Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 62.djvu/423

Rh appointed and without exception had reported that they looked upon the project of an academy with approval. Tired of waiting the movements of the government, a private academy was organized in January, 1846. Its members favored an academy with two classes, historical philosophical, and mathematical scientific, and did their work along these lines. When the petition for the formation of an academy reached the prime minister, Metternich, he simply said that it was unnecessary as he had long since determined to found an academy and had secured a plan for it. From its discussions he proposed to exclude theology, literature, politics and ethics, and limit them to the subjects connected with positive science. In presenting his plan to the emperor, which received his approval, the minister said that the conservatism of the academy would counteract prevailing disturbances in thought, especially in politics, and furnish a center around which monarchical ideas would crystallize. It was decided that a prince of the reigning house should be curator, that the president should be a nobleman, that there should be 48 active members, as many corresponding members, and one public meeting a year; that the cost should be borne by the government, but must be limited to 40,000 gulden annually; that for each of the two classes a secretary should be chosen, to whom, with the dean and the president, small salaries should be paid, but that ordinary members should receive nothing, inasmuch as many of them, professors in the university and in other offices, were already in the service of the government. Final and favorable action was taken in November, 1847, though the formation of the academy had been officially announced in May of that year. The Academy consisted of 40 active members, 18 of them resident in Vienna, the others representing various sections of the realm. Many reasons prevented the curator, Archduke John, from issuing a call for the meeting of the academy till February, 1848. It had been agreed that in addition to the forty members named by the emperor out of the lists furnished him, these forty should have the privilege of choosing eight more members and, subject to the emperor's approval, of electing its president, its secretaries and its dean. The cost of printing the papers presented to the academy was to be met by the government, but to the request that these papers be free from police supervision a negative answer was returned. This was in the revolutionary year 1848. The day after the request for freedom of publication had been denied a mob gathered in Vienna, the emperor surrendered his absolute power and granted the academy the liberty it desired. He also permitted the academy to increase its membership, by 12 in each class, and to elect an equal number of corresponding members. Though providing amply for the study of history and philosophy, the first place was given to science. Hammer Purgstall was chosen the first president. "An academy," said he, "is a union of