68o 



NATURE 



[January 20, 192 1 



tions towards the financial needs of the college are 

 earnestly solicited. 



From the Pioneer Mail for December 24 we learn 

 that the Raja of Mahmudabad inaugurated the Muslim 

 University of Aligarh on the morning of December 17. 

 The proceedings began with a recitation from the 

 Koran, after which the Raja Sahib, who is the first 

 Vice-Chancellor of the new University, read his in- 

 augural address. He gave some account of the his- 

 tory of various Islamic universities, and expressed the 

 hope that the new institution would cause a revival 

 of old Islamic arts and sciences as well as bring 

 modern science within the reach of Muslim youths. 

 The same evening, at the dinner given by the Vice- 

 Chancellor, the latter suggested that the new Uni- 

 versity should endeavour to raise funds to render it in- 

 dependent of Government assistance ; to start this fund 

 he himself promised to give a lakh of rupees (6666!.). 



The Daily Mail is offering four scholarships, each 

 of the total value of 250Z., for students who intend to 

 study for the degree of Bachelor of Commerce at 

 London University. Candidates must be British-born, 

 and they must be engaged, or about to engage, in 

 whole-time business employment. The qualifying 

 examination will be the London Matriculation 

 Examination of June, 1921, and candidates must 

 enter for this in addition to applying for the scholar- 

 ships. Application forms for candidates living within 

 the 20-mile radius of London will be available at the 

 Efficiency Exhibition, which will open at Olympia on 

 February 10 ; those living outside this radius can 

 obtain the forms after that date by applying for the 

 catalogue of the exhibition, price is. 3d., to "Effi- 

 ciency Catalogue," Daily Mail, Carmelite House, 

 London, E.C.4. Candidates must show that they are 

 engaged, and intend to continue to be engaged, in 

 whole-time employment in business and that they 

 propose to pursue a regular course of study for the 

 degree in commerce. The scholarships will be tenable 

 for four years, and payments of the grant will be 

 subject to the student's progress. 



The second Congress of Universities of the Empire 

 will be held at Oxford on July 5-8 of this year. 

 .'Vs at the first congress, which met in London 

 in 19 12, it is expected that there will be a large 

 attendance of representatives of the universities of 

 the United Kingdom and of the King's Dominions 

 overseas. For a month all delegates from overseas 

 will be the guests of the home universities ; the latter 

 will be visited in turn either before or after the full 

 meeting of the congress. In August last letters were 

 addressed to all the universities overseas, and in 

 October a similar circular was sent to all the universi- 

 ties of the United Kingdom, asking for suggestions 

 for the agenda for the coming congress. A sub-com- 

 mittee consisting of the officers of the Bureau and the 

 Vice-Chancellors of Oxford and Cambridge sat to 

 consider the answers received, and it was decided that 

 the second congress should be devoted to considera- 

 tions of the chief fields of university activity, par- 

 ticularly to those which are new and likely to be 

 viewed from diverse points of view. The agenda 

 therefore consists of subjects dealing with the position 

 of the universities with regard to secondarv, adult, 

 technological, and commercial education; with uni- 

 versity curricula, research, and finance ; and with the 

 nroblems of the interchantre of teachers and students 

 between different universities. Lord Curzon, Mr; 

 .\. J. Balfour, Lord Haldane. Lord Crewe, Lord 

 Balfour of Burloighi Lord Shaftesbury, Lord Robert 

 Cecil, and Lord Kenyon will preside at successive 

 meetings of the congress. 



NO. 2673, VOL. 106] 



In March of last year a Royal Commission was 

 appointed to inquire into the fin'ancial resources and 

 working of the University of Dublin and of Trinity 

 College, Dublin, and to consider the application made 

 by the University for Slate financial assistance. The 

 report of the Commission, of which Sir Archibald 

 Geikie was chairman, has been issued as a Parlia- 

 mentary Paper (Cmd. 1078). The Commissioners 

 estimate that the annual cost over and above the 

 present expenditure of the college of carrying into 

 effect various recommendations will be 49,000/., and 

 that a further sum of 113,000/. will be required to 

 provide for new buildings and equipment, reconstruc- 

 tion, and necessary repairs. They are unanimously 

 of opinion that the existing resources of the Univer- 

 sity of Dublin should be augmented from public funds 

 by an immediate non-recurrent grant of 113,000/. and 

 an annual subsidy of 49,000/. The following are some 

 of the annual grants recommended: — Physics, 1350/.; 

 Dunsink Observatory, 900/. ; chemistry, 2228/. ; botany, 

 2050/.; geology, 1400/.; zoology, 2150/.; medicine, 

 5692/. ; engineering, 4270/. ; agriculture, 2000/. ; the 

 library, 1588/. ; research or travelling exhibitions, 

 2400/. Of the capital expenditure 31,500/. is recom- 

 mended for new construction and renovation for the 

 School of Chemistry ; 2000/. for gardens for the School 

 of Botany ; 7000/. for a new building for the School 

 of Zoology; 16,000/. for a new building for bacterio- 

 logical research ; 19,500/. for the Department of 

 Physiology; 25,000/. for the extension of premises 

 and equipment of the Department of Engineering; 

 and 12,400/. for a new library building and equipment. 



Engineering education in the United States is 

 carried on in two types of institution : universities 

 and independent institutes (Higher Education Circular, 

 No. 20, of the Bureau of Education, 1920). The 

 American university differs in its organisation from 

 the universities both of Latin .America and of Europe. 

 Typically, it contains a number of "schools " to which 

 students are admitted direct from the secondary 

 schools, and one or more divisions, such as medical 

 and law schools, to which students are admitted only 

 after they have completed two years' training in one 

 of the schools mentioned above. Engineering is a 

 school which offers professional training leading to 

 engineering degrees to students straight from the 

 secondary schools ; generally, engineering schools are 

 administered as separate units. The independent in- 

 stitutes are usually devoted solely to engineering, and, 

 academically, the training they provide is of the same 

 standard as that offered by the universities. Both 

 provide a course lasting four years which leads to the 

 degree of B.S. in some branch of entjineering ; it is 

 at the same time, in spirit and in tendency, a profes- 

 sional course fitting young men for the immediate 

 practice of their professions. In consequence, the 

 curriculum is determined by the requirements of the 

 profession, and, therefore, somewhat rigidly pre- 

 scribed. Recently the tendency has been to lengthen 

 the training, and several universities are now offering 

 five- and six-year courses. The expenses of foreign 

 students attendiner .American institutions vary; 

 tuition fees range from 150 to 300 dollars per annum 

 in the privately endowed schools, and in State- 

 supported institutions from 20 to 125 dollars a year. 

 Living expenses are assessed at 500 to 700 dollars per 

 annum, and further allowance must be made for 

 travelling expenses when the institution is some dis- 

 tance from ports of entry. A list is given of 127 

 schools providing four-year courses in engineering 

 which show an enrolment of ei.jno stt'dp"to : one 

 school alone, the Massachusetts Institute of Techno- 

 logy, has accepted 2291 students, while fourteen others 

 have each more than 1000 pupils. 



