



654 



NATURE 



[January 20, 192 1 



of Science and Technology, which came into being 

 in 1907 by the amalgamation under one govern- 

 ing body of these establishments and the Central 

 Technical College, founded by the liberality of 

 the great Livery Companies acting together 

 through the City and Guilds of London Institute 

 for the Advancement of Technical Education. The 

 Imperial College, which became a school of the 

 University, has since extended the scope of its 

 work by the establishment of several new depart- 

 ments, and, having made good in these varied 

 activities, especially during the war period, now 

 presents itself as a formidable rival of the Uni- 

 versity in appealing for statutory powers to confer 

 degrees on its alumni. In this claim to recogni- 

 tion as a university of technology, the Imperial 

 College points to the established reputation of 

 its staff and the admittedly high standard of its 

 teaching, to the honours gained by its students in 

 the University examinations, and to the scientific 

 interest attaching to the investigations pursued 

 in its research laboratories. From the point of 

 view of the Imperial College, the University 

 examinations are an unnecessary incubus, requir- 

 ing from their students in November examinational 

 tests precisely similar to those which these candi- 

 dates passed successfully in the preceding June, 

 sometimes under the inspection of the same 

 examiners. 



In order to appreciate the position of the Uni- 

 versity in the light of this objection, it is desirable 

 to recall the changes which have occurred during 

 the last two or three decades in the regulations 

 relating to degrees in science. Formerly, candi- 

 dates for the intermediate examination in science 

 were required to qualify not only in mathematics, 

 physics, and chemistry, but also in biology, the 

 requirements in the last-named science being of a 

 generalised but practical character. Moreover, 

 candidates for the B.Sc. with honours were re- 

 quired first to qualify for the pass B.Sc. by exam- 

 ination in any three of the sciences, after which 

 they could present themselves for honours in one 

 or more of the three selected subjects. The effect 

 of these older regulations for the intermediate and 

 pass examinations was to encourage the attain- 

 ment of a wide knowledge of science and to 

 counteract the evil of premature specialisation. 



At present the training in biology has disap- 

 peared entirely ' except for those who wish to 

 specialise in this direction. The broad basis of a 

 knowledge of three sciences is maintained only 

 for those B.Sc. candidates whose natural modesty 

 or lack of self-confidence prevents them from 

 NO. 2673, VOL. 106] 



aspiring to the honours standard, where one prin- 

 cipal science and one subsidiary subject only are 

 required. The present B.Sc. with honours is in 

 reality a lower measure of comprehensive scientific 

 scholarship than the pass degree; it is largely a 

 degree in physics, chemistry, zoology, or some 

 other single branch of science. The substitution 

 of narrow specialisation for broad scholarship in 

 its science degrees has left the University in this 

 respect with no effective reply to the criticism of 

 the Imperial College. Nevertheless, if the gradu- 

 ate in technology is to be not merely a capable 

 technologist, but also a well-informed member of 

 an enlightened democracy, he will need to learn 

 many things not contained within the purview of 

 a degree in applied science, and it is the proper 

 function of the University to provide him with 

 facilities for acquiring this wider and more liberal 

 education. 



On the other hand, the Imperial College cannot 

 hope to establish, and still less can it expect to 

 maintain, a monopoly in applied science. Many 

 teachers of the aflfiliated schools of the University 

 have in the past made notable contributions to 

 the improvement of industry, and, given adequate 

 facilities for unfettered research, such successes 

 will certainly recur even more frequently in the 

 future. It would be nothing short of a calamity 

 if the tendency towards concentration of educa- 

 tional effort should lead, for example, to the ex- 

 tinction of the Finsbury Technical College, the 

 oldest school of technology in London, which, 

 founded in 1878 by the City and Guilds of London 

 Institute, and developed along original lines by 

 an inspiring band of teachers, including Ayrton, 

 Armstrong, Meldola, Perry, and Silvanus 

 Thompson, has a record of scientific achievement 

 not less meritorious than that of any other college 

 in the metropolitan area. The contemplated clos- 

 ing of this college illustrates one of the risks of 

 over-centralisation ; for, while it is vitally import- 

 ant to establish institutions giving the highest 

 specialised instruction and providing the fullest 

 equipment for the most advanced training and re- 

 search in science, yet due regard must be paid 

 to the claims of the other less pretentious scientific 

 colleges and institutes situated in the various 

 metropolitan boroughs, since these more localised 

 establishments play an important twofold part, 

 first in supplying scientific students suflSciently 

 trained to profit by post-graduate work, and 

 secondly in bringing university teaching within 

 easy reach of the inhabitants of their respective 

 districts. 



