178 



NATURE 



[October 15, 19 14 



address in the Town Hall that evening. With 

 a more than considerate regard to the traditional, 

 if somewhat mythical, rivalry between Melbourne 

 and Sydney, Prof. Bateson had divided his 

 address into two equal parts, and the Sydney 

 members had the privilege of listening to that half 

 in which he discussed problems of heredity more 

 especially as affecting man. The importance of 

 the occasion was marked by the presence in the 

 chair of the Governor, and the Lieutenant- 

 Governor proposed the vote of thanks which 

 followed the lecture. Probably to many in the 

 large audience the literary beauty of the address 

 was as remarkable as the startling statements 

 with which it was punctuated ; while Sir Edward 

 Schafer, in seconding the vote of thanks, gave 

 it as his opinion that we had listened to a 

 deliverance which was epoch-making. 



On Friday morning the meetings of the sec- 

 tions were resumed, and the remaining sectional 

 presidential addresses delivered. The presence 

 of Sir Oliver Lodge and Sir Ernest Rutherford 

 attracted large audiences to the Mathematical and 

 Physical Section throughout the meeting. The 

 Geological Section was popular, especially on the 

 last day of the meeting when Sir Douglas Maw- 

 son, who had just returned to Australia in time 

 to be present, opened the discussion on Antarctica. 

 The section of Anthropology had most carefully 

 stage-managed the production of the Darling 

 Downs Skull. This discovery, and the presence 

 of Prof. Elliot Smith, Prof, von Luschan, 

 and other anthropologists, attracted large audi- 

 ences to Section H. And, finally, it is 

 scarcely necessary to remark that, under 

 Prof. Perry's guidance, the meetings of the 

 Educational Section were both lively and well- 

 attended. But so much was heard of the tyranny 

 of the ancient languages that it is whispered 

 that at least one educational authority thought 

 that the time had come for a sub-division of 

 Section L, in order that the friends of Latin and 

 Greek and the Humanities might have an oppor- 

 tunity In calmer surroundings of attempting to 

 solve educational problems in their own way. 



I have already spoken of the Impression made 

 by the President's address. The two evening 

 discourses were given by Prof. Elliot Smith and 

 Sir Ernest Rutherford. The former wa'i back 

 among his own people ; and the huge audience 

 which listened to his address showed that his 

 countrymen were proud of him and of his work. 

 In discoursing on Primitive Man on Friday, he 

 gave special prominence to the discovery of the 

 Darling Downs Skull, announced to the Anthro- 

 pology Section that morning, by Profs. David and 

 Wilson. It seems probable that this event alone 

 would be sufficient to make the Australian 

 meeting memorable. The second discourse was 

 delivered by Sir Ernest Rutherford In the begin- 

 ning of the week, also to a large audience. He 

 chose as his subject Atoms and Electrons. Sir 

 Ernest Rutherford, also, was back among his own 

 people, for though the New Zealander is not an 

 Australian, both are Australasians; and it was 



NO. 2346, VOL. 94] 



remarkably appropriate that the honour of giving 

 these two discourses should have been awarded 

 to these two men. 



The Citizens' Lectures were delivered under 

 the auspices of the Workers' Educational Associa- 

 tion ; the first, by Prof. Benjamin Moore, on the 

 Saturday evening. He dealt more particularly 

 with the principles of evolution, both in things 

 organic and inorganic. After demonstrating the 

 operation of bright sunshine on brown earth, he 

 described how the process of evolution is every- 

 where at work, transforming both nature and 

 society. Prof. Turner, on the Tuesday evening, 

 spoke upon Comets to an audience of more than 

 3000 people. By accident — or it may have been 

 by design — both these speakers proved to be 

 hearty supporters of the Workers' Educational 

 Association, and the audiences fully appreciated 

 their cordial references to this movement. 



The luncheon, which the State Government gave 

 in honour of the Association on Friday, was a 

 most interesting function. The oration by the 

 Premier and the reply by the President of the 

 Association were most remarkable deliverances. 

 The other social events of the week were the 

 garden party at Government House, an afternoon 

 excursion in the Harbour, and the Lord Mayor's 

 ball. There was some talk of this last function 

 being changed into a reception, owing to the 

 special circumstances of the meeting, but to 

 those with whom the decision lay It seemed best 

 that the original programme be carried out. 

 There can be no doubt that all these events 

 added greatly to the enjoyment of the members. 

 Elaborate preparations had also been made for a 

 conversazione at the University on Tuesday 

 evening, at which degrees were to be conferred 

 on some of our distinguished visitors. However, 

 owing to the death on the previous day of the 

 Chancellor of the University, the Hon. Sir Nor- 

 mand MacLaurin, one of the greatest men 

 whom this country has produced, this function 

 was cancelled. The degrees will be conferred 

 in absentia. 



The excursions arranged for the week-end 

 proved most successful. The members were 

 scattered over a wide range of country. Some, 

 interested In agriculture, were shown what was 

 being done under varied conditions In different 

 parts of New South Wales. Geologists were 

 taken over the coal fields of the Lower Hunter. 

 Engineers visited the Burrinjuck Dam and the 

 Murrumbldgee irrigation area. Botanists saw 

 something of our flora, and zoologists had a 

 successful dredging expedition, while the men 

 of science as a body seemed wholly unable to 

 resist the temptation of the excursions to the 

 Jenolan Caves and the Blue Mountains. These 

 proved so popular that they had to be duplicated. 



The British Association has shown its appre- 

 ciation of the Australian attitude to the meeting 

 in a very practical form. Thanks to the large 

 membership, the sum available for scientific 

 grants is much greater than usual. A large part 

 of this money has been allotted to the Local Com- 



