ACCEPTANCE OF HONORARY MEMBERSHIP By EuNicE THOMAS MINEtk Director New York .dcademy of gciences, New York 2l, New York PRESIDENT POWERS, OFFICERS AND OTHER MEMBERS AND GUESTS OF THE SOCIETY OF COSMETIC CHEMISTS: { AM DEEPLY appreciative of the great honor which you have paid me in conferring upon me this Honorary Membership in your SOCIETY. I shall certainly exert myself to the utmost to merit this distinction. While I am not connected with cosmetics in any professional sense yet I am among those who have been devoted to the personal application of the many and varied pleasant products in your line. Naturally, when I was told that I was to make a short response address I began to read up on the history of cosmetics, of the industry itself, and the development of the field in scientific research. I was astonished at the extensive development of the literature and especially with the com- prehensive coverage in your own small but valuable library. Much has been written and you are all dxperts in the field so that there would be little which I might add except to suggest that your •OCIETY'S motto might state, with Vergil, "Dux femina facti!" for woman truly is the start and motive power for your activities. I am impressed with the realization that the activity curve in the field of cosmetics throughout the past centuries has been shaped and influenced more by fads and fashions and even the whimsies of the individuals than by the basic laws of sanitation and appreciation for beauty and charm of appearance but during the past thirty years a fundamental change has taken place, until today, the cosmetic industry has not only become one of the most important in the industrial picture in this country, but has also become essentially identified with the health and well-being of the in- dividual. Much of this fortunate result has been due to the intelligent develop- ment of cosmetics as a basic industry when it realized the necessity of call- ing upon the expert knowledge of the trained scientific mind. We not only see the results of this reliance upon the scientist, but his indentifica- tion with the cosmetic field and his desire for closer exchange of knowledge and experience has culminated finally in the organization of this SOCIETY OF COSMETIC CHEMISTS. 139

140 JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF COSMETIC CHEMISTS As we all know, an organization like this would have been inconceiva- ble in the cosmetic industry 25 years ago. Your Soc•.T¾ stands today as an integral part of the structure of the cosmetic industry. It would be my opinion that the future stability and continuance of the advancing growth curve of this field rests, in large measure, upon your shoulders, especially the responsibility for the maintenance and development of healthful, safe, and desirable products for the consumer. The cosmetic chemists and other scientists, through the results of their research, must realize the importance of holding conferences such as this meeting which you are having here today, so that ideas, mutual criticism, and professional eval- uation may benefit your work and keep the field alert and the industry successful. The contributions of science have now reached a point where they can affect the fluctuations of our national economy. Today, therefore, the scientific society has a greater responsibility than yesterday, when a small friendly group constituted its membership. The fundamental concepts of a scientific society are not unlike those of society as a whole. Within the membership of such a society we are always dealing with human beings and their varying attitudes, both con- structive and otherwise. The tenets of every society should maintain a progressive open-minded attitude toward the present and future development of the organization. What was done yesterday may not fit the picture for tomorrow and this is especially important in scientific organizations where the results of research may bring necessary alterations in the organization's own outlook and program. Non-constructive attitudes may bring adverse results to the Soc•.•'¾ and even to research and industry. A society that maintains a membership mainly interested in what the members can do for the organization rather than what the organization can do for the individual has a bright tomorrow for the future of the field or fields represented and for those members who come after. The Soc•.,¾ oF CosM•.,m C•.M•s,s has impressed me tremendously because of the remarkable esprit de corps among its officers and members and the bright horizon toward which its component membership turns its attention. In conclusion, let me say again how pleased I am to be numbered among you and to have received this outstanding honor which you have conferred upon me.