September 8, 1923] 



NATURE 



79 



at Melbourne, are mining hygiene and a general survey 

 of the hygiene of the Pacific Region. The basis for 

 discussion of ' the latter is a summary of replies 

 received by the director of the Commonwealth Depart- 

 ment of Health to a widely circulated questionnaire 

 relating to yellow fever, malaria and filariasis, bubonic 

 plague, small-pox, leprosy, beri-beri, hook-worm dis- 

 ease, and tuberculosis. In Sydney, the principal 

 topics are climate in relation to human efficiency, 

 meteorological standards in relation to comfort, and 

 insects in respect to hygiene. 



The work of the Veterinary Science Section is mainly 

 in joint meetings with allied Sections, such as Agri- 

 culture and Zoology, in dealing with parasitological 

 and other problems. Proposals are being put forward 

 with regard to international notification of animal 

 diseases. 



Finally, the Section of Zoology is undertaking, in 

 addition to much conjoint work with other Sections, 

 a general survey of the many questions now arising 

 in connexion with Pacific fisheries and the establish- 

 ment of marine biological stations. 



The main aim of the Congress is to deal with wide 

 subjects, many of them of international significance, 

 from a practical as well as a purely scientific point of 

 view. A. C. D. Rivett. 



University and Educational Intelligence. 



We learn from the Chemiker Zeitung of the follow- 

 ing appointments : Dr. W. Schumann, director of 

 the Institute of Technical Physics at Jena University, 

 to be professor of theoretical electrotechnics at the 

 Munich Technical College ; Dr. Julius Schmidt, of 

 the Stuttgart Technical College, to be reader in 

 chemistry at the Engineering College, Esslingen ; 

 and Dr. K. Fajans, to be assistant professor of 

 physical chemistry at the University of Munich. . 



The trustees of the Laura Spelman Rockefeller 

 Memorial, founded in October 1918 by John D. 

 Rockefeller in memory of his wife, have published a 

 report on their appropriations, amounting to nearly 

 13 million dollars, up to December 31, 1922, on 

 which date the corporation's assets amounted to 

 78 million dollars. Grants classified under the head 

 " Education " amounted, in the four years 1919- 

 1922, to 6000, 9000, 286,000, and 500,222 dollars 

 respectively, and included 30,000 in 192 1 for the 

 American College for Girls at Constantinople, 110,530 

 dollars in 1922 for Robert College of Constantinople, 

 the American University of Beirut, and the Con- 

 stantinople Women's College, and 600,000 dollars for 

 the Women's Union Christian Colleges in the Orient. 

 For boy scouts and girl scouts grants amounting to 

 193,000 dollars were allocated, and an appropriation 

 which will amount to more than 55,000 dollars was 

 made for the inauguration of courses of instruction 

 for scout leaders in universities and women's colleges. 

 Such courses, it is noted, are given in 42 institutions, 

 and in 13 of them the expense of instruction has 

 already been taken over by the college. Scientific 

 research interests the trustees because they " believe 

 that knowledge and understanding of the natural 

 forces that are manifested in the behaviour of people 

 and of things will result concretely in the improve- 

 ment of conditions of life," but grants for promoting 

 ' have hitherto been small: 13,000 dollars in 1921 

 "d 37.500 in 1922, including 10,000 for the Mme. 

 ( urie Radium Fund. The Y.M.C.A. and Y.W.C.A. 

 and other social welfare organisations received 

 ,299,000 dollars; religious organisations, 1,975,000; 

 inergency relief, 1,543,000; and public health, 



<")2,000. 



A REPORT on the development of higher education 

 in Poland has been issued by the Chief Statistical 

 Office of the Polish Republic. For the five State 

 universities the report shows the following student 

 enrolments : 



Cracow. Warsaw. Lw6w. Pozna^. Wilno. Total. 



1920-21 . . 4136 5787 3639 2094 788 16444 



1921-22 . . 4531 7518 4773 3273 1729 21824 



1922-23 . . 5235 8939 5646 3416 2202 25438 



For the technical State schools the respective 

 numbers are : 



1920-21 

 1921-22 

 1922-23 



T.H.Sch.; 

 Warsaw. 



2931 



4II2 



3868 



T.H. Sch. 

 Lwow. 



2178 



2305 

 2560 



Agric. Coll., Sch. of Min., -potj^j 

 Warsaw. Cracow. 



787 

 761 

 906 



179 6075 

 282 7460 

 462 7796 



The following figures show the number of students 

 admitted in 1922-23 to other higher schools and 

 professional colleges : Independent University, Lublin, 

 1 1 20; Free Polish University, Warsaw, 1664; 

 College of Commerce and Economics, Warsaw, 988 ; 

 Veterinary College, Lw6w, 327 ; Teachers' College, 

 Warsaw, 124 ; School of Fine Arts, Cracow, 155. 

 Of the total number of students, about 24 per cent, 

 were women. Nearly 27 per cent, were enrolled in 

 faculties of jurisprudence, 13 per cent, in faculties of 

 medicine, 17 per cent, were engaged in the study of 

 technology, mechanical and electrical engineering, etc., 

 about 6 per cent, were students of agriculture, and 30 

 per cent, devoted themselves to the study of philology, 

 history, mathematical and natural science, philosophy, 

 and education. 



Lists of colleges and universities " accredited " 

 by various agencies are published in Bulletin, 1922, 

 No. 30, of the United States Bureau of Education. 

 The standardising movement has advanced rapidly 

 during the past ten years, and the lists published in 

 1917 already need revision. The agencies in ques- 

 tion are : certain State universities and departments 

 of education, the Carnegie Foundation for the Ad- 

 vancement of Teaching, the Association of American 

 Universities and several other voluntary educational 

 associations, and church boards of education. The 

 Bureau is careful to announce in large type that 

 " there is no comprehensive classification of collegiate 

 institutions by any national governmental agency." 

 The longest of the lists is that drawn up by the 

 University of California of 286 institutions from which 

 holders of bachelor degrees representing the usual 

 college course of four years will be admitted to its 

 own graduate division. Commenting on the lists, the 

 compiler notes that the standards used are very 

 various and the basis of classification in some cases 

 is very vague, while " there is no practical consensus 

 of opinion as to what constitutes that much-talked-of 

 entity, the standard college." He finds ground for 

 hope of a coming approximation to uniformity in 

 this regard in the fact that a committee appointed 

 for the purpose by the American Council on Educa- 

 tion has formulated certain principles and standards 

 for 4-year colleges and universities which have been 

 adopted in whole or in part by some of the accrediting 

 agencies. Among these principles are : " Teaching 

 schedules exceeding 16 hours per week per instructor, 

 or classes (exclusive of lectures) of more than 30 

 students, should be interpreted as endangering 

 educational efficiency "; and " the minimum annual 

 operating income, exclusive of payment of interest, 

 annuities, etc., should be $50,000, of which not less 

 than $25,000 should be derived from stable sources, 

 other than students, preferably from permanent 

 endowments." 



NO. 2810, VOL. 112] 



