AMERICAN ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY MEETS IN HANOVER
Professor J. M. Poor has prepared the following report of the summer gathering of astronomers in Hanover:
The American Astronomical Society had its origin in a conference of American astronomers and astrophysicists held at the time of the dedication of the Yerkes Observatory in October, 1897. So successful was this conference that at a second conference at the Harvard Observatory the following summer it was decided to make these gatherings annual events, and permanent organization effected at the Yerkes Observatory in September, 1899, resulted in the formation of the society known for the next decade and a half as the Astronomical and Astrophysical Society of America.
Since its formation the Society has held one summer meeting and at times a second winter meeting during the year, usually at some college or university. At present the regular program calls for two meetings each year.
The active membership of the Society consists for the most part of the astronomers of the United States and Canada and its honorary membership is made up of such foreign astronomers as have rendered conspicuous service to astronomy by their scientific investigations. Among its honorary members have been Anwers of Germany, Backlund of Russia, Gill of England, and Kapteyn of Holland. Charlier who visited Dartmouth in March is an honorary member and Eddington was elected to honorary membership at the Hanover meeting.
At its meeting at Mount Wilson, California, in the late summer of 1923 the Society accepted an invitation to hold its summer meeting of 1924 at Dartmouth College and, because the 1924 meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science was to be held at Toronto in early August, the Astronomical Society held its thirty-second meeting during the days immediately preceding the opening of the sessions at Toronto, thus; making it possible for foreign astronomers to attend this meeting of the Astronomical Society. As a result of this arrangement there were present Arthur S. Eddington, past president of the Royal Astronomical Society and at present Plumian Professor of Astronomy at Cambridge University; Harold Jeffreys, St. John's College, Cambridge; John Jackson, Royal Observatory, Greenwich; Henry C. Plummer, Stillery College, London; Professor and Madame Mascart, Lyon, France; and Professor C. D. Perrine, Cordoba, Argentina. The Dartmouth meeting began with an informal gathering and evening meal at the "Mel" Adams Cabin on Sunday afternoon, August 3. About 100 members and friends of the Society were present as guests of the College.
The' sessions for papers and discussions began on Monday morning, August 4, in Wilder Laboratory under the chairmanship of the President of the Society, Dr. W. W. Campbell, president of the University of California and until recently director of the Lick Observatory. Similar sessions followed on Monday afternoon, Tuesday morning and afternoon and Wednesday morning, during which nearly SO papers were read and discussed. Meetings of the Council were held Sunday evening and on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. Besides the regular papers there were special addresses of Professors Eddington and Mascart, Mr. Jackson and Mr. Jeffreys. At the Council meeting on Tuesday Professor Eddington was elected to honorary membership in the Society.
At one time or another there were present about seventy-five visitors among whom -were Professor Robert G. Aitken of the Lick Observatory; Dr. Charles E. St. John of the Mount Wilson Solar Observatory; Dr. Henry Norris Russell of Princeton; Professor E. W. Brown and Dr. Frank Schlesinger of Yale; Professors Harlow Shapley, S. I. Bailey, and H. T. Stetson, Miss Annie J. Cannon, and Miss A. C. Maury of Harvard; Director Benjamin Boss and Dr. Sebastian Albrecht of Albany; Dr. H. D. Curtis of Allegheny; Dr. W. S. Eichelberger of the Nautical Almanac; Professor Asoph Hall, Mr. J. C. Hammond and Mr. G. H. Peters of the Naval Observatory; Professor Joel Stebbins of the University of Wisconsin; Professor John A. Miller of Swarthmore; Professor Philip Fox of Northwestern; Professor Caroline. E. Funiess of Vassar; Professor Harriet E. Bigelow of Smith; Professor Anne S. Young of Mount Holyoke; Miss Margaret Harwood of the Maria Mitchell Observatory, Nantucket; Professor Charles Lane Poor of Columbia; Professor C. H. Currier of Brown; Mr. Harold L. Alden of the University of Va.; Dr. Oliver J. Lee of the Yerkes Observatory; Dr. Frank E. Ross of the Eastman Kodak Co.; Professor W. I. Milham of Williams College; President John Tatlock of the New York Academy of Sciences; Mr. W. E. Harper of the Victoria Astrophysical Observatory, B. C.; and former Governor James Hartness of Springfield, Vt.
At an informal meeting of the Society on the evening of August 4, Dr. Leland Griggs gave a lecture illustrated by lantern slides showing the results of his studies of animal behavior and on the following evening the Society was given a "movie" exhibition of winter sports in Hanover at Tuck Hall.
The meeting adjourned on Wednesday to meet at Washington, D. C., December next, in connection with the meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The next summer meeting will be held at Carleton College, Northfield, Minn., in the late summer of 1925.
Delegates to the Meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Hanover
