in obtaining summer employment and of the excellent results obtained therefrom. The discussion brought out a general sentiment in favor of the use of the summer months in actual work and emphasized the duty of future employers of the men t o provide such work for them. A marked tendency t o lengthen the college course t o five or even six years has been conspicuous of late. A number of schools have introduced longer courses, these being either required or optional. This tendency is opposed by some leading educators, and two of them, President -4.C. Humphreys, of the Stevens Institute of Technology, and Prof. G F. Swain, of Harvard University, vigorously voiced their opposition a t the hlinneapolis meeting They claim that four years cover a period long enough for a boy t o remain from actual work and that the expenditure of an extra year or two does not bring commensurate results. In championing the other side the advocates of the longer course pointed out t h a t the extra time is not wanted for more technology but for studies selected to prepare for better citizenship, and that on this basis its use is justified. Obviously no agreement was reached or could be reached as to the proper length of a course, but the discussion served to keep the topic d i v e and to put the authorities in charge of technical schools in a defensive attitude toward their present practice, whatever t h a t may be. A subject which affects all engineers, because it relates t o the ease and understanding with which they can read technical literature, is the standardization of technical terms. Mr. D. M. Wright outlined the results of his experience in a paper in which he recommended the appointment of a committee t o study the subject. A t the request of the society a representative of the Pennsylvania Railroad, Mr. Ivy L. Lee, gave the results of the experience of that company with the many technical graduates who have entered the company’s employ. The faults which they have noted are a lack of practical experience and judgment, an idea that they are far superior to the rest of mankind, and a certain narrowness of mind, inculcated through a too exclusive attention in college t o mathematics and theoretical science and to a too great neglect of those broader subjects such as political economy, history and general literature. Mr. Lee believes that these faults can be overcome and that by directing attention t o the shortcomings and limitations as well as the strong points of the students, teachers can do much t o assist them in eliminating their weaknesses. Of all the difficult concepts which students have to grasp that of the relation of force, mass, weight and acceleration is one requiring possibly the greatest mental effort. Teachers of mathematics, physics, mechanics and engineering struggle with it. The situation is aggravated by the use of many different units for these quantities. Prof. E . V. Huntington, of Harrard University, proposed a simplification of these by eliminating most of these units and substituting what he calls the “standard” weight and the “local” weight for the usual “mass” and “weight.” Katurally a proposition like this stirred up much discussion and the whole subject was referred to a special committee on the teaching of mechanics to engineering students, which was appointed forthwith, with Prof. E . R . Naurer, of the University of nTisconsin, as chairman. The cause of the much-discussed thesis, once an essential part of the engineering curriculum, was championed by Prof. H . Wade Hibbard, of the Cniversity of Missouri, and many other teachers. I n his presidential address Prof. U’illiam T. hlagruder, of the Ohio State University, painted a picture of an ideal instructor. A number of committees appointed last year to study the improvement of instruction in the several branches of engineering reported progress and were continued for another year with instructions to carry out their own suggestions. The chairmen
of these are Profs. F . P. McKibben, of Lehigh University; C. F. Scott, of Yale University: A . %I. Greene, Jr., of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; and F. W. Sperr, of the Michigan College of Mines. The committee on college administration, which made a report covering such matters as the salaries of professors, falling off in the number of technical students, leaves of absence, etc., was continued. A new committee on the teaching of physics t o engineering students, with Prof. G. V. Wendell, of Columbia University, as chairman, was also appointed. Altogether the society has a large amount of committee work in progress, greater than a t any other time in its history. The following elections occurred this year: President, G . C. Anthony, Tufts College, Mass. ; Vice-Presidents, H . S . Jacoby, Ithaca, N . Y. and D . C. Humphreys, Lexington, 1:a.; Secretary, H. H. Korris, Ithaca, IV IT.; Treasurer, W. 0. U’iley, A-ew York, N . Y.: Councilors, H. W. Tyler, Boston Mass.; J . F. Hayford, Evanston, Ill.: A. S. Langsdorf, St. Louis, -Uo.; S. M . Woodward, Iowa City, I a . ; M. S . Ketchum, Boulder, Col.; F. P. Spalding, Columbia, Mo.; and P. F. Walker, Lawrence, Kan. Several important actions were taken a t the meeting, The council voted to take the steps necessary t o bring before the membership a plan t o make the secretaryship permanent. Princeton was recommended for the 1 9 1 4meeting and California for the year following. The secretary was instructed t o confer with the officers of other societies with a view to reducing the conflict betw-een convention dates.
INTERNATIONAL ENGINEERING CONGRESS, 1915 I n connection with the Panama-Pacific International Exposition which will be held in San Francisco in 1915,there will be an International Engineering Congress, in which engineers throughout the world will be invited t o participate. The congress is to be conducted under the auspices of the following five National Engineering Societies : American Society of Civil Engineers, American Institute of Mining Engineers, The American Society of Mechanical Engineers, American Institute of Electrical Engineers, and The Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers. These societies, acting in cooperation, have appointed a permanent Committee on Management, consisting of the Presidents and Secretaries of each of these Societies, and eighteen members resident in San Francisco. Thus constituted, the personnel of the Committee is as follows : FORTHE AMERICAN SOCIETY O F CIVILENGIi%EERS.-Geo. F. Swain, President; Chas. XVqren Hunt, Secretary; Arthur L. Adams, IT.A . Cattell, Chas. Derleth, Jr., Chas. D. hIarx. FOR THE XMERICAK IXSTITUTEOF ~ ‘ I I N I NENGINEERS.C Charles F. Rand, President; Bradley Stoughton, Secretary; H . F. Bain, Edw. H. Benjamin, Newton Cleaveland, \Vm. S. Noyes. FORTHEA b l E R I C A NSOCIETY O F h I E C H A N I C A L ENGINEERS-W. F. XI. Goss, President: Calvin \\’. Rice, Secretary; M’. F. Durand, R. S.Xoore, T. W. Ransom, C. R. Keymouth. FORTHEAMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ELECTRICAL ENGINEERS.Ralph Davenport Mershon, Presidtnt; F. L. Hutchinson, Secretary; J. F. De Remer, A . M .Hunt. FORTHESOCIETYOF NAVALARCHITECTS A N D MARINEENGINEERS.-Robert hl. Thompson, President; D . H . cox, Secretary; Geo. XV. Dickie, W.G . Dodd, Wm. R. Eckart, H . P. Frear. The Committee has effected a permanent organization, with Prof. \Vm. F. Durand as Chairman, and W. A. Cattell as Secretary-Treasurer, and has established executive offices in the Foxcroft Building, 68 Post Street, San Francisco. The Presidents and Secretaries of the five national societies will constitute a Committee on participation, through whom all invitations to participate in the Congress will be issued to governments, engineering societies, and individuals. The actual management of the Congress and the work of securing and publishing papers will be in charge of the members
of the Committee resident in San Francisco. The work of the Resident hlembers has been assigned to different sub-committees, and Chairman Durand has made the following appointments: EXECCTIVE COMMITTEE : Ib:. F. Durand, Chairman, ex-oficio; 1%’. A. Cattell, Secretary, ex-oficio; E. H . Benjamin, W. G. Dodd, A. hI. Hunt. FINAXCE COMMITTEE: 1%‘.G. Dodd, Chairman; li’ewton Cleareland, R. S. hloore. PAPERS COMMITTEE: -4. 11. Hunt, Chairman; A. L. Adams, H . F. Bain, G . W. Dickie, W. R. Eckart, C. D . Marx, C. R. m’eymouth. PUBLICITY COMMITTEE: \V. A. Cattell, Chairman; C. Derleth, Jr,, W.S. Xoyes, T. 1%’. Ransom. E. H . Benjamin, Chairman; J. LOCALAFFAIRSCOMMITTEE: G. De Remer, H. P. Frear. The scope of the Congress has not as yet been definitely determined, but i t is hoped to make i t widely representative of the best engineering practice throughout the world, and i t is intended that the papers, discussions and proceedings shall constitute an adequate review of the progress made during the past decade and “an authoritative presentation of the latest developments and most approved practices in the various branches of engineering work. The Committee of hhnagement has extended a most cordial invitation to the officers and members of the American Chemical Society to attend and to participate in the proceedings ,of this Congress. The formal invitation, handsomely engraved, is now in the hands of Secretary Parsons and will be presented a t the next meeting of the Council. ’
AMERICAN ENGINEERS ENTERTAINED IN GERMANY
Upon invitation of the Verein Deutscher Ingenieure, three hundred American engineers and their lady companions attended the Fifty-fourth Lleeting a t Leipzig, Germany. A tour of insLection throughout Germany was arranged for the foreign guests by the society.
I
WILLIAM JAMES EVANS RESOLUTIOKS
BY
THE
CHEXISTS’
E. G. LOVE __
~~~
-
A CRITICISM OF CHEMICAL ABSTRACTS
Commitiec.
MINE SANITATION SECTION O F U. S. BUREAU O F MINES The United States Bureau of Mines is about to investigate the conditions under which a miner works, believing that the unsanitary conditions which exist in some of the mines as well as in some of the mining towns are a factor in the death rate among the men. It is intimated that these conditions not only unnecessarily cause the death of miners through disease, but are often responsible for accidents which might not happen if the miners were in perfect health. The bureau has organized what is known as the Mine Sanitation Section, in charge of J. H . White, engineer.
NOTES AND CORRFPONDENCE
Editor of the Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry: In the July number of THISJOURKAL, in an editorial entitled “rin Index to Chemical Literature,” Dr. I,. H . Baekeland makes a criticism of Chemical Abstracts which has the appearance of being so serious that I feel some reply must be made to it. He quotes from a report on the Patent Office in which the Government indexers state that they compared 6 pages of the index of the Journal of the ( L o n d o n ) Cheniical Society for 1909 with 1909 index of Chemical Abstracts and that out of 256 articles indexed in the former they failed t o find 159 in Ckemical Abstracts. This certainly looks bad, and might lead the reader to conclude that Chemical Abstracts is not half covering the field. I have gone minutely over three of the six pages referred t o and find the following: Out of I 2 j articles indexed in the London index, only 4 have not been found in Chemical Abstracts. One cause for failure to find entries is that in 1909 Chemical Ahstracts was behind on many journals and struggling to catch u p (Chemical Abstrczcts was only in its third year and just getting started); about 50 of the missing entries are to be found in the 1910 volume and so would eventually have come into the card index of the Patent Office. But the principal discrepancy is due to different methods of indexing. For instance, the London journal indexes aminoacetanilide under acetanilide, while
CLCB
On the occasion of the death of William James Evans, the Board of Trustees of the Chemists’ Club of S e w York City passed the following resolutions in token of their esteem a n d respect: The Board of Trustees of the Chemists’ Club, for itself and for the members of the Club, take this opportunity of recording its sorrow and regret a t the passing of William James Evans, a member of the Board and former Treasurer. The kindly and friendly interest which Mr. Evans took in the Club and all its functions, his sincere and cordial meeting with all its members, and his efficient and unflagging cooperation in forwarding the interests of the Club made him not only a member of unusual usefulness but also a warm, personal friend of each of us. The Board of Trustees also takes this opportunity of extending to the family of hlr. Evans its sympathy in the affliction that has befallen them. WALKERBOWMAN B. C. HESSE CHAS.BASKERVILLE I,. H. BAEKELAND
I
Chemical Abstracts indeses it under Am. The same applies to nitro and many other compounds. ‘Furthermore, the English journal takes great liberties with the names of organic compounds as they appear in the article, renaming them if it thinks desirable. This has advantages and disadvantages ; Chemical Abstracts has never done so much renaming. This variance in indexing between t h e two journals only emphasizes, of course, the difficulties in t h e way of preparing a general index. il letter received by us from 11r. \%‘.F. \Voolard, Chief Clerk of the Patent Office, says: “It is probable that no two chemists, making this comparison, would exactly agree in the number of articles covered by one index and not mentioned in the other, without consulting the original monographs. Different abstractors will treat the same article from different view points, so t h a t i t becomes a t times difficult to say whether or not an article has been abstracted by one journal and omitted by the other, without reference t o and study of the original articles. For this detailed study there was neither time nor necessity in our investigation. “The object which the office had in making this comparison was not with a view to criticism of the work of the American Society, but to ascertain whether subject matter appeared in the English work, which could not be found in the American in order to decide whether or not it was advisrble to index both works.”
