Year: 1876

offered so much to distract the sober workers


n science as did Buffalo.


The great feature of the meeting was, in
fact, the hospitality that was extended to it /;
a hospitality so varied and abundant that it
enwrapped and carried off even the busiest of
the Association and those who usually shun
the entertainments and excursions. A major
ity of the members are professors in colleges !;
men poor in worldly goods, though perhaps
rich in intellect and fame. To them these
kind attentions were doubly welcome, giving
the recreation that they needed and the pleas
ures which they could not afford TO buy.
Nevertheless the question whether too much
of such entertainment may not be hlnderance
rather than help to the meetings should DC
fairly considered. One Of its effects tins year
was to compel division into several subsectons'
all doing their work at once. OF course NOBODY
who was present could hear more than fraction
of the papers and debates. There was necessarily
less of discussion chan usual. The papers pre-
sented were of fully average merit; few IL any
were weak or Objectionable but on the other
hand, few rose above the plano. The meeting
took place at q time when our columns were
crowded with political and other news, and
the publication of several interesting portions
of our report has been inevitably postponed.


The presence of many foreigners of note In
science, and especially of Prof. Huxley, gave
eclat to the proceedings at Buffalo, though
they took no leading part. For the sake OF
peace, it is perhaps not to be regretted that
Prof. Huxley came at time when there was
no strong opponent of evolution theories
present. It must be admitted that
if the Creationists have not given up
the contest, they have at least abandoned
the field of strife with the Evolutionlsts
which these meetings annually afforded. The
summary given by Prof. Morse OF Wnat
Americans have done to help forward the
theory of development, offered strong testimony
as to the growth and spread of its doctrines.
at looks as though | shall have to admit
"that / am descended from monkey" said
one of the hearers of that lecture; "but
"can't assent to it just yet" Connected with
this subject is the marked advance IN
the study of ethnology in this country
within very few years, Occaslonlng very
numerous papers on Indian antiquities at the
Detroit meeting, and several essays OF high
order on anthropOlOgical topics at Buffalo.
The interest taken in this branch of research,
as well as the extraordinary collection Oh lh-
dian relics at Philadelphia, insures the success
of the Archaeological Convention which meets
there to-day. The objection has sometimes
been brought against these scientific conven-
tions that they deal too exclusively with sub
jects of little or no practical bearing. This
will not apply to the Buffalo meeting, since
there the whole question of double standard
of coinage and silver legal tender received
thorough review and the unanimous vote OF
the Association. The eminent men who ex-
amined this subject, studying it simply as
matter of mathematics and fact, presented a
most conclusive report, leaving no room for
doubt that the proposed measures for giving
TO silver any other place than it now has In
our coinage and currency must result IN
train of disasters TO the nation.