The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-11-03

l
 terday afternoon there met in this city {, committee of officers Ic make arrange
 ments for the meeting Of the American l Association for the Advancement ot I Science. This meeting Is to be held in l Pittsburg in December and will be the
 seventieth meeting of the association. ] Fifteen thousand men of science and 1 others who, while not entitled to that
 description, are nevertheless interested l in the advancement of science, represent the membership of the association. | Ordinarily the business of the associa- ton would be chiefly occupied with dis
 cussions of scientific subjects, but the ! abnormal conditions occasioned by the war led to earnest comparison of views at
 the meeting yesterday whose purpose was to decide upon the appropriate subjects for discussion.
 At first some of those who took part in the gathering were strongly inclined to recommend that the meetings of the as
 sociation be devoted to the consideration of the question of permanent financing after the war of stupendous loans which the allies have secured and to which the American people have already subscribed
 and presumably are again to subscribe This future financing was regarded as
 one of the most important of the subjects for careful consideration.
 One of those who attended this confer ence, however, stated that in his opinion the questions which referred to future financing were purely banking questions. They involved consideration and action
 by the great financiers of the country ana by those who represented the government at Washington. On the other hand 1t seemed to him that there could be no more important question for discussion than the relation of science to the present necessities of the nation and the part which science will bear in rebuilding the industrial, commercial and business life
 not only of the United States, but of our allies After little discussion the sug-
 gestion was accepted and this meeting of
 the American Association for the Ad- vancement of Science will be chiefly occu-
 pied with the discussion of the relation of science to the welfare of the nation. There has been a change In the attitude of the men of science toward protecting
 themselves from pecuniary loss or from
 insufficiency of support Formerly 1t was
 regarded beneath the dignity of man of
 science to make application for govern
 mental protection for discoveries or in-
 ventions.
 Sir William Thompson, afterward Lord
 Kelvin, esteemed in his time the greatest
 man of science of Great Britain, was the
 first to apply to the government for pro-
 lection so that he might reap some pe- cuniary benefit from his discoveries and
 inventions. Men of science the world
 over regarded this as perhaps unworthy
 of a man of the great scientific attain
 ments of Lord Kelvin. Afterward the ex-
 ample he set was to some extent adopted.
 although to this day many men of science
 are entirely content if they make discov-
 cries that are of interest or importance
 to the world.
 The relation of American science to the war and to the upbuilding and read iustment which must follow the con- clusion of the war is probably as inn portant as any influence associated with the we'll being and prosperity of the United States and our allies. The war
 would be impossible, at least for the al lies were 1t not for discoveries by men of inventive capacity For instance. the researches of men of science led to the development of the electro-chemical in dustry which Is barely 25 years of age. and yet had 1t not been for that indus try the United States and our allies
 would have been in sore straights for material with which to carry on the war. Electro-chemical industry made possible the manufacture of the artificial metal known as carborundum and also arti- ficial graphite together with metallic silicon. This is substance which is ob- tained from nothing but sand but the electro chemical industry has shown how common everyday sand can be so treated by the intense heat which the
 utilization of electricity makes possible that it can be converted into one of the most important of the artificial met als now used in war preparation.
 The men of science know that we arc
 just at the beginning of a new and what