242 FOKRSTKK, AND N KllLKCTEl) FACTORS IN KDUCATK )N. 



naturally become centres of culture, centres of science, and art, 



and commerce, and industries. They ofier facilities which the 



country does not |)ossess. But there is wisdom in the remark of 



Ratzel : 



" So lange es Grossstadte i>iel)t sind sie im L'ehel und iin Giiten iliren 

 Landern vorausgeschritten.'' 



There are depths of darkness amid the brilliance of intellec- 

 tual light. 



The very excess of light is darkness visible. There is a ten- 

 dency in all countries for the ])oor to migrate to the larger centres 

 of population. livery country has its "poor white " problem. In 

 cities the housing of the poor is a disgrace to the community. 

 Even in Holland — a country known for its industry and thrift— 

 the condition is appalling. Fifteen per cent, of the ]-)0])ulation — 

 I quote Bavinck — occupied houses with one room; 2y per cent, 

 houses with two rooms. .\nd in these families have to live com- 

 prising from 12 to 14 ])ersons. The young are driven to the 

 streets with all their attractions and all their allurements to evil. 

 Let the school be as good as we can have it, these counter-attrac- 

 tions become sources of evil and a danger to the community. The 

 result is that criminality among the young increases to an alarming 

 extent. I do not quite quote statistics, nor do I enlarge. The 

 problem is a serious one even in South Africa. 



With much to admire in Foerster's theories, there is nuich 

 from which I dissent. My object is gained if others are led to 

 study Foerster for themselves. 



( Read. July 5. 1917. j 



Cannonading and Rainfall. — The view that heavy 

 artillery discharges exert a direct influence on the precipitation of 

 atmospheric moisture has not hitherto found much support on 

 the part of meteorologists. The unprecedented intensity and 

 continuity of cannonading in Europe during the last three years 

 has, however, again given some ])rominence to the idea, and it 

 has been discussed in recent issues of Comptes rcndus* Des- 

 landres holds that cannonading electrifies and ionises the atmo- 

 sphere to an extent which apparentl}' influences rainfall, though 

 not to the same extent as the great atmospheric currents and 

 depressions ; positive conclusions cannot, however, be arrived at 

 without careful consideration of all contributing factors, espe- 

 cially the degree of ionisation of the air and the intensity and 

 character of the electric field. Lemoine's comment on this state- 

 ment of opinion is that if continuous artillery fire exerts any 

 influence whatever on rainfall it can only be in respect of light 

 rains. Sebert, on the cither hand, reioins in efifect that even if 

 intense cannonading has no direct efl:'ect on moisture precipita- 

 tion it may cause atmospheric disturbances which in turn may 

 induce heavy and prolonged rains. He commends the problem 

 to careful investigation by meteorological bureaux and agricul- 

 tural exi)eriment stations. 



*164 (T9T7) [T7l 61.V615. [tI^I 663-660. 



