712 



NATURE 



[January 27, 192 1 



equation gives it, and thus the parallax can be 

 measured spectroscopically. This work brought out 

 very clearly the division of the red stars into a very 

 bright group and a very faint group, with no stars 

 of intermediate brightness. 



The absolute magnitude depends on mass, density, 

 and surface brightness. The only information as to 

 mass is obtained from binary stars, and for these the 

 total range in mass is only from nineteen times that 

 of the sun to one-quarter that of the sun. 



The surface brightness for stars with similar spectra 

 must be nearly equal, and thus the average red star 

 of the bright group, which gives out looo times as 

 much light as the average red star of the faint group, 

 must have looo times the surface and 30,000 times 

 the volume of the latter. Hence the terms " giant " 

 and "dwarf." If the masses are equal the densities 

 will be in the ratio 30,000 to i. 



For special classes of stars the relative surface 

 brightness can be obtained, and it is found that the 

 very white stars give out 500 times as much light 

 per unit-surface as the very red stars. For the giant 

 stars the densitv increases" from the red stars to the 

 ■white, while for the dwarf stars the density increases 

 from 'the white stars to the red. As the giant stars 

 contract and get hotter the increase in surface bright- 

 ness nearlv balances the decrease in surface, and the 

 stars remain nearlv constant in brightness, as _ 16 

 actuallv found to be the case. After a limiting density 

 is reached cooling follows further contraction, and 

 both the surface brightness and surface decrease 

 together, and a rapid diminution of light is the result. 

 This also is confirmed by observation. 



University and Educational Intelligence. 



London. — Among the proceedings of the Senate on 

 January 19 are the following:— 



Miss Philippa Chicheley Esdaile, D.Sc. (Man- 

 chester), has been appointed as from February 1 to 

 the University readership in biology tenable m the 

 Household and Social Science Department of Kmg's 

 College for Women. Miss Esdaile has held a 

 zoological research studentship -and an honorary re- 

 search fellowship in the University of Manchester, 

 where she has also been assistant demonstrator in 

 the Zoological Department. In 1914 Miss Esdaile 

 was elected to a research fellowship at University 

 College, Reading, and from 1915 to 1920 she was 

 acting head of the Department of Zoology at Bedford 

 College during the absence on war service of Dr. 

 Marett Tims. Since last August she has been senior 

 lecturer on zoologv at Birkbeck College. She is the 

 author of various 'publications, especially on salmon- 

 scale research. m r> 



The following doctorates were conferred -.—i^/LLi. 

 in Philosophy: Mr. N. K. Datta, an internal student, 

 of University College, for a thesis entitled -The 

 Vedanta: Its Place as a System of Metaphysics. 

 DSc. in Mathematics: Mr. S. R. U. Saveer, an 

 external student, for a thesis entitled " On the In- 

 stabilitv of the Pear-shaped Figure of Equilibrium of 

 a Rotating Mass of Homogeneous Liquid. 



\ resolution was adopted expressing the gratihca- 

 tion with which the Senate had heard of the 

 anonymous donation of ao.oooi. made to the authori- 

 ties of the Middlesex Hospital Medical School for the 

 endowment of the University chair of physiology there 

 tenable. 



A LECTURE on " Agricultural Botany " will be given 

 by' Prof. R. Biffen at King's College, Strand, \V.C.2, 

 on Saturdav morning, February 5, at 11 o'clock, in 

 connection 'with the London County Council's lec- 



tures for teachers. The chair will be taken by Sir 

 A. Daniel Hall. 



The War Work Council of the Y.M.C.A. in the 

 United States of America has recently made a grant 

 of 1,960,000 dollars for the fund out of which it pro- 

 vides scholarships and other educational assistance 

 for ex-Service men. The grant makes the funds avail- 

 able for this purpose amount to 6,100,000 dollars. 

 Free scholarship awards representing an expenditure 

 of 2,367,895 dollars have been given to 38,582 former 

 Service men, and in all the sum of 5,050,000 dollars 

 has been apportioned to scholarships. 



A COURSE of nine public lectures on " Problems of 

 Modern Science," to be given on Wednesdays at 

 5.15 p.m., began at King's College on January 19 

 with a lecture by Prof. J. W. Nicholson on Mathe- 

 matics. The other subjects and lecturers in the course 

 are as follows: — January 26, Astronomy, Prof. J. B. 

 Dale ; February 2, Phys'ics, Prof. O. W. Richardson ; 

 February 9, Chemistry, Prof. S. Smiles ; February 16, 

 Geology', Prof. W. T. Gordon; February 23, Biology, 

 Prof. A. Dendy; March 2, Botany, Dr. R. Ruggles 

 Gates; March 9, Physiology, Prof. W. D. 

 Halliburton; and March 16, Anatomy, Prof. E. 

 Barclay-Smith. The lectures are free, and cards of 

 admission can be obtained from the Lecture Secretary, 

 King's College, Strand, W.C.2. A stamped ad- 

 dressed envelope should be enclosed. 



With commendable promptness the Association of 

 Science Teachers has published a new edition of the 

 " Hook List " which was issued about a year ago. 

 Sections on zoology, natural history, and astronomy 

 have been added in the present volume, in which the 

 old list has been extended and revised in many ways. 

 The compilation should be of great assistance to 

 those who are responsible for the selection of science 

 books for use in class, for reference by both pupils 

 and teachers, or for general school libraries. Its 

 special value lies in the fact that the books included 

 are in everv case recommended by teachers who are 

 exceptionally well qualified to judge of their suit- 

 ability. "Book List, 1920," may be obtained at the 

 price of 2x. from the Hon. Secretary, Association of 

 Science Teachers, 10 Gresley Road, London, N.19. 



Figures compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Education 

 showing the public expenditure on education and the 

 incomes of the various colleges, etc., in the United 

 States are issued in School Life for December i last. 

 The figures for 19 18 and previous years are taken 

 from the annual report of the Commissioner of 

 Education; those for 1919 and 1920 are estimated. 

 Throughout the period investigated, from 1870 

 onwards, the yearly increase in expenditure on educa- 

 tion has grown successively larger. In 1870 the 

 charge for elementary schools was 2 dollars per head 

 of the population; it is now 9.50 dollars per head. 

 The incorne of colleges, universities, and technical 

 schools for 1920 was two and one-third times as much 

 as it was in 1910 and thirty-six times what it was in 

 1870. The total sum which it is estimated was spent 

 on education in the United States during 1920 is 

 1,224,000,000 dollars; this sum is approximately half 

 the world's expenditure for educational purposes, 

 although the people served represent only one- 

 seventeenth of the world's population. 



P.1RT I. of the Indian Bureau of Education Publica- 

 tion entitled " Selections from Educational Records " 

 has been received. It consists of reprints of 

 a number of documents relating to education 

 in India for the period 1 781-1839, which illustrate 

 the gradual growth of the feeling of responsibility for 

 Indian education in the minds of Englishmen. The 

 records which have been utilised come mainly from 

 the Government of India, though a few have been 



