Dr. James C. Hallock, on "The Power and Duty of the President of the United States in Regard to Trade Dollars;" Miss Cohen, on "The Balance of Power Between Industrial and Intellectual Work;" Hon. Robert Adams, Jr., on "Wife-beating as a Crime;" Rev. Dr. Leonard W. Bacon, on "Defeat of Party Despotism by the Reenfranchisement of the Individual Citizens;" and Mr. Kemper Bocock, on "Land and Individualism." The papers of Dr. Lee and Prof. James had most useful results. In pursuance of the suggestions in the former, the needed legislation was secured and local boards of health organized, while Prof. James' paper effectually put an end to the plan for the sale of the Philadelphia Gas Works, and was constantly used in other places in the discussion of various phases of the subject. It was an admirable example of the useful result of the discussion of a practical question of local administration, from a purely professional standpoint, by an expert in the theoretical study of municipal government as one of the social problems of the time, and attracted attention far and wide. In 1887, a paper was read by Prof. James on "Our Next Step in the Improvement of Our Educational System; and its value was enhanced by its earnest plea for chairs of Pedagogics in our Universities. During the year, the death of Judge Pierce was made the subject of a special minute, emphasizing his active interest in the work of the Association, and its sense of his great loss both to the public and to his associates. An effort was also made to establish anew the proposed confederation with other associations having common objects in view. In 1888, a paper was read by Mr. Eugene M. Camp on "Journalists: Born or Made," before this Association. In 1889, papers were read by Mr. L. W. Miller, Principal of the schools of the Pennsylvania Museum, on "Industrial Education in Europe;' Prof. Robert Ellis Thompson, "Concerning Trusts;" Mr. Charles C. Binney, on "Ballot Reform Essential to Free and Equal Elec tions," before this Association and the Civil Service and Electoral Reform Association, and this admirable contribution to the study of the Australian method of ballot was printed at the joint expense of the two Associations. The subject was afterward presented to the State Legislature by a joint committee representing these two Associations, and the whole matter thus brought home to the public. Other papers were read during the year by Mr. William Righter Fisher, on "Indians of Alaska;" Prof. S. N. Patten, of the University, on "Methods of Rational Taxation," and Hon. Francis Wayland, of New Haven, Conn., on “Prison Reform." These two last papers were read in the lectureroom of the University Law School in the Girard Trust Building. This led to a renewal of previous suggestions that it might be well to secure a union of the Philadelphia Social Science Association with the proposed American Academy of Political and Social Science, and at the meeting at which the latter body was organized an invitation was extended to the Social Science Association to join. that body. This was at once and favorably acted on at the annual meeting of the Social Science Association, and resolutions were adopted providing for such a union, transferring to the Academy the books, papers, etc., as well as the life members of the Social Science Association, and thus arranging for the merger of the latter in the new Academy. The individual members of the Association were invited to membership in the Academy, and thus after twenty years' of varied usefulness the Philadelphia Social Science Association ceased to exist, but its work is now entrusted to the younger and larger body, which may be safely entrusted with carrying it on with increased. activity. The Philadelphia Social Science Association owed its existence to the American Social Science Association, and was the outgrowth of the meeting of that body in Philadelphia in 1869, but gradually all direct connection with the parent Association ceased. Other local organizations had long ago gone out of existence, without leaving any record of their work. The American Association has held from time to time annual general meetings at Saratoga, and its volumes of proceedings contain much valuable material. The Philadelphia Social Science Association can point with justifiable pride to its work during the twenty years of its existence, to its large share in many measures of local and general reform, initiated at its meetings, ably urged in its papers, and, through their discussion, finally effected by enlightened public opinion thus instructed by earnest experts. The reform in the administration of the Philadelphia Hospital and Blockley Almshouse; the improvement in the hygiene of our public schools; the establishment of manual and industrial training schools; the continuance of the State geological survey; the improvement in training schools for nurses; the work of our building associations; the advantages of charity organization and the prevention of pauperism; a State Board of Health; a better method of house drainage and sewerage; an improvement in our penal and reformatory institutions; discussion in advance of the convention to amend the State Constitution, and of the new charter for the City of Philadelphia, the Bullitt Bill; an intelligent effort to secure a better system of taxation; questions touching national, State, and local finances; the introduction of measures for inspection of food supplies; forrestry; the gas question; journalism; trusts; ballot reform; prison reform-are among the practical questions that have been mooted in the Philadelphia Social Science Association. These and many purely theoretical matters have thus been brought to the bar of public opinion in well-considered papers and useful discussions. Some of them have come home to small bodies of earnest thinkers, and thus during the twenty years of the life of the Philadelphia Social Science Association it has helped in the organization of many useful bodies devoted to the furtherance of some special subjects, notably, The Civil Service and Ballot Reform Association; The Public Education Society; The Charity Organization Association, with its admirable system of ward organizations; The Children's Aid Association; The Teachers' Institute; The Indian Rights Association; The Forestry Association; The Medical Jurisprudence Society; The Public Square and Open Place Association; The Visiting Nurse Association. These are but a part of the successful outgrowth of the discussions of the Social Science Association, showing how public attention and interest were developed into active efforts to do good, and how largely the public has benefited by the method adopted to bring home the necessity of reforms that have thus secured sufficient individual support to become active working institutions, part indeed of the daily life of a great city, where men and women are always found ready to help in any good work. What the Social Science Association with its small membership has thus helped even in a very modest way to effect, is now its best reward. For a large and growing organization, such as is included and provided for in the broad scope and plan of the Academy of Political and Social Science, the record of the Social Science Association is a lesson that cannot be without its value. J. G. ROSENGARTEN. ADDITIONS TO THE LIBRARY. DONATIONS. ALL works and periodicals sent to the Academy are acknowledged in this list. Where the name of the publisher appears in any work, and no indication of the source from which it was received, it is understood that the Academy owes the gift to the courtesy of the publisher. In acknowledging periodicals the principal signed articles of political and social interest are named. Canada. NORTH AMERICA. Report of the Minister of Agriculture for the Dominion of Canada for the year 1889. Pp. XLIV. 166, 94. Appendix to Report of the Minister of Agriculture. Criminal Statistics for the year ended 30th September, 1889. Annex to Report of the Minister of Agriculture, 1889. Pp. 15. Annual Report of the Department of Fisheries, Dominion of Canada, 1889. Pp. XLIII., 272, 92. Part III. Report of the Fisheries Protection Service of Canada, 1889. Pp. 23. Report of Select Committee in Reference to Foreigners and Aliens Performing Work in Canada, 1890. Pp. 47. Annual Report of the Department of Indian Affairs, 1889. Pp. XLIX., 311, 288. |