publishing business. Also that I have—or, rather, the publishing house which has so long borne my name has—for more than thirty years past, paid a liberal sum to all the English publishers whose works it re-printed, and that the most cordial relations between the parties have always been maintained; so that my article was not written in vindication of my own conduct, but, as already stated, for the purpose of presenting such extreme views on one side of the question as should call forth the strongest points that could be presented on the other, and thus bring about the fullest possible discussion on the subject. I trust your criticism is an earnest of what is yet to follow from those who may have access to the pages of "The Popular Science Monthly."
THE NEW SCIENTIFIC WEEKLY.
SINCE our last issue the new weekly, "Science," an American journal, much on the plan of "Nature," has made its appearance at Cambridge. We had been much interested in the previous announcements of the project. The cultivators of science in this country are certainly sufficiently numerous to maintain an organ by which they can promptly communicate with each other and with the world on those multifarious results of investigation for which there have hitherto been but very inadequate means. The want of such a periodical has been long and urgently felt, and attempts have before been made to meet it, though not with success. Two things are required to put such an enterprise upon a satisfactory basis—the general and hearty support of scientific men, and capital enough for all the preliminary needs of the undertaking. "Science" has secured both. That it has the abundant confidence and co-operation of American scientific men in all departments of inquiry is attested by the large number of eminent names that have appeared in the newspapers in connection with it, and also by the statement of the prospectus that "'Science'[1] has secured in advance the good-will and active support of a large body of the most competent scientific men of the country, as will sufficiently appear upon publication of a few numbers."
Equally necessary was a liberal provision of funds to float the enterprise. Notwithstanding the alleged interest in science with which our age is so abundantly credited, it remains doubtful if a journal designed mainly for the wants of specialists can be remunerating, at least until after a considerable period of time. It must chiefly appeal to the intellectual requirements of advanced men; but these form a large clientage. Working upon the frontiers of scientific thought, it will be conversant with inquiries that are, to a considerable extent, beyond popular reach. Records of the progress of research and criticisms of original work must inevitably be technical, and therefore but little attractive to the non-scientific classes. "Science" will, of course, have its popular features, but, if it does tolerable justice to the body of American investigators and gives us a weekly conspectus of the condensed results of current research in the scientific world, it can devote but limited attention to popular science. But, with abundant capital, it is independent.
The numbers of "Science" that have thus far appeared fulfill every reasonable expectation, and give assurance that the journal will take a high rank among periodicals of its class. There is, of course, room for criticism,
- ↑ "SCIENCE": Published weekly at Cambridge, Mass. Moses King, Publisher. Proprietor, "The Science Company": President, Daniel C. Gilman; Vice-President, Alexander Graham Bell; Directors, D. C. Gilman, A. G. Bell, G. G. Hubbard, O. C. Marsh; Treasurer. Samuel H. Scudder, of Cambridge. Pp. 28. Published every Friday; price 15 cents per number, or $5 a year.
