186 THE IDEALS OF A SCIENCE SCHOOL 



must surely have been converted by the achieve- 

 ments of science in the war." 



Unfortunately, science has been so outrageously 

 used as the stalking-horse for less popular crusades, 

 for the support of systems of education which have 

 had their day but not yet ceased to be, that one is 

 bound to add that what we want even more is that 

 science should get the money when it is given. I 

 trust in my successor's time an end will be put to 

 the scandal of the Chemistry Department here being 

 practically self-supporting in a university which 

 derives the greater part of its revenue from grants 

 from the Carnegie Trust and the State already, and 

 that some of this promised support may go to the 

 doubling or trebling of the staff so that everyone in 

 the department may have some uninterrupted time 

 to pursue investigations as well as teach. 



I had intended to deal in some detail with the 

 backward condition of our B.Sc. regulations and the 

 absurdity, in these days, of making a man who 

 wished to train himself properly as a chemist take 

 two other subjects on an equal standard for the 

 B.Sc. degree. But that also has been rendered 

 unnecessary by the recent action of the Privy 

 Council in arranging a conference of the four univer- 

 sities in respect of the new science ordinances which 

 have been framed, or are in preparation in all four 

 universities. This conference, which was held last 

 Saturday, I am glad to say resulted in complete 

 agreement being reached as regards the main prin- 

 ciples. By the session 1920-21 the other three 

 universities certainly will have in operation a science 

 degree providing for pass and honours candidates, 

 which will mark a great advance. The battle, as 

 Mr Fisher said, is won, and all that is necessary is 

 to see that Aberdeen does not suffer by virtue of its 

 geographical remoteness from other centres of intel- 



