948 



NA TURE 



[December 29. 1923 



analysis, and it is enough to Bay that, though many 

 diiuigreed with his doctrine, there was an absolute 

 consensus among ex{)crts that it was a contribution 

 of the first importance to philosophic thought. Yet 

 few philosophers have lived less in the clouds, and 

 Alexander has not only discharged meticulously 

 the duties of an exacting chair, but has also been 

 prominent in many university and public activities. 

 Ever a keen champion of the higher education of 

 women, he took a foremost part in the foundation of 

 Ashburne Hall, the women's hall of residence, the 

 secretaryship of which he is resigning on his retire- 

 ment from university life. 



The first part of the funeral service for Canon 

 T. G. Bonney was held in the Chapel of St. John's 

 College, Cambridge, on December 12. Among those 

 present were the following fellows of the Royal 

 Society : Prof. A. C. Seward and Prof. J. E. Marr 

 (Geological Society), Mr. C. T. Heycock (Cambridge 

 Philosophical Society), Prof. E. J. Garwood (Alpine 

 Club), Sir Clifford Allbutt, Prof. H. F. Baker. Mr. 

 F. F. Blackman, Sir Joseph Larmor, Dr. G. D. Liveing, 

 Sir Ernest Rutherford, Prof. W. T. Sollas. Sir Joseph 

 Thomson. Prof. W. W. Watts, and Prof. J. T. WUson. 



The Council of the Royal Meteorological Society 

 has awarded the Symons gold medal for 1924 to Dr. 

 Takematsu Okada. Director of the Central Meteoro- 

 logical Observatory, Tokyo, Japan. The medal is 

 awarded for distinguished work in connexion with 

 meteorological science, and will be presented at the 

 annual general meeting on January 16. 



The discussion before the Illuminating Engineer- 

 ing Society on December 11 was concerned with a 

 problem that confronts many of those who are associ- 

 ated with applied science — the best method of dis- 

 seminating technical information amongst the general 

 public. Illumination involves an appeal to the eye, and 

 influence is best brought to bear through the medium 

 of actual demonstrations of good and bad methods 

 of lighting. Details of actual experience in practice, 

 for example, of improved output and greater freedom 

 from accidents resulting from better lighting, are 

 also of great value. But in order to be convincing, 

 such data must be derived from scientifically con- 

 ducted tests and backed by recognised authority. 

 Mr. Dow mentioned some of the work which the 

 Society is doing in this connexion — for example, in 

 co-operation with representatives of the printing 

 trade and with the British Industrial Safety First 

 Association. A considerable part of the discussion 

 was devoted to the question of the high values of 

 illumination now being advised in some quarters. 

 The view was expressed that such recommendations 

 must be based on scientific method, and that the 

 desired conditions are best ascertained by experi- 

 ments conducted with the aid of leading industrial 

 councils. This same point also came up for considera- 

 tion in a discussion initiated by Mr. W. P. Fanghaenel 

 and Mr. W. N. Booth before the Institution of Civil 

 Engineers on December 12, when Mr. L. Gaster 

 explained the procedure of the Home Office Depart- 

 mental Committee concerned with industrial lighting 



KO. 2826, VOL. I 12] 



and emphasised the distinction between values de 

 able in practice and legak minima. 



In order that donors might have the opportunity] 

 of seeing the premises and the equipment of the 

 Department of Glass Technology at the University 

 of Sheffield, a series of luncheons have been arranged. 

 the first having been given by Mr. W. F. J. Wood, 

 chairman of the Gla.ss Research Delegacy, on Novem- 

 ber 15, and the second of the series by Prof. W. E. S. 

 Turner, president of the Society of Glass Technology, 

 on December 13. The new premises, which cover 

 three-fourths of an acre, were, until the end of 1920, 

 in occupation as an actual glass works. Since being 

 purchased at a price of 9000/., considerable altera- 

 tions have been made, a set of laboratories and small 

 library constructed, whilst the other buildings have 

 been adapted and equipped with plant for experi- 

 mental glass melting. In this connexion there are 

 furnaces capable of melting glass on any scale between 

 a few grams and about 120 lb., the firing being by 

 town's gas and compressed air, whilst a large two- 

 pot recuperative furnace fired by oil has a capacity 

 of two pots each of about 15 cwt. There are. in 

 addition, a block of buildings devoted to the making 

 of all sizes of clay pots, store rooms for the glass- 

 making materials, a room for mixing, a machine 

 room, smith's shop, compressor house, etc. Courses 

 of instruction lead to the degree of B.Sc.Tech. and 

 higher degrees. In addition, however, to the normal 

 teaching work of the Department, a gfreat deal of 

 experimental work has been done for individual 

 manufacturing firms, whilst since 1917 no fewer 

 than 96 papers involving research have been 

 published from the Department. The Department 

 has no endowment, but the glass industry has been 

 very appreciative of the work done and has con- 

 tributed generously towards its maintenance. 



Mr. T. W. T. Tuckev, who was in Japan at the 

 time of the great earthquake, had an opportunity 

 shortly afterwards of visiting both Tokyo and 

 Yokohama, and gives the results of his obser\'ations 

 in Engineering for November 30. The framework 

 of the ordinary Japanese house is made of very light 

 uprights secured, by tenons only, to other light 

 horizontal members at the floor and ceiling. The 

 floors and ceilings are wood, and the inside divisions 

 are of wood and paper. When a severe shock causes 

 the tenons to break, the structure closes up and pins 

 down any occupants who do not escape quickly. 

 The charcoal fires are also pinned and thus fires are 

 started. It is almost inconceivable that up to 

 August 31, 1923, such buildings were still being 

 constructed in the capital city of Tokyo. Temples 

 are also built of wood and have nothing but hori- 

 zontal and vertical timbers in their construction ; 

 the timbers, however, are verj-- massive, and such 

 buildings stand up well against earthquakes and 

 storms. In Tokyo, the first brick buildings of any 

 importance were put up by the Government ; nearly 

 all these buildings survived the shock, though a few 

 were burned. It will be remembered that the fires, 

 started by the collapse of the more flimsy buildings, 

 destroyed a large part of Tokyo. Tokyo station 



