The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-09-06
Highbr0Ws Will Get Their Think
Tanks in Operation.
wEIGHTY SUBJECTS LISTED
Modern Wizards of Chemistry Are Now
Holding Convention at Washing
ton; Their Program.
Especial to The Free Press.

Dundee, Scotland, September A.
The origin of life, which may be
termed the biggest subject with
which science is concerned, will be
the main topic for discussion at the
meeting of the British Association
which opened here today.
Professor Schafer, the eminent
Edinburgh physologist, is devot
ing his presidential address wholly
to the theme. There will be group
ed together SO many small discover.
les leading to one point as to startle
those who are not well acquainted
with recent scientific progress. Some
important addition to the sum OF
knowledge is promised,
Address HiIi Be Remarkable.
The address will certainly be more
remarkable than any delivered for
many years, and in expectation of ii
an exceptional number of the not
ables of science are attending the
meeting. ,
Professor E. A. Minchin, of Lon.
don university, who will set on foot
the discussion, will have some
strange tales to tell of the fertiliza
ton of the lower forms of sea life.
Students of plants have made dis
coveries, which in some cases zorro
borate to the results of the students
of animal life, and, therefore, ar
ranged that the two sections of bot
any and zoology meet to discuss this
mystery.
Modern Wizards of Chemistry.
Tbo
Eighth International congress of APP.
piled Chemistry opened here today
and will be in session two days, af.
ter which the delegates will go to
New York for meeting from Sep
TENDER 6 to Is of the month. Dur
ing the sessions applied chemistry
and synthetic chemistry as produc-
ers of new materials, new SUBJ
stances, new manufactures and the
wealth of the world will be demon.
strated. Nature only is robbed, for
nature is the only rival of the pres
ent-day chemist. This congress has
four official languages, and will be
participated in by some 600 scien-
fists from twenty-four foreign coun-
tries, and 1000 American scientists
Dictagraph Will Play Part.
For the first time the dictagraph
will play a part in convention work.
More properly speaking, it is a cousin
of the dictagra ph-in reality a sort
of a micrographophone, that will be
used. Every speaker will stand un-
der the apparatus, and his words
will be recorded permanently on a
monograph cylinder. Thus will be
avoided the customary subsequent
controversies with the stenographer,
which have been classified as an un-
economic waste of energy.
At the banquet at the Waldorf-As-
toria, New York, on the night of
Thursday, September II, which will
close the congress, each of the many
small tables will be equipped with a
partly concealed, trumpet-shaped in
strument, which is an enlarged tele-
phone receiver. The POSTMASTER and
those who will respond to the toasts,
instead of trying to talk loud enough
to reach every part of the room, will
talk into a microphone, and their
words will be reproduced at each
table.
Development of Copper.
DR.. William H. Nichots, of Man.
haitian, president of the congress,
one of the most successful manufac-
turing chemists of the world, will
tell of the part he has played in the
development of copper refining and
smelling.
Other prominent speakers will be:
Sir William Ramsay, the great auth
ority on radium; Sir Boverton Red
wood, leading authority on petrol
cum; Sir Robert A. Hadfield, who
developed methods of hardening
steel; DIR. Samuel Eyde, of Norway,
who developed the electrical process
of extracting nitrogen from the air
for the manufacture of fertilizers;
Prof. M. l.. Lindlet, representing
the French ministry of agriculture,
and Professor William H. Perkins,
of the Victoria University, of Man.
chester, who is the father of the an
Inc Ixxa I'D 1k,,x,