266 



NATURE 



[October 21, 1920 



Memphis, Tennessee. The bulletin is divided into 

 four sections, dealing with the elementary schools, 

 the central high school, the vocational hifjh 

 school, and the high school for coloured children. 

 In the elementary grades no science or Nature-study 

 enters into the curriculum. At the central high 

 school instruction is divided into eight groups, 

 according to the principal subject taken : Latin, 

 history, science, modern languages, commerce, 

 technical training, home economics, and a course in 

 which any subjects may be taken. In five of these 

 groups no science studies are essential ; in one, one 

 science subject is necessary, in another two are 

 required, and in the remaining one five are compul- 

 sory. However, in six of the groups either four or 

 five sciences are voluntary, and another offers three 

 "elective" sciences, but in the commercial group no 

 science studies are undertaken. The number of 

 students actually taking scientific subjects amounts 

 to only 287 per cent, of the total number of pupils 

 on the books, and measures are suggested for ensur- 

 ing that a greater number obtain some training in 

 science. Part of the scheme suggested is that general 

 science should be taught in the upper classes of the 

 elementary schools. The number of teachers em- 

 ployed in teaching science, and in manv cases their 

 qualifications, appear to be quite inadequate to the 

 task before them. At the vocational high school 

 shop-work is prominent, but it is surprising to note 

 that there are no laboratories equipped for work in 

 science, and no teachers apparently who are com- 

 petent to teach such subjects. In the hiprh school for 

 coloured children the condition of scientific studies is 

 even worse; it is impossible to do anvthing but text- 

 book and recitation work, and even this is done only 

 with great difficulty on account of the constant over- 

 crowding of the room. The whole school is reported 

 as unclean and insanitary and in a pitiable condition. 

 .\ COPY of the regulations and syllabus of the British 

 School of Malting and Brewing for the year 1920-21 

 has been received. The school is a department of 

 Birmingham University, and deals with all branches 

 of applied biochemistry, especially as applied to fer- 

 mentation industries, to agriculture, and to sanitation. 

 Four courses of instruction are provided — a degree 

 course, a diploma course, a part-time series of lec- 

 tures for brewers and maltsters leading to a certificate, 

 and special short courses on malting and browing. 

 The lectures for the degree are recommended to 

 students desirous of qualifying as chemists or bac- 

 teriologists in industries in which biochemislrv plavs 

 an important part. A fourth year's work in the 

 department of brewing qualifies a graduate for the 

 diploma in that science. The diploma course is 

 intended for students leaving- school who desire 

 training in the principles of malting, brewing, and 

 other fermentation industries. The first two vears 

 are devoted to general scientific training as a prepara- 

 tion for the t<jchnical work of the third vear, which 

 consists largely of acquiring a practical knowledge of 

 brewinf;- and of the methods used by brewers in the 

 judgment and valuation of barlev, malt and other 

 requisites of the trade. The part-time course for 

 brewers and maltsters is open to all, but to qualify 

 for the University certificate the candidate must have 

 had two years' practical experience in brewing or 

 malting. The cround covered is similar to that dealt 

 with in orenaration for the diploma, but the labora- 

 tory work does not Po so far into the scientific side 

 of the operations. The short courses provided are 

 intended for those who find themselves unable to 

 attend any of the above classes ; such students share 

 all advantages equally with diploma students. A 

 NO. 2660, VOL. 106]. 



time-table and syllabus of each course are given in 

 the booklet. It is interesting to note that the director 

 of the school. Prof. .\. K. Ling, has been given wide 

 powers for aiding competent research workers oon- 

 cerned with fermentation industries by finding 

 accommodation in his labor.itories and in other ways. 

 Applications for such assistance should be made 

 direct to the director of the school. 



Societies and Academies. 



>L\NC1IESTER. 



Literary and Philosophical Society, October 5. — Sir 

 Henry A Miers, president, in the chair. — Dr. A. E. 

 Oxiey : Recent researches in magnetism. .After deal- 

 ing briefly with the nature of ferro-magnetism, para- 

 magnetism, and diamagnetism, the author considered 

 the characteristic variations of these properties over 

 a range of temperature varying from that of liquid 

 air to 300° C. Practically all substances show a 

 change of magnetic property when crystallisation takes 

 place, and in the case of certain diamagnetic sub- 

 stances definite hysteresis loops with respect to tem- 

 perature have been obtained. These loops are similar 

 to those shown by nickel-steels which are ferro- 

 magnetic. The experimental results were inter- 

 preted in terms of the electron theory of magnetism, 

 and finally extended, through Tyndall's work on the 

 deportment of crystals in a magnetic field, to inter- 

 pret the nature of crystal structure and the spatial 

 distribution of electrons within the atom. The atomic 

 configuration so deduced is similar to that of the 

 cubical atom developed by Lewis and Langmuir, and 

 distinct from that of the Bohr theory, which fails 

 to account for the magnetic properties. It is con- 

 sidered, however, that these theories may be brought 

 into line in the near future by a due recognition of 

 the possible differences between radiating and non- 

 radiating ^natter. 



Paris. 



Academy of Sciences, September 27. — M. L^on 

 Guignard in the chair. — A. Appell : A partial dif- 

 ferential equation of the theory of hypergeometric 

 functions. — F. E. Fonrnier : Concerning the apparent 

 displacement of some stars in the total eclipse of the 

 sun of May 29, 1919. — M. Lageon and N. OulianoB : 

 The fjeology of the Croix-de-Fer massif. The sedi- 

 mentary zone separating the massif of Mont Blanc 

 from that of the Aiguilles-Rouges has been usually 

 considered as a simple synclinal, but E. Parejas has 

 recently proved the existence of two synclinals. .\ 

 study of the region between the Arve and the Trient 

 has now shown that the structure is still more com- 

 plex, a detailed description of which is given. — 

 C. Sanvageau : The indigenous marine algce capable 

 of furnishing gelose. — V. Burson : A solar promin- 

 ence with great radial velocities. Photographs taken 

 on September 8 showed a prominence visible on the 

 photograph of the lower layer — a phenomenon of 

 great rarity. This was followed up by a series of 

 photographs, and certain parts were shown to 

 have a radial velocity greater than 132 km. per 

 second. — H. Deslandres : Remarks on the pre- 

 ceding communication of V. Burson. — J. Welsch : 

 Position of the springs on the concave bank of rivers 

 in permeable limestone strata. — R. Cerighelli : The 

 caseous exchanges of the root with the atmosphere. 

 The respiration of plant-roots placed in a confined 

 atmosphere takes place similarly to that occurring 

 with other plant organs ; the ratio of carbon dioxide 



