November io, 192 i] 



NATURE 



^55 



Mr. J. M. Wordie has been elected to a fellowship 

 iit St. John's College. Mr. Wordie accompanied Sir 

 Ernest Shackleton to Antarctica as geologist, and re- 

 ■cently was a member of a scientific excursion to Jan 

 Maven Island, where he climbed the Beerenberg. 



Prof. .\. C. Seward is lecturing on Greenland to 

 the Cambridge Philosophical Society on Monday, 

 November 14. 



Statutes have now been approved for the research 

 degrees of M.Sc. and M.Litt. These involve only two 

 vears' post-graduate residence as against three years 

 required for the Ph.D. 



Leeds. — On October 25 the University joined in 

 the sexcentenarv commemoration of Dante's death by 

 a lecture delivered in the Great Hall by Prof. Grant 

 on "Dante's Conception of History." Prof. Grant 

 laid stress on the interest which Dante took in the 

 historic past of mankind so far as he knew it — a 

 characteristic which marked him off from the other 

 great poets of Europe. His relation to pagan antiquity 

 was examined and the true character of the Italian 

 renaissance was deduced from it. The University sent 

 a letter written in Latin to the citizens of Bologna on 

 the eve of the celebrations expressing homage to the 

 memory of Dante. 



On November 3 the new education wing was opened 

 by the Chancellor of the University, the Duke of 

 Devonshire. In the evening a conversazione was held 

 in the main build.'ngs of the University. The pro- 

 ceedings commenced with a reception in the Great 

 Hall by the Chancellor, the Pro-Chancellor (Mr. E. G. 

 Arnold) and Mrs. Arnold, and the Vice-Chancellor (Sir 

 Michael Sadler") and Lady Sadler, after which the 

 ^'isitors, numbering about a thousand, dispersed 

 along three routes to inspect the numerous experi- 

 ments and exhibits displayed in the various depart- 

 ments of the L'niversity. In addition to ordinary 

 departmental displays, there were two special ex- 

 hibitions, one of which was devoted to " Bacteria and 

 Human Welfare." A large number of microscopic 

 preparations were on view illustrating the bearing of 

 "bacteriology on agriculture, horticulture, the leather 

 industries, human pathology, and public health. 

 The other display, described as the Yorkshire Studies 

 Exhibition, was the outcome of a joint contribution 

 •of several departments of the Universitv, including 

 geology, agriculture, geography, and histor}-. Both 

 naturalistic and humanistic studies were well illus- 

 trated, and contained much matter for guidance for 

 present and future research on the region. 



I.N connection with the Institute of Chemistry a 

 lecture on "' Modern .\pplications of Chemistry to Crop 

 Production " will be delivered by Dr. E. J. Russell in 

 the Chemical Lecture Theatre of King's College, Strand, 

 at 8 o'clock on Monday, November 14. The lecture is 

 open to all fellows, associates, and registered students 

 of the institute and to all chemical students in recog- 

 nised colleges. 



Notwithstanding the financial embarrassments of 

 modern universities, to which repeated allusion has 

 been made in these columns, the Lords Commissioners 

 of the Treasun,- in their review of the estimated ex- 

 penditure for 1922-23 have decided to reduce the 

 annual grant-in-aid of university education from 

 1,500,000/. to 1,200,000/. It appears that the latter 

 sum represent^ the amount of grant already allocated 

 to the various university institutions in the form of 

 annual grant. .Accordingly, this sum will not be 

 reduced, but other and additional grants which mav 

 have been made, amounting in the aggregate to 

 300,000/., will be discontinued. This is an unfortunate 

 decision, and one which will be viewed with dismav 

 by those who have to finance the modern university. 

 NO. 2715, VOL. 108] 



It will undoubtedly react adversely upon the efficiency 

 of the universities, and, in particular, lead to a further 

 delay in putting the salaries of university teachers 

 upon 41 sound footing. 



The Royal Technical College, Glasgow, has now- 

 completed the one hundred and twenty-fifth year of 

 its existence, and the annual ref>ort recently issued 

 by the governors illustrates clearly the impetus which 

 whole-time study has received during the past few- 

 years. The total number of students in attendance 

 during the past >ear was 5646, practically the same as 

 for the previous session, but the proportion between 

 dav and evening students has changed considerably. 

 Moreover, the day students, who numbered 1290 — an 

 increase of 155 — contributed roughly two-thirds of the 

 total student-hours registered in the college, as against 

 a little more than half the total for the previous ses- 

 sion. Chemistry, with an enrolment of 12 18 day and 

 478 evening students, heads the list of student enrol- 

 ments bv subjects, but mathematics, natural philo- 

 sophv, mechanics, and mechanical and electrical 

 engineering have each attracted more than a thousand 

 entries. The financial situation is not so satisfactory^ 

 the vear's working showing a deficit of nearly loooZ. 

 Of the available income of 70,697/., more than a 

 quarter comes from students' fees, about one-sixth 

 from donations and endowments, and a similar 

 fraction from the Treasury-, which includes a iion- 

 recurrent grant of 4000/. The balance was provided 

 bv grants from the Scottish Education Department. 

 Noteworthy events of the past session were the estab- 

 lishment of a school of pharmacy in the college, and 

 an anonvmous gift founding a research scholarship of 

 the annual value of 200/., mainly for engineers and 

 metallurgists. 



Relief work among students in Austria was started 

 by the Friends Relief Mission early in 1920, and the 

 acute distress of many Austrian professors and lec- 

 turers was the occasion for the formation of a Vienna 

 Universitv Relief Committee, for which funds were 

 subscribed bv British universities. In July of the same 

 vear the Imperial War Relief Fund agreed to under- 

 take the appeals to universities in the British Isles 

 on behalf of the professors and students of Central 

 Europe, and an inter-university committee was 

 formed. Its appeal met with a generous response- 

 some 22,000/. being subscribed in cash and gifts in 

 kind. It is thought, however, that the appeal has 

 not reached many of the senior members and gradu- 

 ates of our universities, and pamphlets descriptive 

 of conditions among professors and lecturers in 

 Austria have been issued in the hope of stimulating 

 further generosity. During the first few months of 

 this vear free rations of food were supplied to a num- 

 ber of professors of Vienna L'niversity and officials 

 of the State museums and their dependents, several 

 hopelessly inadequate pensions were augmented by 

 monthlv grants of i/., and grants were also made to 

 enable the more needy to purchase clothing. In order 

 to continue this work, a sum of 10,000/. is estimated 

 as necessary- for the year 1921-22, at the end of which 

 period relief work will probably come to an end. 

 Subscriptions should be marked " Professors " and 

 sent to the Organising Secretary, Universities 

 Committee. .Imperial War Relief Fund, Fishmongers' 

 Hall, E.C.4; gifts in kind and worn clothing marked 

 " L'niversities," should be sent to the Friends Emer- 

 gencv and War Victims Relief Committee, 5 New- 

 Street Hill, E.C.4, 3"d notification given to the 

 Organising Secretar>- ; gifts of books should be sent to 

 Mr. B. M. Headicar, Universities Library for Central 

 Europe, London School of Economics, Clare Market, 



W.C.2. 



