Show taking of intellectual inventory planned to aid cause of education by DR F K DERCUM president american philosophical society the american philosophical society is taking stock of tho the intellectual situation with a view to formulating a future program of service to all branches of learning As aa ono one of our distinguished members said for us at our bicentenary celebration in 1937 1927 and as others of us its have often emphasized the intertwining of philosophic and humanistic interests in the philosophical society helps not merely in de opening our perspective in the field of knowledge it also serves to tomake ninke more clear the meaning of the development of human interests through time fline in a day of natural and proper specialization such an organization serves as a stabilizer and a means for helping liel ping to make more clear tho the relation between man and his environment and the place of df the individual in the scheme of human organization the y years cars of history behind us ns have seemed perhaps to make more wide the gaps between our various departments in the scheme of knowledge before us lies an opportunity of picturing through synthesis of these divergent elements a universe of nature and of all hurrian human life more wonderful than that which we have known and destined to give us ever increasing joy of living with our opportunity thus clearly defined I 1 have appointed a committee on development of the socie tys activities this committee has as 0 objectives b je eulves the intellectual stocktaking stock taking necessary to the projection of a program of continuing and expanding service of the society and the final development of that program |