Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-04-17
Session of National Academy
Marks Fiftieth Anniversary
of Its Foundation.
MOST EXCLUSIVE BODY
OF ITS KIND IN NATION
Prominent Foreign Visitors to At
tend-Addresses in English.
Draper Medal to Be Presented.

| What is widely regarded as one of the
MOST important meetings of scientists
| ever held in this country will be
| the gathering of members of the National
| Academy of Sciences for a three-day
| session in the assembly room of the New
| National Museum April %, % and "a.
| The session is unusually important this
year, as it marks the fiftieth anniversary
| of the founding of the academy.
| There are not many actual members
! of the academy, as 1t was founded with
| the idea OF limiting the membership to
| fifty. 1t corresponds more closely to the
| French Immorta1s than any other organi-
Zation in this country. The meeting, how
| ever. is of great interest to scientists
both in this country and abroad and will
| be of particular interest to the many
| technical men in the various government
| departments in Washington.
The meeting will be attended by a
number of prominent foreign visitors.
/ Some of the best men from abroad ale on
| the program for addresses. An idea of
| the scope and class of the meeting can
| be gathered from the program, which
| follows:
Program of Exercises.
Tuesday, April 80, opening session. II
a. m.-Wecome, by President Ira Remsen
The Relation of Science to Higher EdL-
cation in America President Hadley Of
Yale; international Cooperation in Re-
search Prof. Arthur Schuster, secretary
of the Royal Society. Afternoon session,
o clock-"The Earth and Sun as Mag
nets DR.. George f. Hale director of the
Mount Wilson solar observatory.
Wednesday. April 25. IL a.m.-'On the
Material Basis of Heredity,' Prof. Theo-
dor Boveri of the University of Wuerz-
burg; THE. Structure of the Universe,
Prof. J. c. Kapteyn of the University of
Grosingen.
All of the addresses will be in Eng
lish. 1t is possible that Prof. Boveri
will not be able to attend but If so just
how his place on the program will be
filled has not been determined. Local
scientists are looking forward with par
ticular interest to the address of Prof.
Kapteyn on The Structure of the Uni-
verse;" as he is regarded as one of the
foremost astronomers of the world.
The academy was founded In 1868, and
the original limit of membership was re-
it is still the most exclusive scientific
body in the United States, there are now
116 active members and forty-one for
eign associates.
Authorized Agent of Government.
Inc academy is also the authorized
agent of the government In case of need
to investigate any special subject Of art
or science as directed by Congress. In
such cases the actual expense of the re-
search may be paid by congressional ap-
preparation, but the association never
receives any payment for ats services.
The association has also been authorized
by Congress to hold trust funds and be-
There 10 of no
income of which is devoted to aiding re-
search work or preparing medals as a
reward for scientific attainment.
At the last meeting there was a bequest
of this sort OF 5000 from Sir John Muir
ray to found an Alexander Agassiz medal
for work in the science of oceanography.
y committee is now at work on the de-
sign for the medal.
There are nine of the various funds"
from which scientific work is aided. They
range from $1,000 to $4,000, aggregating
"a little over 100000.
Cash Grants for Research.
out of the income small grants are
made, usually of $500 or $500. to some
scientist well known in his own world
but utterly unknown to the public.
One work now going on is the prepara-
ton of tables for abridgtng the COM
putations for the perturbations of the
minor planets of the Hecuba group"
There will be a medal bestowed at the
present meeting, the Henry Draper medal.
TO NJ Deslandres for some remarkable
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES of high dispersion
enabling US to get a better line on the
solar atmosphere Researches of this
sort are little out of the ordinary line
and the academy helps the work from
time to time with small grants, such as
would astonish the better known philan-
thropists who buy art galleries en- bloc
and build public libraries.
All of the academy's officers are to end
their terms at the coming meeting except
the treasurer Whitman Cross, who holds
over to 1917. The retiring officers are Ira
Remsen. president: c. d. Walcott vice
president; George f. Hale, foreign secre-
tary, and Arnold Hague, home secretary