The First President of the APS (American Physical Society) was Henry A. Rowland. His presidential address, delivered at the second meeting of the Society on 28 October 1899, is remarkable. I consider it a must-read for all physicists and especially those young physicists who are still pursuing their studies.

Click below for PDF hosted at aip.org:
THE HIGHEST AIM OF THE PHYSICIST • BY H. A. ROWLAND (1899)