90 



NATURE 



[November i6, 191 1 



with the direction of motion of the second or transversal 

 phase of earthquaktr movement. So far as observations 

 have gone, thf inclination of the plane of this movement 

 with tine plane piissinj; throujih the epicentre, an observing 

 station and tiie centre of the world has wide limits. Its 

 value is prol)ably inlluenred by the geological character of 

 strata in the luigliljourhood of the observing stali(m ami 

 the epicentn . Thi se investigations, which are treated from 

 tile mathematical and observational sides, are well worthy 

 of attention from all seismologists. 



Another interesting note we find in Kendiconti delta K. 

 Accademia del Lincei, vol. xx., serie 5*, and sem., fasc. 1°. 

 This is a short paper on the Latium earthquake of 

 April 10, by Dr. G. Agamennone. The commencement of 

 this disturbance was noted at Rocca di Papa at 

 loh. 43m. 39s., with a strong reinforcement one second 

 .later. .At Rome the corresponding times were loh. 43m. 

 41s. and loh. 43m. 44s. These times indicate that the 

 epicentre is nearer to Rocca di Papa than it is to Rome. 

 If it is assumed that the records at each of these places 

 refer to P, and Pj, tables like those of Zeissig give a 

 distance of the epicentre from each of these stations. 

 These distances are respectively 10 and 30 km. But as 

 circles with these radii intersect at two points, we are left 

 to choose between two epicentres, and as neither o£ these 

 falls in with local observations, in this instance, at least, 

 this method of determining origins is found insufficient. 

 To solve the difficulty. Dr. Agamennone shows that the 

 ratio of the differences in time of arrival of the two phases 

 of motion at the two given stations, which we will call 

 A and B, which is a constant, can be expressed in terms 

 of the coordinates of the epicentre x and y and the distance 

 between A and B. To solve this equation with two un- 

 knowns three assumptions are made, one, for example, 

 being that the epicentre lies on AB, with the result that 

 three solutions are obtained. The one selected is that 

 which agrees best with local observations. The method is 

 new, but it is hardly applicable to time observations made 

 at only two stations. 



EDUCATIONAL SCIENCE AT THE BRITISH 



ASSOCIATION. 

 T> ISHOP WELLDON'S presidential address has already 

 been prmted in Nature, and it is therefore un- 

 tiecessary to dwell upon it at any length. Teachers will 

 find it animated by a high conception of the dignity and 

 influence of their calling and a sympathetic insight into 

 its characteristic difficulties, as might be expected from a 

 one-time headmaster of a great English public school, 

 though they may consider it lacking in practical sugges- 

 tion for raising the profession in the general estimation, 

 the public-school headmaster, happily for himself, being 

 exempt from the necessity for considering such mundane 

 matters as tenure, salaries, and pensions. To the general 

 reader the most interesting part of the address will prob- 

 ably be Dr. Welldon's remarks on the relations of the 

 Board of Education with the secondary schools and with 

 the local authorities, which were prompted by his experi- 

 ence as deputy chairman of the Manchester Education 

 "Committee. He has learnt that the antagonism between 

 the schools and the rates is a constant quantity, and that, 

 accordingly, new services imposed on the authorities, com- 

 mendable in themselves, as, for instance, the feeding of 

 necessitous children and medical inspection, will in part 

 be paid for out of funds which are needed for the per- 

 formance of the older duties, unless, indeed, the Board of 

 Education can induce the Treasury to grant additional 

 help from public funds, a consummation which is likely to 

 remain unrealised so long as the Parliamentary chiefs of 

 the Board are chosen from ex-Treasury officials. In the 

 Board's relations with the schools Dr. Welldon deprecated 

 the tendency to a bureaucratic regulation of details, which 

 is well known to characterise the dealings of the Board 

 with elementary schools. .Such metliods may be whole- 

 some when applied to unsatisfactory schools, for they 

 assure a minimum of efficiencv ; but the maximum of 

 efficiency cannot be obtained under a code of retjulations — 

 It requires freedom, spontaneity, and individualism for its 

 •growth. 



The reference to educational topics, which has almost 

 NO. 2194, VOL. 88] 



become customary in the presidential addresses to th' 

 whole association, was this year concerned with the : 

 tion of technical education. Sir William Ramsay 

 the need for the concentration of higher technical in- 

 tion in a few important institutions in place of it-, 

 jiersal, as at present, through the many struggling' '■- 

 institutes which have been established up and 

 land by the local authorities. In one of the sec 

 cussions Prof. R. A. Gregory roundly stated that the posi 

 tion of higher technical instruction in England was in • 

 df'plorable condition. Official statistics showed, he 

 that fewer than 2000 students were taking complet' 

 courses in the whole of- the technical institutes ol tu. 

 country. 



The initial discussion in the section took place upon th. 

 report of the committee on overlapping between secc: 

 schools and universities and other places of higher >■'•■ 

 tion. Prof. Smithells, in presenting the report, made i; 

 clear that it dealt only with a certain amount of evidenre- 

 in some cases conflicting evidence — and that its conclu 

 must be reserved for a later meeting. The compI;i 

 made in England, and also in America, that the secoi 

 school course is not properly articulated with the uni\ 

 course, and that on one side the schools are ret.i;: 

 pupils who ought to be at the universities, whilst on i!>. 

 other the universities, owing to the lack of preparation 01 

 many of their students, are wasting power upon elementar;. 

 training. Upon the evidence submitted, and apart froii; 

 theories as to the position of pass Moderations and th' 

 Previous examination in an organised educational cours- 

 Oxford and Cambridge appear to have little complaint ti 

 make. At London and in some of the provincial univers: 

 ties the overlapping is more serious. The London extern;!; 

 system renders it possible for students to pass their Inter 

 mediate examination, and even to take their degree, direi 

 from school, while, on the other hand, a large amount < ; 

 preparation for matriculation takes place in the Londoi 

 colleges. It must be remembered, however, that mnpv . 

 the students enter the university by way of evening 1 ' 

 or even after a short experience of business or profe>- 

 life, and for these preparatory work must certainlv fom 

 part of the university course. The overlapping at Londor 

 is considerable, but to some extent it cannot be avoided 

 and, as was suggested in the discussion both by Prof 

 Smithells and by Mr. Daniell, overlapping in the speci r 

 circumstances of London and of the larger provinci.: 

 universities is by no means synonymous with waste ( 

 educational resources. 



As between the technical institutions and secondarv 

 schools, no evidence is yet forthcoming to show that th' 

 overlapping is serious. Indeed, the facts appear to be th 

 other way. Less than one-fifth of the students in Engli^i 

 institutions have passed a university matriculation ex 

 amination or its equivalent, and nearly one-fourth ha\ 

 been admitted without passing any examination test wh.T! 

 ever. The secondary schools and the technical instifutior. 

 are thus shown to have but little organic connection, an 

 the great bulk of the students of the latter have probabl 

 received no secondary education at all. Tt will be tinv 

 enough to discuss overlapping when the main stream 1 

 pupils in the higher technical institutions have previous! 

 laid the foundation of a good general education in th 

 secondary schools, a condition of things, however, whirl 

 is not likely to be facilitated by the drastic proposal of 

 one speaker that boys should not be allow-ed to remain at 

 the secondary schools after their sixteenth vear, but shoiil ' 

 be passed straight on to the technical institutes. Tl. 

 evidence from the secondary schools is still incomplet. 

 .As might be expected, the public-school masters with on 

 accord proclaim the advantage to be gained by their bo\ 

 in the last year or two years of school life. In thr^ 

 years they learn self-control, the use of authoritv, and tlv 

 most valuable parts of character trainintf ; and the school- 

 with their ample resources, find no difficulty in allowin^ 

 their boys a reasonable amount of specialisation in tht^ 

 subjects which they will afterwards study at the universi- 

 ties, and in preparing them for the transition in metho'' 

 between school and college. 



For the present, and until the committee reports 'n~ 

 reasoned conclusions, it may be taken that in the gap^ 

 between the different parts of our educational system the 



