150 



NATURE 



[October 7, 19 15 



gentle and unassuming character endeared him 

 to his many intimate friends and pupils. His 

 personal charm was greatly enhanced by a keen 

 sense of humour; he delighted in a good story.' 

 In conversation Minchin was gifted with a happy 

 turn of phrase. His friend, Mr. Heron-Allen, 

 with whom he spent his last days, tells us that in 

 answer to a quotation from O. \\! . Holmes, that 

 " Life, as we call it, is nothing but the edge of 

 the boundless ocean of existence where it comes 

 on soundings," Minchin replied, "And death, as 

 we call it, is nothing but the unfathomed deeps 

 of the ocean of existence where we lose the 

 sounding plumb." 



DR. T. ALBRECHT. 



WE deeply regret to announce the death, on 

 August 31, at seventy-two years of age, 

 of Dr. Theodor Albrecht, departmental chief in the 

 Royal Prussian Geodetic Institute, Potsdam, and 

 chief of the International Bureau for Investigating 

 Latitude Variation since its inception in 1898. By 

 his death, geodesy loses a painstaking and con- 

 scientious worker, who laboured zealously to un- 

 ravel a complicated problem, and to carry forward 

 the investigations so brilliantly inaugurated by 

 the late Dr. Chandler. For many years he 

 occupied himself with the study of the minute 

 changes in the position of the earth's axis, and 

 by his office had been mainly responsible for the 

 methods of observation applied, and the trust- 

 worthiness of the results derived. 



Prof. Fergola, as is well known, urged the 

 necessity of attacking this question of latitude 

 variation by a uniform and systematic method of 

 observation under international control, so far 

 back as 1883, but it was not until twelve years 

 later that any progress was made, when Profs. 

 Forster and Helmert, supported by the hopeful 

 researches of Chandler, were able to bring the 

 far-reaching scheme to fruition. From that time 

 onward, Albrecht was identified with this plan, 

 to which he gave untiring devotion. Even before 

 his appointment as director, he had signalled his 

 interest in these researches by dicussing the 

 motion of the pole in the interval 1890—95, from 

 observations made at some dozen observatories 

 in Europe and America. Since then Dr. Albrecht 

 issued reports with praiseworthy regularity, and 

 his diagrams showing the excursions of the pole 

 have been models of clearness. Under his super- 

 intendence the bureau justified itself by its dili- 

 gent, patient labour and skill in handling minute 

 details. Criticism has not been wanting, but 

 probably there was little room Tor originality or 

 brilliancy of treatment. 



The late director performed a useful work in 

 keeping an interesting problem before the scien- 

 tific world, and though in these days there must 

 be great difficulty in maintaining an international 

 bureau, supported by the varying subsidies of 

 many nations, amounting in all, we believe, to 

 about 3000Z. per annum, it would be a matter of 

 regret if any breach of continuity in the conduct 

 of the bureau should result. 

 NO. 2397, VOL. 96] 



NOTES. 



At the recent meeting in Manchester, the General 

 Committee of the British Association unanimously 

 adopted the following resolution, which has been for- 

 warded to the Prime Minister, the Chancellor of the 

 Exchequer, and the Presidents of the Board of Educa- 

 tion and of Agriculture and Fisheries: — "That the 

 British Association for the Advancement of Science, 

 believing that the higher education of the nation is of 

 supreme importance in the present crisis of our 

 history, trusts that his Majesty's Government will, by 

 continuing its financial support, maintain the efficiency 

 of teaching and research in the universities and univer- 

 sity colleges of the United Kingdom." 



The urgent need for a wise economy in every de- 

 partment of public and private life is recognised by 

 every patriot anxious to see the war brought to a 

 successful end. A timely protest In the Press from 

 Sir James Yoxall, M.P., against unintelligent and 

 wrongly directed economy deserves notice. At no time 

 In the country's history has it been more necessary 

 that every effort should be made to make our system 

 of education efiiclent and thorough, so that when 

 military conflict gives place to industrial competition 

 we may be able to hold our own with the central 

 European States. Yet Sir James Yoxall has to direct 

 attention to attempts to save money at the expense of 

 the education of the nation's children. "Supplies of 

 books, stationery, and other needed school appliances 

 are being lessened in amount or reduced in quality; 

 plans are laid for abolishing evening classes and 

 schools ; and there Is evidence of a wide general 

 slackening in educational provision." Some local edu- 

 cation authorities have contemplated reducing the 

 salaries of teachers. "The Amalgamated Association 

 of Operative Cotton Spinners, operatives themselves, 

 and many of them parents, are asking that children 

 may go into the mills to work full time at the age of 

 thirteen. Agricultural people demand ' half-time ' for 

 children of eleven ; and so does the Cotton Spinners' 

 Trade Union, I understand." Such unwise economy 

 must be discouraged everywhere, and It Is the duty of 

 every Influential person to do his part to prevent any 

 deterioration In the work of our schools and colleges, 

 because upon It our country's welfare ultimately 

 depends. 



Mr. E. W. S wanton has been elected president of 

 the British Mycologlcal Society. 



The Thomas Hawksley Lecture of the Institution 

 of Mechanical Engineers will be delivered on Friday, 

 October 29, by Dr. Dugald Clerk; the subject will 

 be, "The World's Sources of Fuel and Motive Power." 



A PRELIMINARY meeting to discuss the formation of 

 a proposed Society for the Study of Geological Physics 

 will be held at the rooms of the Geological Society of 

 London, Burlington House, W., on Thursday, October 

 14, at 3.30 p.m. The chair will be taken by Prof. 

 Benjamin Moore. 



The Issue of Science for September 17 announces 

 the death of Prof. Karl E. Guthe, professor of physics 

 in the University of Michigan and dean of the 



