The Congress of Americanists at Quebec

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THE fifteenth International Congress of Americanists was held at Quebec on September 10–15 under the presidency of Dr. Robert Bell, of the Geological Survey of Canada. There were about 133 members and associates, most of whom were Canadians; a noticeable and pleasing feature of the congress was the large number of French-Canadian clergy and missionaries who attended the conferences; the missionaries were hearty, bronzed, bearded men, mainly in the brown or white robes of their several orders; many of them contributed papers, and several joined in the discussions. An exceptionally large number of papers was promised, but owing to the non-appearance of many authors, most of whom were Americans, the actual number read was not excessive, and there was generally time for a short discussion; it is a common fault of congresses that too much time is occupied by the read- ing of papers, many of which are of limited interest, and too little time is provided for discussion of problems of general interest; it is scarcely an exaggeration to state that the most valuable discussions were the informal ones that took place on the precipice-poised Dufferin Terrace.