The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-12-29
SCIENTISTS GATHER
IN ANNUAL SESSION
Papers on Various Scientific Sub
jectS Are Read in Afternoon
at the Statehouse.
PRESIDENTS ADDRESS

The nineteenth annual meeting of the
Indiana Academy of Science was formally
convened yesterday afternoon at p. m.
in Room u at the State House. State Cecil
ogist BlatchIey, as president, presided.
The academy is composed of the teach
ers and professors of science in the schools
and universities in the State The meet
ing is being held in connection with the
annual gatherings of the State Teachers
Association, which is now in session at the
Claypool Hotel Nearly every college and
university in the State is represented at
the meeting of the scientists. and in all
about fifty have enrolled with the secre-
tary.
The executive committee met at the
English Hotel yesterday morning and
elected committees which were ratified at
the general meeting yesterday afternoon
They are: Programme, George w. Benton,
John S. Wright, Indianapolis, and Miss
Katherine Golden. Purdue University
membership committee, Prof. Stanley Coul-
ter, Purdue University, Prof. Arthur Foley,
State University, and Prof. G.. A. Abbott
NJ T. II. s.. nominating, Prof. Donaldson
Bodine, Wabash College. Prof. Robert
Hessler, LOganspOrt, and Prof. Moenkhaus,
State University; auditing. Professor
Mel T. Cook De PAW p,,o Un d0s19y and
library, Prof Stanley Coulter, Purdue Uni
versty, Prof A. j. Bigney, Moore's Hill,
and ]. S. Wright, Indianapolis; on legislation
for restriction of weeds, Prof. NJ. B..
Thomas, of Wabash. Prof. ID. NJ. Mother.
State University, and c. c. Deem. Indian
apolis; editor. w. j. Karslake. Butler; di-
state University, C. r. Dryer, State Nor
NAL, W. b. Thomas, Wabash. Mel T. Cook,
De Paw, and Stanley Coulter, Purdue;
relations of academy TO State. c. A: Wal
Bride, Indianapolis; granting permits to
birds and fish, Amos w. Butler. w. S.
Blatchley, Indianapolis, and ID. w. Dennis;
for distribution of proceedings, Prof.
| j. Retger, State Normal, Prof. Bodine, wa
bash, Prof. II. K. Bruner, Butler, and
Prof John S. Wright. indianapolis.
All of yesterday afternoon was taken up
with the reading and discussion of papers.
BLATCHLEYS ADDRESS.
| Last nights session was held in the as
/ sembly hall at Shortridge High School
President Blatchley delivered an address
on 1.-The Indiana of Nature-Its Evolution,
and said, in part. as follows:
"Afar out in the limitless realms of space
| a planet moves, propelled onward by an un'
| seen, uncomfortable force around its parent
| orb, a sun. For millions, perhaps billions
|
| has moved in the same pathway, meanwhile
! undergoing most wonderful changes in
| bulk and form. At first a vast mass Of
| burning, gaseous matter, thrown off from
that sun about which it still revolves, the
| planet gradually cooled, condensed and as
| sumed a spheroidal form. The planet con
tinued to undergo changes until In time !
| became q solid globe with an uneven crust
| The ocean of vapor which formed a larg'
| portion of the atmosphere around the GLOBE
fell and formed an ocean of water which
loI he in
| changes went on and soon above the rim o
this ocean there showed in places larg
areas of lend, bare igneous rock, devoid o
| life When the oceanic water, by con
| tinued and oft repeated evaporation, cool
| ing and condensation was reduced to abou
$50 degrees, Fahrenheit there occurred tn
grandest thing In the history of that plane
| lin some unknown, unknowable manner
| life came to be.
''FfnaIIy after the planet was hoary witt
| age a race of animal parasites evolved
| from the lower forms, whose variation
| were ever concentrated toward the head o
| cephalic region. During untold ages thei
| brains slowly but surely increased in siZ
| until in time they became possessed of tn
| power of reason and of abstract thought
In that age the prince of paracites'-mal
was born From then on he began to rul
not only the other animal and plant para
sites about him, but to discover and con
troll the powerful forces Of nature heretofOr
wholly latent"
Mr. BiatchIey then directed attention I
the State of Indiana. and showed by dia
grams how the forces of nature through tn
countless ages had gradually and per
ceptibly nodded this State from hot case
Gus mass into fertile and wooded land.
''At the close Of the Tertiary era" sal
the speaker, 1.-The entire surface of what /
now Indiana was covered with thin sol
formed from decaying rocks and vegetation
In this soil grew the cedar and sassafras
the willow and maple, the oak and tn
beech, while over its surface sprea
many of the coarser grasses, sedge
| and MOSES OF the present day
| Before this era mild climati
| conditions had prevailed, but now, for som
| unknown reason, the mean annual temper
| allure of the northern hemisphere becam
| much lower. The climate of the regions
| the east and south of Hudson bay becam
| similar to that of Greenland to-day O
even colder. The snow ever falling, neve
melting. accumulated during hundreds G
| centuries in one vast field of enormou
thickness. Near the bottom of this mass
| plastic. porous sort of ice was gradual
formed from the snow from the pressur
| from above.