November 9, 191 1] 



NATURE 



65 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE. 



Birmingham. — Recent appointments include : — Mr. J. E. 

 Coates, special lecturer in physical chemistry, to succeed 

 Prof. Alex. Findlay ; Dr. E. P. Frankland, Mr. P. May, 

 and Mr. Ernest Vanstone assistant lecturers and demon- 

 strators in chemistry ; Dr. Thomas Yates, special lecturer 

 in osteology ; Dr. J. R. Heath, lecturer in physiology. 



The council of the University has decided to increase 

 from 25Z. to looZ. the annual grant to the Workers' Educa- 

 tional Association, which provides classes for working men 

 and women. 



Prof. G. E. Hale is prepared to receive applications for 

 the post of assistant in the department of stellar spectro- 

 scopy at the Mount Wilson Solar Observatory. Practical 

 experience of observatory work is desirable, and a know- 

 ledge of physical optics and spectroscopy is essential. 



The London University Gazette announces that a bequest 

 has been made to " the governors for the time being of 

 University College " by the late Mr. A. R. T. Momber of 

 certain shares of his estate. Under the benefaction a sum 

 of 7000Z. will eventually accrue to the University. 



It is stated in Science that President W. H. P. Faunce 

 has announced that 8o,oooZ. of the endowment fund of 

 200,oooZ. which Brown University is endeavouring to 

 secure has already been subscribed. The General Educa- 

 tion Board has contributed 30,000/., and eight gifts of 

 5000Z., together with smaller amounts aggregating io,oooZ., 

 have been received. From the same source we find that 

 Mr. Charles Scribner has given to Princeton University a 

 completely equipped printing plant, provided at a cost of 

 25,000/. 



An appeal for funds towards the establishment of a 

 modern university in Central China at Hankau-Wuchang 

 has just been made. The scheme is promoted by com- 

 mittees representative of the Universities of Oxford, Cam- 

 bridge, and London in this country, and of the Universities 

 of Harvard, Columbia, California, and Toronto in Canada 

 and the United States of America. During the three years 

 which have elapsed since its inception the committee has 

 been engaged in settling the lines upon which the Uni- 

 versity is to be founded, in locating the most advantageous 

 site, in appointing the first president (Mr. W. E. Soothill, 

 late principal of the Imperial University of Shansi), and in 

 other essential preliminaries. An appeal is made for a 

 capital sum of 250,000/. for the foundation of the Uni- 

 versity, the purchase of a site, the erection and equipment 

 of buildings, and the endowment of professorships. It is 

 hoped that one half of this sum, 125,000/., will be the 

 British contribution towards the project, and that the other 

 half will be contributed by America. The general basis of 

 the University will be that of a teaching and examining 

 body working in cooperation with a number of self-govern- 

 ing residential colleges and hostels. The foundation of a 

 university for Central China is desirable on the ground 

 that in this way Great Britain and America can render to 

 China at the present stage a service of incalculable import- 

 ance and of far-reaching consequence. A seat of learning 

 will thus be established in China which will be inspired by 

 the best traditions of the cooperating Western universities. 

 Donations can be sent to the Most Hon. the Marquess of 

 Salisbury, G.C.V.O., 20 Arlington Street, London, W., or 

 to the honorary treasurer. University for China, 22 Albe- 

 marle Street, London, W. Cheques should be drawn in 

 favour of the " University for China." Further particulars 

 can be obtained from the secretary, 22 Albemarle Street, 

 London, W. 



The Education Committee of the London County 

 Council at a recent meeting came to certain important con- 

 clusions as to applications from the Senate of the University 

 of London for maintenance grants in aid of incorporated 

 schools and institutions maintained by the University. 

 After reviewing the conditions in the various colleges, the 

 following resolutions were eventually adopted : — " That the 

 Senate of the University of London be invited to prepare 

 and submit to the Council a statement of the policy which 

 it intends to pursue pending the publication of the report 

 of the Royal Commission on University Education in 



NO. 2193, VOL. 88] 



London, together with an estimate of the additional assist- 

 ance (if any) which may be required from the Council to 

 enable such policy to be carried out." " That, on receipt 

 of the statement and estimate referred to in the foregoing 

 resolution, the Council will be prepared to consider as to 

 the amount of assistance it should give to the University 

 during the academic years 1911-12, 1912-13, and 1913-14; 

 and that the Senate be so informed." "That the Council 

 is not prepared, during the period of three years referred 

 to in the foregoing resolution, to consider any applications 

 for further maintenance grants either for the educational 

 work conducted directly by the University or for the main- 

 tenance of the incorporated schools ; that the Council does 

 not undertake to continue, after the expiration of the 

 above period of three years, any grant which it may decide 

 to make to the University under the above-mentioned 

 recommendations ; and that the Senate be so informed." 

 The committee thinks it is of great importance that it 

 should be clearly laid down that any grant which may be 

 given will be strictly temporary. On the publication of 

 the report of the Royal Commission the whole question 

 of the future government and policy of the University will 

 have to be dealt with, and, among other important ques- 

 tions, that of the relation of the University to the schools 

 which are at present incorporated will come up for dis- 

 cussion. The London County Council, as the authority for 

 higher education in London, should be able, the committee 

 maintains, to impress its views upon these matters upon 

 Parliament and the governing body of the University. The 

 most effective way in which the Council can impress its 

 views is by means of its maintenance grants, and the com- 

 mittee thinks that it must be made clear that the Council 

 will be in no way pledged to continue any grant which 

 it may decide to make to the University at the present 

 time. 



The annual meeting of the Association of Teachers in 

 Technical Institutions was held on November 4. In 

 moving the adoption of the report of the council, Mr. 

 North, the president, directed attention to the evidence 

 which had been given by the association to the Royal 

 Commission on the London University, emphasising the 

 necessity for the formation of an autonomous faculty of 

 technology within the University, and urging that the 

 Imperial College of Science, the London polytechnics, and 

 possibly some provincial technical institutions should form 

 constituent elements of this faculty. In discussing the 

 recent Board of Education circular relating to the new 

 scheme of examinations and grouped courses, he regretted 

 the hasty manner in which the scheme of the Board had 

 been brought into operation. The circular showed a lack 

 of practical knowledge of the actual conditions of the work 

 in technical institutions comparable with that displayed 

 bv the Board in the changes introduced last year in the 

 matter of registration. Mr. North referred also to the 

 steps which had been taken by the council in the direction 

 of securing the presence of teachers from technical institu- 

 tions upon all local advisory committees dealing with 

 juvenile employment. In seconding the adoption of the 

 report, Mr. Abbott, the honorary secretary, pointed out the 

 necessity for the association to continue its efforts for the 

 development of technical education. At the present time 

 technical education in England, if not actually on the down- 

 grade, is stationary. The returns recently published by the 

 Board of Education for the session 1909-10 show that the 

 number of dav students in technical institutions is slightly 

 lower than that in the previous session, while the number 

 of evening students is practically the same. After the 

 adoption of the report a discussion was opened by Prof. 

 Schwartz upon the changes recently made by the Board of 

 Education with regard to the abolition of all first-stage 

 examinations and the withdrawal of all examinations in 

 certain subjects. He welcomed this change as one which 

 would lessen the weight of external examinations, which 

 have, up to the present, lessened the real educational work 

 of the technical institutions. He advocated the replace- 

 ment of the external examinations in Stage i. bv internal 

 examinations in the case of the larger institutions, and 

 possibly bv groups of institutions for the smaller schools. 

 The president of the association for the year ioit-i2 is 

 Dr. J. Clark, rector of the Kilmarnock Academy, and 

 director of technical education for Kilmarnock. 



