Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 76.djvu/27

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HE Darwin Celebration, held by the University of Cambridge in June, was in every way a great success. So much has been printed concerning it that it hardly seems necessary in this place to go into many details; yet a brief account may be sufficiently interesting. The university did its part in the most magnificent way; indeed, so much entertainment was crowded into three days that the writer, who is not used to this sort of thing, was left rather bewildered. To see and meet some hundreds of people, any one of whom, encountered separately, would have furnished enough interest for the day, was like arriving in a strange country, where the fauna is all new and the pursuit of each rare object is interrupted by the sight of two or three others. This, however, was inevitable, and in spite of the complexity of the whole affair, there was apparently no serious hitch anywhere.

The delegates were both numerous and distinguished. According to the final list, which is understood to include only those actually present, there were twenty-five from the United States, not counting a couple of guests. Some of these were not biologists, but the list included many prominent workers, such as J. Mark Baldwin, J. Loeb, C. B. Davenport, E. L. Mark, E. B. Wilson, H. F. Osborn, W. B. Scott, C. D. Walcott, L. O. Howard, etc. Philadelphia did not send a single delegate of its own, though Professor Osborn, of New York, represented the American Philosophical Society. Harvard University and the Boston Society of Natural History had only one delegate between them. In general, however, the response from this country was highly creditable, considering the difficulty and expense involved, and the later, though in a certain sense rival, meeting at Winnipeg. Practically every country which makes any pretense to do biological work was represented, but some much better than others. Sweden sent eight delegates, including Nathorst and Arrhenius; Switzerland five, Holland six; but Norway only one, while Spain and Greece were represented solely by Englishmen. Germany, France and Austria had of course numerous and distinguished representatives. At the great reception by the chancellor of the university in the Fitzwilliam Museum, and again at the presentation of addresses, we marveled to see the splendor of the various academic gowns and hats, the men on these occasions really outshining the other sex in the conspicuousness,