Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-04-23
Or. J. C. Kapteyn Reads Nota-
BILE Paper to Body Of
Scientists.
MEDALS ARE AWARDED
FOR DISTINGUISHED WORK
r. S. Woodward, President of Car.
negie Institution of Washington,
One of Recipients.

Tracing the history of the universe
from the time when stars were nothing
but nebulous matter, and giving glimpses
Of what may be expected in the future,
DR.. ]. c.. kapteyn, director of the as
Economical laboratory Of the University
Of Groningen. today read a notable paper
before the third session of the National
Academy OF Sciences convention at the
New National Museum. The session was
presided over by DR.. Ira Remsen Of John
Hopkins University, president of the acad-
envy.
DR.. Kapteyn illustrated the formation
Of the universe as it is today by compar
Ing It to two gas bubbles which have
partly come together. Stars belong to
one of two streams. he said, and the
older the stars the greater their velocity
and the richer is the second stream. He
| divided all stars into helium, first, second
and third type stars, and declared that
there seems to be no more nebulous mat
ter. and that, therefore, there are no
helium, or newer stars, in some groups.
Several groups of stars belong to
well defined systems, he continued. and
apparently have a common origin. He
related how stars pass from one group
to another. and how the brightest ones
are the newest ones. Dr. hapteyn
concluded with a statement that even
If the basic questions concerning the
universe are never solved. 1t is sub
ject well worth studying.
Medals Awarded at White House.
President Wilson and large group of
eminent scientists and diplomats gathered
in the White House this afternoon for the
awarding Of medals by the academy for
distinguished discoveries in the scientific
world. Four medals were awarded, only
one of the recipients being an American.
The President presented the medals after
II. 8. Woodward president of the Car
negie Institution of Washington, had out
lined the work of those honored.
DIR. Kapteyn was awarded the Watson
gold medal. founded by Prof. J. c. Wat
son. an eminent exposition Of celestial
mechanics and orbital astronomy, in ac-
coraance with the provisions of a fund
bequeathed by him to the academy The
gold medals and accompanying honorarium
have already been bestowed upon Ben
jamin Apthorp Gould. Edward Schon-
field. Seth Carlo Chandler and Sir David
Gill. The award was made to DR.. Kap-
teyn in recognition Of ''his bold and pene-
trating researches on the problem of the
structure of the stellar universe"
Award of Draper Medal.
The Draper gold medal, founded by Dr.
Henry Draper and his widow Mrs. Mary
Palmer Draper, for the promotion Of
astrophysical research and discovery, was
awarded to M. Henri Deslandres. He was
not present, and the medal was received
for him by NJ, Jusserand, the French am
bassador. Draper medals have already
been awarded to Samuel Pierpont Lang
ley, Edward Charles Pickering. Henry
A. Rowland, Herman Karl Vogel, James
E. Keller, Sir William Higgins, George
E, Hale and Charles Greeley Abbot. M.
Deslandres is director of the astrophysi-
cal observatory at Meudon, France.
The Alexander Agassiz gold medal,
founded in honor of Prof. Alexander
Agassiz, former president Of the acad-
envy, by Sir John Murray, to be awarded
for meritorious contributions to the
science of oceanography, was given to
the minister from Norway for DIR. Johan
Hort, director Of the Norwegian fisher
les. This was the first award Of this
medal.
The last prize. the Comstock prize,
founded by Gen. Cyrus Buel Comstock,
T.. S. A., for researches in electricity,
magnetism and radiant energy, was
awarded to Prof. Robert Andrews Mill
ken of the University of Chicago The
prize is $500. Prof. Milliken has fur
nished convincing proof of the existance
Of electrical atoms or elements.
Reception to Members Tonight.
The trustees of the Carnegie Institution
of Washington will give a reception to
the members of the academy and their
guests tonight at . o'clock. Tomorrow
two business sessions will be held in the
morning, officers of the academy will be
elected and luncheon held at the Raj
eigh Hotel. At o'clock the members will
go to Mount Vernon on the Mayfiower as
guests of the Secretary of the Navy, and
tomorrow night the annual dinner will be
held at the New Willard Hotel.
At the reception given by the regents
and secretary of the Smithsonian Insti-
tuition at the National Museum last night
the guests were received by the Vice
President and Mrs. Marshall and the
Chief Justice and Mrs. White. The fol-
lowing assisted: Mrs. George F. Becker,
Mrs. A. Graham Bell. Miss Mabel Board
man, Mrs. Henry Corbin. Mrs. Whitman
Cross, Mrs. Henry F. Dimock. Mrs Ar
mold Hague, Mrs. Susan Dimock Hutch
inson, Mrs Julian James, Mrs. Hennen
jennings, Mrs. Arthur Lee, Mrs. James
r. Mann. Miss Mary p. Morgan. Mrs.
Logan w. Page. Mrs. Thomas Nelson
Page, the Misses Patten, Mrs. Ira Rem
sen, Miss NJ. C. Stevens. Mrs. F. w. True
and Mrs r. g. Woodward.
The feature of yesterday afternoon g
meeting was the address of DR.. George E.
Hale director Of the Mount Wilson solar
observatory, who discussed the effects of
sun spots on the earth. The earths mag
netic poles. DR.. Hale said. are by no
means uniform and change in their char