
the more serious, which will require many
centuries to correct themselves, in order
to raise the inquiry among you whether
1t is not within the compass of human
enceaVor to accelerate a better state, not
merely to crafty an altrustic impulse nor
fu!fllment of ethical ideals. but as a de-
liberate choice of divergent policies"
AS examples of the improvident tenden-
cies of modern life, Prof. Coburn spoke of
the waste of warfare and armament the
decadence of races. pernicious competition,
spendtbrft luxury the blight of parasit-
ism, the role of superstitions and the di-
versity Of languages
Prof. l. c. White of Morgantown, w.
Va, had prepared an Interesting paper on
THE Pittsburg Coal Bed" In his alb
sence, as he is in Russia, 1t was read by
Prof. w. B. Fairfield Prof. White crit
icised the United States geological survey
for entertaining the theory that no coal
bed can be certainly identified beyond the
area of Its continuous outcrop. This, he
claimed. gives local name to every iso-
lated area, thus adding greatly to the bur-
den of geological nome hclature, a fault of
biologists everywhere. dHe urged q reform
in the methods of workzwhich lead TO such
undesirable results,
Prof. William P. Mason, chairman of the
section of chemistry, read long address
on Expert Testimony He considered
that the cause of the! universally harsh
criticism of expert, testimony was ignor-
ance on the part of the bar. and. at times.
what is worse than ignorance on the part
of the expert.
Other. addresses before the sections were
follows:
Prof. Carl Barus before the section of
physics. Long Range Temperature and
Pressure Variables in Physics Prof. w.
]. MCGEE. before the section of anthropol-
ogy, THE Science of HUMANITY Prof w.
W. Beman, before the section OF mathe-
mates and astrology, "A Chapter In the
History of Mathematics" Vice President
Hoard, nominated by the council to fill the
vacancy caused by the death of Prof
Goode, delivered, by request of the council
an address before the section of zoology.
Prof. George F. Atkinson. before the sec
ton of botany. Experimental Morphol-
ogy;" Prof. John Galbraith. before the sec
ton OF mechanical science and engineer
ing, Applied Mechanics
The American Chemical Society, which
holds Its annual meeting in connection
with the association. began its sessions
this afternoon. in charge of w. W. Noyes
of Perdue University. The following
papers were read: Contributions to the
Chemistry of Didymium, L. NJ. Dennis
and E. NJ. Chamot; THE Action of Oxide
of Manganese on Potassium Permangan-
ate. Chas. L. Reese; THE Action of Nitric
Acid Upon Aluminium and the Formation
of Aluminium Nitrate J. B. Stillman; "On
the Action of Nitrate Acid on Metals" G.
o. Higley; ION Two Polyemeric Series of
Phosphorus-Nitrog Compounds, and on
the Stereo-C Chemistry OF Phosphorus and
Nitrogen H. N. Stokes; Some New
Compounds of Hydronitric Acid L. M.
Dennis and c. H. Benedict.
After the evening session there was a
general reception of the members of the
association in the High School building.