November 2, 191 1] 



NATURE 



it will come before Congregation, as amended in the course 

 of last term. Should it pass Congregation, it will be sub- 

 mitted to Convocation, upon the decision of which depends 

 its ultimate destiny. The date of the final struggle has 

 not yet been made public, but it is practically certain that 

 the present term will see the close of the long controversy. 



The board of trustees of Stanford University has 

 announced, says Science, a gift of 2000L made by Prof. 

 Adolph Barkan, San Francisco, professor emeritus of the 

 medical school, for the establishment of a special library 

 dealing with diseases of the eye, ear, nose, and throat. A 

 gift of 1000/. from Charles C. Stanford for medical library 

 purposes is also announced. 



At the meeting of the council of the Royal Agricultural 

 Society, held on October 25, the Duke of Devonshire re- 

 ported the special committee's recommendation that the 

 society's gold medal should be offered for original research 

 on any agricultural subject or any of the cognate agri- 

 cultural sciences. The medal will be awarded for a mono- 

 graph or essay giving evidence of original research, and 

 candidates must reside in Great Britain or Ireland, and 

 must not be over the age of twenty-seven years or of more 

 than five years' standing from the time of taking their 

 first agricultural qualification, the qualification being a 

 degree or diploma of a university or university college, or 

 the National Diploma in Agriculture. 



We learn from The British Medical Journal that a new 

 university has been founded by the United States in the 

 Philippine Islands. There was already a University of St. 

 Thomas, founded by the Spaniards in 161 1, but it was 

 thought that this old institution did not meet modern 

 requirements. The new university comprises a college of 

 medicine and surgery, which was opened in 1907, besides 

 colleges of veterinary science, of agriculture, of the liberal 

 arts, of law and political science, and of engineering. The 

 seat of the new university is Manila. A clause of the Act 

 founding the university is to the following effect : — " No 

 student shall be denied admission to the university by 

 reason of age, sex, nationality, religious belief, or political 

 affiliation." 



The annual meeting of the Association of Teachers in 

 Technical Institutions will be held at the Borough Poly- 

 technic, Borough Road, S.E., on Saturday, November 4, 

 the president, Mr. Barker North, in the chair. The annual 

 report of the council, which will be considered at this meet- 

 ing, deals with the large increase in the membership of 

 the association in the past year, and with active work 

 during that period. Branches have been formed in Ireland 

 and Wales, so that the activities of the association now 

 spread over the whole kingdom. After the consideration of 

 the report a discussion will be initiated on the Board of 

 Education examinations in science, by Mr. C. F. Smith, 

 Manchester School of Technology, and Mr. J. Wilson, 

 Battersea Polytechnic. To this discussion visitors are 

 Particulars can be obtained from the honorary 

 Mr. P. Abbott, The Polytechnic, Regent Street, 



invited. 



secretarv, 

 W. 



The Association for the International Interchange of 

 Students is a body which exists to promote the intelligent 

 study of other countries by the university students of Great 

 Britain and the colonies. The organisation arranges tours 

 during which students are brought into contact with the 

 leading cities and citizens abroad, and are thus enabled to 

 study at first hand the social, political, municipal, and 

 university life of other countries. The first annual report 

 contains reports of speeches made by some of the students 

 who have availed themselves of the advantages the associa- 

 tion offers, and gives ample evidence of the value of the 

 movement. In addition to putting any class of student in 

 touch with the best sources of information, the secretary, 

 Mr. W. H. Crees, has succeeded in modifying the expenses 

 of travel. Unfortunately, like many other institutions, the 

 association has suffered from lack of funds, and is unable 

 to carry out the proposal of travelling scholarships which 

 were first of all contemplated. 



The Imperial Conference of Teachers' Associations con- 

 vened by the League of the Empire is to be held on July 

 12-16, if)i2. The list of agenda includes a variety of 

 subjects, such as the training of teachers (professional and 



NO. 2192, VOL. 88] 



university) ; the recognition throughout the Empire of 

 teachers' certificates ; the migration of teachers for pur- 

 poses of study generally and for temporary interchange of 

 appointments ; coordination in education ; and the working 

 of the scholarship system in different parts of the Empire. 

 Besides these subjects, technical education in its relation 

 to local industries and as a preparation for general scientific 

 and trade research ; the place of history and geography in 

 education ; the English language and literature ; and 

 physical education, will form subjects of discussion. Over- 

 seas teachers in particular will consider the best means of 

 organising a rural school. Suggestions are constantly 

 being received from overseas teachers' associations. It has 

 been proposed to illustrate the agenda with observation 

 work, and illustrated lectures will be introduced both before 

 and after the conference. A short course of travel-study in 

 England is also being prepared. 



A COPY of the first volume of the calendar for 1911-12 

 of the University of Sheffield has been received. It con- 

 tains full particulars concerning all the courses of work 

 in the various faculties and the conditions under which 

 the different degrees of the University are conferred. The 

 arrangements in the faculty of applied science are of 

 especial interest. These departments provide lecture and 

 laboratory courses of instruction in the subjects of applied 

 science required in the engineering, metallurgical, mining, 

 and building industries. Students are in certain circum- 

 stances permitted to qualify for degrees in part by evening 

 study. For example, students employed during the day in 

 some metallurgical works or laboratory approved by the 

 faculty are permitted to qualify in part by evening study 

 for the degree of Bachelor of Metallurgy. We notice, too, 

 that the council of the Institution of Civil Engineers 

 recognises, under certain conditions, the degree of Bachelor 

 of Engineering of this University as exempting from the 

 institution's examination for associate membership. An 

 arrangement has been made also with the Imperial College 

 of Science and Technology by which the University of 

 Sheffield is recognised as being in association with the 

 Imperial College for such of their students as may desire 

 to specialise in the study of. the metallurgy of iron and 

 steel for the associateship of the Royal School of Mines. 



The new laboratories at Shrewsbury School were 

 formally opened on October 20 by Mr. Francis Darwin, 

 F.R.S., who gave an address in the school hall, Lord 

 Barnard presiding as chairman of the governing body. In 

 order to emphasise the present attitude of the school 

 towards science, Mr. F. Darwin repeated the well-known 

 story of his father as a Shrewsbury boy being publicly 

 rebuked by Dr. Butler, the headmaster, for wasting his 

 time in the study of chemistry at home in an improvised 

 laboratory. The contrast between this state of things and 

 the present curriculum, in which every boy in the school 

 has to go through a course of practical scientific training, 

 is sufficiently striking. The need for new laboratories is 

 due to the prominence given to science by the headmaster, 

 Mr. Alington, and at the present time 270 boys are pass- 

 ing through the science school under the guidance of five 

 masters. The recent additions, which have been named 

 the Darwin Buildings, consist of three rooms, two for 

 physics and chemistry, respectively, and the third for 

 nature-study and physical measurements, and all are 

 excellently fitted for their various purposes. At the end 

 of his address Mr. F. Darwin pointed out that the method 

 adopted in the science school at Shrewsbury is in harmony 

 with the motto of the Royal Society, Nullius in verba, 

 since the essence of laboratory work is that the pupil learns 

 by observation and experiment rather than from the asser- 

 tions of his teacher. 



Dr. Alfred Mumkord, in his annual report as medical 

 officer to the governors of the Manchester Grammar School, 

 states that he has been able to compare the physical 

 development during the last five years (.i.e. since the 

 influence of the presentation of free scholarships to boys 

 from the elementary schools has become felt) with the 

 phvsical development of the boys of a generation ago, viz. 

 during the period of 1881-6. He finds there has been a 

 remarkable gain in nearly all directions, especially as 

 regards height and weight, amounting to more than 

 I inch in height between the age<: of thirteen and sixteen, 



