650 



NATURE 



[February io, 191 6 



ratus which, though they have passed out of current 

 use, are none the less valuable. A spring-cleaning of 

 the laboratories would result in many useful discoveries 

 of this kind, and the dedicating of them to this purpose 

 would "bless him that gives" as well as "him that 

 takes. " 



William Scmerville, 

 Frederick Keeble. 



Germany's Aims and Methods. 



Those of us whose educational experience has taught 

 us to see behind the scenes of English official life in 

 scientific matters for the last two or three decades will 

 be prepared to endorse the scathing indictment brought 

 against English officialdom by Sir William Ramsay 

 in his article in Nature of January 27, on " Germany's 

 Aims and Methods." My own experience, extending 

 over eighteen years as the senior science master of 

 Wellington College, led me to form conclusions which 

 were put forward in the 'eighties and the 'nineties 

 through the editorial courtesy of Nature, and are 

 therefore easily accessible. To give pointed illustra- 

 tion of this, I may quote a remark made more than 

 twenty years ago to me in a letter from a professor 

 at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, where 

 cadets were trained for the artillery, and (prospectively) 

 for the Royal Engineers. He spoke with just indig- 

 nation of science being treated as the " fifth wheel 

 of the coach." Germany has made it the '^rst wheel 

 of her coach, and has startled the British public by 

 the discovery that the Germans seem to be very clever 

 people, as the scales have fallen from unwilling eyes, 

 and the academical nose has learned that experimental 

 chemistry and research are something more than 

 " Stinks." 



Sir William Ramsay rightly condemns the principle 

 of selection for the Civil Service, and no one with 

 first-hand knowledge of the facts will gainsay his 

 conclusions on that head. But that covers only a part 

 of the ground; and we need not hesitate to say that, 

 if the brain-energy expended in the controversies about 

 the retention of Greek at Oxford and Cambridge in 

 the past twenty or thirty years had been directed 

 towards making sotne one bratich of science essential 

 (along with the present minimum of mathematics) 

 for all degrees, the outlook for England in this war 

 would have been brighter than it "is to-day. The 

 country would alsio have been saved from the evil 

 results of blank vacuity of mind on elementary matters 

 of science on the part of the majority of our states- 

 men and legislators, who receive their' 400L a year as 

 members of the House of Commons, while the more 

 general application of scientific ideas and methods to 

 commerce and manufactures might have saved us 

 from the disadvantage at which we are placed in this 

 world struggle, as this war is opening people's minds 

 to see (not without alarm) how many things we had 

 allowed ourselves to become dependent on Germany 

 for in the course of a generation. A. Irving. 



Bishop's Stortford, January 31. 



Instruction in Science for Military Purposes. 



In response to requests from a number of important 

 centres, I subjoin a syllabus covering the essential 

 points to be taught to officers, N.C.O.'s, and men 

 who have only a limited time at their disposal taken 

 from other military duties. Experience 'has shown 

 that much valuable work may be done by following on 

 the lines suggested, all extraneous matter being ex- 

 cluded. The scheme has been found to be satisfactory 

 for all ranks; in the case of officers, however, who 

 have had some previous training in science, the matters 

 may be treated in a more advanced manner. Teachers 

 will find N.C.O.'s and men very keeo and intelligent, 

 NO. 2415, VOL. 96] 



1 and completely useless men quite I'are. An excellent 

 i chance is now afforded by the men called up under 

 \ Lord Derby's scheme, of which all teachers who can 

 I should avail themselves. 



In arranging for a class regular attendance should 

 ; be insisted on. Reports on the abilities of each 

 j student are much appreciated by commanding. officers^ 

 I who are thereby assisted in making a correct choice 

 i for special duties. All lectures should be illustrated by 

 I experiments so far as possible, and parts of instru- 

 I ments described by reference to good-sized models, or, 

 ] failing these, well-executed diagrams. A class should 



not exceed twenty in number, and questions should 



be frcelv in\itcd. 

 \ ' Field Telephones. 



Time required, about twelve hours, of which the 



I first three should be devoted to the elements of elec- 



I tricity, as required for this subject. The general 



[ ground is covered by the writer's lecture, published in 



i the Journal of the Royz^l Society of Arts for September 



3, 1915. All practical details will be found in "The 



Field Artillery Telephone," by J. Young, obtainable 



' only from Cattermole, Woolwich, price gd. The 



necessity of learning the Morse code should be strongly 



impressed on all. 



Preliminary. — Vibrations ; sound — analogy between 

 gramophone and telephone. Elementary idea of elec- 

 tric current ; pressure, rate of flow and resistance. 

 Conductors and insulators — function of a tapping-key. 

 Permanent magnets — action between similar and oppo- 

 site poles. Electromagnets — rule for polarity. 



Induced currents — induction coil — how alternating 

 currents are produced in secondary. 



Cells — meaning of 4- and — poles. Description of 

 "inert" dry cell; how to test for efficiency; useful 

 life. How to couple cells in series. Condensers — 

 elementary notion, action on direct and alternating- 

 currents. 



Service Telephones, chiefly the "D Mark III." (If 

 the actual instruments are not available, models will 

 be found useful.) Typical circuit for field telephones. 

 Earth returns. Description of microphone and re- 

 ceiver (service patterns). Action of a single-reed 

 buzzer. Polarised double-reed buzzer of D Mark III. : 

 adjustments, cuirent required for efficient working. 

 Complete circuit of D Mark III. telephone. Circuit of 

 Stevens's telephone. Tests for efficiency of telephones r 

 likely defects ; how remedied. 



Lines. — Single and multiple lines. Repairing broken 

 lines. Causes of overhearing. How to tap into an- 

 existing line. Telephone exchange, simple form. 



Practical Work. — Examination of cells w-ith volt- 

 meter ; connecting in series.- Rewiring a transmitter 

 and receiver. Repairing a broken line of stranded 

 steel wire (very important). If instruments are avail- 

 able, one or two exercises in the field in laying lines 

 and communicating by speech and Morse code on the 

 buzzer may be given. 



Poison Gases. 

 Full details of this subject are not made public. 

 The teacher must use his judgment as to gases likely 

 to be used; chlorine may be taken as typical. The 

 best absorbents of each gas should be stated, together 

 with information about helmets and their proper use. 

 Stress should be laid on the necessity of complete 

 absence of exertion and administration of oxygen in 

 rendering first aid to a sufferer. A description of 

 oxygen apparatus as used in mines should be given. 

 I Two or three hours may be given to this subject. 



j Range Finders. 



I Lectures on this subject should be directed to an 



I understanding of "one-man" range finders, and par- 



