The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-11-28
MEN OF SCIENCE IN SESSION.

The session OF the National Academy OF
Sciences held in Boston last week was ex-
ceptional in several ways. The place OF
meeting, the new Harvard medical school,
was incomparably the most stately ana
superb that the academy had ever occupied
II is a vast composite building, or series OF
five buildings, connected by covered ways,
all Of marble, white, but not pure white.
1t seems that the builder had the contract
for the New York Library; n that in con-
sequence OF only perfectly white marble
being acceptable for that building. he was
able to offer the Boston medical school
terms for marble not quite white, and all the
more beautiful, perhaps, for that, at a price
far below the price of brick. h a
nihcence OF the building is, however, not
confined TO the exterior. II extends to
every detail OF the interior and to its fur
niture; while all Is severely simple and con-
formed TO the needs OF thu work that Is to
be lone there. It is situated in the Fenway,
not far from Mrs. Gardner's palace, max
ing two marvels, either well worth a special
visit to Boston.
The list Of papers was the longest ever
presented at any session. Indeed, 1t was
far too long, numbering more than forty;
including eighteen by gentlemen not MEM
bers Of the academy. The consequence
was that the most important papers by
academicians were either withdrawn or
very i~nadequately presented; Tor the
scientific activity OF the members does not
allow more than eight hours being given to
the reading OF papers at each OF the ses-
sions, OF which there are two each year.
Another unusual feature OF the Boston
meeting was that the papers were read In
such an order as to bring those OF n SCI
ence together.
The first paper read, perhaps the most
important OF the whole list, was by Prof.
William 4. Story OF Clark University on a
method for the enumeration OF algebraic
invariants, q memoir finally perfecting the
solution Of a problem which the greatest
English mathematicians OF the nineteenth
century were unable to compass. There
was no other paper upon pure mathematics;
but DIR. r. s. Woodward, president of the
Carnegie Institution OF Washington, gave
an account Of his solution Of a problem in
analytical mechanics, which is to be prac-
tIcally applied by the use Of a peculiar
pendulum for the determination OF he 40
celeration Of gravity. The instrument con
sists of two horizontal iron bars, one OF
which is fixed, while the other is suspended
from it by two steel tapes and oscillates
longitudinally. 1t is hoped that by this
form OF instrument the errors Of gravity
determinations may be greatly reduced.
c.. s. PIERCE gave a briet account OF
certain studies Of the nature OF the funda-
mentally different forms Of relations. signs
and simple concepts. Referring TO the dis
l. n-aL-A- AN-unn liz
scopy, or that kind Of science which makes
special observations. and cPnoscopy. or
that kind Of science which reasons upon
facts known to all mankind. Mr.. PIERCE
pointed out that pure mathematics comes
under neither head. since it merely traces
out the consequence Of pure hypothesis.
Cpnoscopy is thus intermediate between
mathematics and idioscopy. or special
science. 1t has one division which APP
proaches idioscopy; that is to say. meta
physics. IL has a central division. norma
tive science. or the theory Of the conditions
Of excellence and the reverse; and there Is
left over a study Of just what concepts
there are. regardless Of their excellencies
and of whether they are realized or not.
This study Mr.. PIERCE prefers to term
phaneroscopy, because its natural title.
DDenOInenOlORY, has DtCh BlCCluPJCt W
Hegel for a somewhat different inquiry.
Since we cannot examine all possible con-
cepts, we naturally limit our first studies
to the simplest of them. Now it is a well
recognized principle that the simpler a con-
cept the less positive meaning 1t has; and
therefore we must expect to find that the
very simplest have a purely formal. or
mathematical, character. 1t is almost, if
- ~ --z...LIa g. -annh anu nrV.A
tionable conclusions about any relations
until those relations have been diagram
matized. or represented in a form which
appeals to the eye. Thus the chief secret
| OF the advantage Of algebraic formule over
verbal statements is that they utilize the
power OF the most scientific Of our bodily
I senses; and it is usually found that geometri-
cal diagrams composed of lines aid the mind
still more than algebraioal arrays Of letters.
Urged by these considerations, Mr.. PIERCE
had already submitted to the academy a
system OF REORGANIZATION Of the logical
contents of the mind. Upon examining
such logical diagrams we find that in one
respect they strikingly resemble the struc-
tural formula Of the chemists. since every
concept is found to have its own definite
valency, that is, to be in all cases con-
neCCPu WIFI OJnSTs Dy ne bdLlc uAcL uuIu-
Der Of attachments; while different concepts
have different valencies.
An indecomposable concept, however, can
neither nave a zero valency, nor a valency
exceeding three. We are thus led TO pre-
dict in advance, with considerable conf
dence, that we shall find three indecom-
possible concepts, each at the head of a
class OF concepts and each marked by
little further positive content than nat Of
its special valency. Mr.. Peirce went on to
describe these three concepts as actually
found 10 occur and gave some account of
his observations OF the different varieties
Of each of them.
Charles p. Bowditch Of the Peabody
Museum, introduced by DR.. +. w. Putnam,
gave an interesting account Of the chrono-
| logical system Of the Mayas, as made out
with considerable probability, amounting
in some particulars TO practical certainty,
by his own industrious comparisons of in
scriptions at Palenque. They employed
units OF 1 day, OF 20 days, Of 800 days, Of
1900 days, Of 144,OOO days. There are indi-