350 



NA TURE 



{^August 8, 1889 



cal teaching of the Sorbonne since 1808. M. Chautemps, 

 President of the Municipality, vindicated democracy from 

 the imputation of indifference to culture, and claimed 

 credit for the body represented by him for having founded 

 a Chair of French Revolution History and a Chair of 

 Evolution. M. Fallieres, Minister of Education, dwelt on 

 the efforts and sacrifices of the Republic for the diffusion 

 of culture. He referred to the moribund condition of the 

 Universities on the eve of the Revolution, and the want 

 of cohesion between the colleges afterwards established, 

 and eulogized the individuality now developed by the 

 provincial Universities. 



NOTES. 



At the annual graduation ceremony at the close of the summer 

 session of the University of Edinburgh, last week, Prof. T. R. 

 Fraser intimated that the important Cameron Prize in Thera- 

 peutics, the recipient of which might be selected fron any 

 country, had been awarded 10 M. Pasteur, a Doctor of Laws of 

 Edinburgh University, in recognition of the high importance 

 and great value in practical therapeutics of the treatment of 

 hydrophobia discovered by him. 



The fifty-seventh annual meeting of the British Medical Asso- 

 tion will begin at Leeds on Tuesday, the 13th inst., and go on 

 until the i6th, under the presidency of Mr. C. G. Wheelhouse. 

 The President's address will be delivered on the evening of 

 the 13th. On the 14th, an address in medicine will be given 

 by Dr. Hughlings Jackson, F. R. S., and afterwards the Stewart 

 Prize will be presented to Dr. Klein, F. R. S., for his work in 

 bacteriology and scarlet fever. On the 15th, an address in 

 surgery will be given by Dr. Pridgin Teal, F.R.S., and on the 

 i6ih, Sir James Crichton Browne, F. R.S., will deliver an address 

 in psychology. 



At the Academy of Medicine, Paris, in the grand amphi- 

 theatre, a numerous and distinguished audience gathered on 

 Sunday for the first sitting of the International Congress of 

 Hygiene. The chair was taken by Prof. Brouardel, with Dr. 

 Chautemps, President of the Paris Municipal Council, and Sir 

 Douglas Gallon as Vice-Presidents. Sir Douglas Gallon re- 

 turned thanks on behalf of the various English Sanitary Societies, 

 represented at the Congress by ten English delegates. He 

 promised a hearty weico ne to the French hygienisls, who, he 

 hoped, would in great numbers attend the next International 

 Congress, to be held, as arranged, in London in 1891. The 

 work of the Congress began in earnest on Monday, and among 

 the subjects discussed was a proposition suboiiiled by Dr. 

 Jablowski, the Russian delegate, to the effect that children 

 suffering from tuberculosis of the lungs, or even only suspected 

 to have this complaint, should be sent back from school to their 

 families. This proposal was rejected, but it was considered 

 that the school doctor should exclude such pupils as by the 

 dangerous character of their exi'ectorations might spread the 

 specific germ of pulmonary consumption. On Tuesday there 

 was a discussion on the inspection of unwholesome dwellings ; 

 and in connection with "the dusl-bin grievance " the Congress 

 unanimously passed a resolution that kitchen refuse should never 

 be kept in the house over night, that it should be placed outside 

 in metallic boxes, ard that it should be removed every twenty- 

 four hours. 



In his interesting speech on the Education Estimates on Mon- 

 day, Sir W. Hart Dyke had much to say about the new Code, 

 the enforcing of which he has been obliged to postpone. He 

 showed that it would "open and widen the curriculum," and 

 referred especially to the advantages it would confer on small 

 schools in the midst of a scattered agricultural population. The 



mass of our agricultural schools injEngland and Wales did 

 nothing but just pass their scholars through the elementary 

 subjects. Both sides of the House regarded that as a most de- 

 plorable thing. Questions had been put to him from time to 

 time as to teaching agriculture in the rural schools. Knowing 

 something of rural school life, he should do nothing so absurd as 

 to attempt to turn out first-rate agriculturists from our elementary 

 schools. But there was a vast difference between that and turn- 

 ing children out knowing nothing of plants or botany or of 

 insect life, and what was useful and what was injurious to 

 agriculture. A vast deal of good might be done by training in 

 regard to these matters. What they proposed to do was to pro- 

 vide that any scholar might attend elementary science classes at 

 district centres. At present, in towns as well as in agricultural 

 districts, more combination was required between schools to 

 enable them to carry out different kinds of teaching. What one 

 school was unable to do, a group of three or four, with little 

 trouble and with an economy of expenditure, might readily carry 

 out. Sir John Lubbick and Sir Henry F-loscoe expressed much 

 regret that the new C )de had been for the present withdrawn, 

 and hoped that it would be introduced again next session. 



THECDmmittee of the national association for the promotion 

 of technical education have issued their second annud report. 

 They think they may fairly congratulate the members on the 

 jirogress made by the movement during the past year. On May 

 I, 1888, an anonymous donor offered to contribute ;(f500 to the 

 funds of the association, provided ^1000 were raised from other 

 sources before May i, 1889. The support received from the 

 public has been such that the committee have secured this dona- 

 tion. They refer with especial satisfaction to the support 

 received from representative bodies of working men. No fewer 

 than thirty-one working men's Co-operative Societies have given 

 donations or subscriptions during the year, and many more are 

 in complete accord with the aims of the association. The com- 

 mittee hope that with the resources now at their disposal they 

 may be able to extend their work, particularly in the department 

 of secondary educati )n, but they appeal for a larger number of 

 annual subscriptions. Nothing has occurred to weaken their 

 belief in the magnitude and urgency of the work which needs to 

 be carried out to improve, develop, and harmonize, and bring into 

 close relations one with another, the elementary, secondary, 

 and technical education of the country. 



The establishment of a technical school at Frankfort-on- 

 Maine for young artisans and mechanics was planned long since 

 by different corporations in that city, and from a statement 

 made lately by the mayor, it appears that all the expenses in 

 connection with the school are to be borne by the city, which 

 will also give the rooms and see to the appointment of the 

 teachers. The lessons will be given on Sundays and in the 

 evening on week days. The pupils will be charged a very 

 moderate tuition fee only. Great energy is displayed in order 

 to open this school very shortly, says the British Consul in his 

 last Report, as the accomplishment of the scheme will be hailed 

 with great satisfaction throughout the city. 



The death of Mr. C. Spence Bate, F.R.S., at Plymouth, is 

 announced. He was the author of the "Report of the Crustacea 

 Macrura dredged by H.M.S. Challenger, during the years 

 1873-76." He was also the author of the "Catalogue of the 

 Specimens of Amphipodous Crustacea in the Collection of the 

 British Museum " ; and of a work on " The Pathology of Dental 

 Caries." In conjunction with Mr. J. O. Westwood, Mr. Bate 

 wrote "A History of the British Sessile-eyed Crustacea." 



During last week Mr. John Aitken visited the Ben Nevis; 

 Observatory in connection with the proposed investigation into, 

 the number of dust particles in the atmosphere. From observa- 



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