640 



NATURE 



[February 3, 19 16 



authorities, and even the quaiiiications of members of 

 the Board assigned to special posts in connection with 

 work of science and technology, subjects and methods 

 of instruction, and the like. The matter was brought 

 before the House of Commons on January 26 by Sir 

 Philip Magnus, who asked the Prime Minister " whether 

 he will consider the desirability of appointing a Com- 

 mittee of Members of the House of Commons, and of 

 other persons interested in and having a practical 

 knowledge of the subject, to inquire into the present 

 organisation of education in this country, and to 

 report as to whether, having regard to the experience 

 gained in the operations of the war and to the new 

 social and economic conditions that may result when 

 the war is over, any and, if so, what changes it may 

 be thought advisable to introduce into our national 

 system of education, with a view to establishing, 

 without unduly interfering with other aims, a closer 

 connection between our commercial and industrial re- 

 quirements and the teaching provided in our several 

 educational institutions, and in order to secure such 

 further development as may be found necessary of 

 existing facilities for scientific research and the better 

 training of all classes of the population for the activi- 

 ties in which they may be severally engaged?" Mr. 

 Asquith's reply was somewhat evasive of the points 

 raised ; and the substance of it was that he did not think it 

 would be desirable to set up the Committee suggested, 

 and that the President of the Board of Education 

 would be glad "to consult all persons or bodies who are 

 in a position to give advice on this matter." As the 

 functions and influence of the Board itself are among 

 the main points requiring consideration, the reply 

 cannot be regarded as very satisfactory, and we hope 

 that Sir Philip Magnus will raise the matter again. 

 The Board is now practically the supreme governing 

 body, not only of almost every grade and class of 

 school, but also of most of our university institutions ; 

 and in its hands lies the scheme for the development 

 of scientific and industrial research. As we under- 

 stand the question, one of the objects of the Com- 

 mittee would be to inquire whether the Board is pro- 

 moting? educational and other work adapted to modern 

 conditions and national needs, and whether practical 

 and scientific studies can receive adequate attention 

 under its present constitution. There are many who 

 think otherwise, and a Committee could determine 

 whether the dissatisfaction is well founded or not. 



A COMMITTEE of the Association of Public School 

 Science Masters has drawn up a strong memorandum 

 on the unsatisfactory position which science occupies 

 in national affairs, and particularly in our public 

 schools and the old universities. The memorandum 

 is signed by many distinguished leaders of scientific 

 work and thought, and communications with reference 

 to it are invited by the committee ; they should be 

 addressed to the secretary. Reorganisation Committee, 

 107 Piccadilly, London, VV. A few of the matters 

 mentioned in the memorandum are here summarised : 

 Not only are our highest Ministers of State ignorant 

 of science, but the same defect runs through almost 

 all the pulalic departments of the Civil Service. It is 

 nearly universal in the House of Commons, and is 

 shared by the general public, including a large propor- 

 tion of those engaged in industrial and commercial 

 enterprise. An important exception to this rule is 

 furnished by the Navy, and also by the medical service 

 of the Army. Our success now, and in the difficult 

 time of reorganisation after the war, depends largely 

 on the possession by our leaders and administrators of 

 scientific method and the scientific habit of mind. 

 For more than fifty years efforts have been made by 

 those who arc convinced of the value of training in 

 experimental science to obtain its Introduction into the 

 NO. 2414, VOL. 96I 



schools and colleges of the country as an essential part 

 of the education given therein. At Cambridge only 

 four colleges are presided over by men of scientific 

 training ; at Oxford not one. Of the thirty-five largest 

 and best known public schools, thirty-four have classical 

 men as headmasters. Science holds no place in the 

 list. Science has been introduced as an optional sub- 

 ject for the Civil Service examinations, but matters 

 are so arranged that only one-fourth of the candidates 

 offer themselves for examination in science. It does 

 not pay them to do so ; for in Latin and Greek alone 

 (including ancient history) they can obtain 3200 marks, 

 while for science the maximum is 2400, and to obtain 

 this total a candidate must take four distinct branches 

 of science. For entrance into Woolwich, science has 

 within the last few years been made compulsory, but 

 for Sandhurst it still remains optional. This college 

 is probably the only military institution in Europe 

 where science is not included in the curriculum. If a 

 Bill were passed directing the Civil Service Commis- 

 sioners and Army Examination Board to give a pre- 

 ponderating — or at least an equal — share of marks in 

 the competitive examination to science subjects, with 

 safeguards so as to make them tests of genuine scien- 

 tific education and not an incentive to mere "cram," 

 the object we have in view would be obtained. Even- 

 tually the Board of Trade would be replaced by a 

 Ministry of Science, Commerce, and Industry, in full 

 touch with the scientific knowledge of the moment. 

 Public opinion would compel the inclusion of great 

 scientific discoverers and inventors as a matter of 

 course in the Privy Council, and their occupation in the 

 service of the State. Our desire is to direct attention 

 to this matter, not in the interests of existing profes- 

 sional men of science, but as a reform which is vital 

 to the continued existence of this country as a Great 

 Power. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 

 London. 

 Royal Society, January 27. — Sir J. J. Thomson, 

 president, in the chair. — Prof. J. Joly : A collision 

 predictor. The collision predictor is a mathematical 

 instrument of simple construction. It enables the 

 mariner when navigating in fog or thick weather to 

 foretell risk of collision with another ship, and also the 

 moment at which the risk is greatest. The ships con- 

 cerned are supposed to be aware of each other's course 

 and speed, and (at intervals) of their distance apart. 

 The determination of distance is made according to 

 principles described in a previous communication to the 

 Royal Society. The operation of taking a reading on 

 the collision predictor takes less than half a minute. 

 The construction of the instrument and the principles 

 involved cannot be conveyed without diagrams. — Dr. 

 C. Chree : Discussion of Kew magnetic data, 

 especially the diurnal irregularities of horizontal force 

 and vertical force, from ordinary days of the eleven 

 years 1890 to 1900. The paper is mainly devoted to 

 a discussion of the results of measurements of the 

 horizontal force and vertical force curves from the 

 magnetographs at Kew Observatory for the eleven 

 years 1890 to 1900. Subsequent to 1900, artificial elec- 

 tric currents diminished the value of the curves. One 

 of the main objects is the study of the diurnal variation 

 as given by "ordinary" days, i.e. all days with the 

 exception of the highly disturbed. The changes of 

 the regular diurnal variation throughout the year 

 are dealt with in detail, and the inequalities are ex- 

 pressed in Fourier series. An investigation is also 

 made of the annual inequality. For this purpose use 

 is made of results for years subsequent to 1900, as 

 well as of those between 1890 and 1900. The relation 



