x\uGUST 8, 19 1 8] 



NATURE 



445 



by the phenomenon of geometrical symmetry, and cor- 

 responding numerical symmetry of parts in 4's, 6's, i 

 8's, 12 's, and so on. We are dealing with what look ' 

 like vibration-phenomena, with their nodes and inter- 

 nodes ; and that is just what I think they really are. 

 Romanes, when he was studying the Medusse, re- 

 marked that " the organism is constructed on what we 

 may metaphorically [?] term a very definite plan"; 

 that its organs had "a very precise geometrical rela- 

 tion " to one another, and that its radial canals were 

 "disposed with perfect symmetry." Tliese are indeed \ 

 very remarkable features, and the vibration hypothesis 

 seems fitted to account for them all. 



What the motions are which the vibrations of the 

 little bell set up in the surrounding fluid, and how 

 these current or vortex movements may I'eact upon 

 the shape of the belj itself, is (I think) another chapter 

 of the same story. D'Arcy W. Thompson. 



The University, St. Andrews, July 31. 



The Encouragement of Invention. 



Whilst everyone, including our Government, ex- ' 

 presses anxiety to encourage invention in this country, 

 this same Government does what it can to stifle it 

 bv taxing royalties on patents as unearned income. 

 Tf anv income is earned, and dearly earned, I should ' 

 - \ that it is that derived from patents. 



Spencer Pickering. 



THE EDUCATION BILL. 



I^HE third reading- of the Education Bill was 

 agreed to by the House of Lords on Monday, i 

 August 5, and it is expected that the measure will i 

 receive the Royal assent during- this week. The \ 

 Bill passed through its second reading- and Com- , 

 mittee stages in the House of Lords without note- 

 W'Orthy changes. Lord Lytton moved the second ' 

 reading on July 23, and represented the Board of 

 Education during the Committee stage. 



Lord Sydenham made a praiseworthy effort to 

 secure the insertion of the words "including in- 

 struction in science" in sub-section i of the Bill, 

 but unsuccessfully. He pointed out that it is re- 

 markable that the word " science " do€s not appear 

 in the Bill, and he rightly urged that in the 

 twentieth century no educational measure is com- 

 plete which overlooks the power of science and the 

 influence of the scientific spirit. Cookery is men- 

 tioned in the Bill, yet Lord Lytton objected to the 

 insertion of the words suggested by Lord Syden- 

 ham on the ground that reference should not be 

 made to specific subjects of instruction. It was 

 misleading for Lord Lytton to refer to science as 

 an item in the curriculum, and to object to the in- 

 clusion of the word in the Bill on that account ; for 

 Ix>rd Sydenham's amendment had as its intention 

 not so much the prescription of a particular subject 

 of study as the recognition of a prime factor of 

 modern life. 



Lord Crewe, leader of the Oppositi(Mi, paid a 



' igh tribute to Mr. Fisher for the masterly way in 



hich he had been able to satisfy so many of the 



ducational needs of the country, and at the same 



time to commend his reforms both to the House 



of Commons and to the country. He regarded the 



'>ncession of the postponement of compulsory con - 



nuation education in the case of children between 



sixteen and eighteen as mainly justified by the 



NO. 2545, VOL. lOl] 



impossibility of obtaining the requisite supply of 

 teachers, but was somewhat more doubtful about 

 the reduction of the Tiours of attendance in con- 

 tinuation schools from 320 to 280. 



In reply to some critical observations on the 

 financial aspects of the Bill, Lord Lytton said it 

 was not possible to give an accurate estimate of 

 what the Bill would cost, but the largest item 

 would be the expenditure on continuation schools. 

 In England and Wales, with a population of 

 36,000,000, the expenditure on secondary and 

 higher education is 6,500,000/. For the same pur- 

 poses Prussia, with a population of 40,000,000, 

 spends 10,000,000?., and in the United States, with 

 a pofvulation of 91,000,000, the expenditure has 

 risen from nearly 38,ooo,oooL in 1913 to 44,000,000!. 

 in 1916. In view of these comparisons. Lord 

 Lytton asked : Could we afford to neglect further 

 provision for higher education? We spend 

 30,000, oooL on elementary education, and do not 

 get the full benefit of the expenditure. 



These comments by the Government spokesman 

 for the Bill seem to be somewhat disingenuous, 

 seeing that the Bill provides no guarantee of any 

 sort of the much-needed development of higher 

 education in the only real sense — that is, of : 

 persons above the age of eighteen. This is dis- 

 tinctly a blot on the Bill, the more noticeable 

 because no undertaking has been given by Mr. 

 Fisher that adequate provision will be made for 

 the development of university education and the 

 encouragement of scientific research. One result 

 of the Bill is sure to be that rate-aid for education 

 and the attention of local education authorities will 

 be fully mortgaged for elementary and secondary 

 education. It will, therefore, be incumbent upon 

 the Government to provide a large part of the 

 funds required for university education. 



During the discussion of the Bill in the House 

 of Lords, Lord Bryce expressed the view of an 

 ancient corporation that the Board of Education 

 should hold its hand before creating any more 

 universities in this country. A. more helpful sug- 

 gestion would have been for the appointment of 

 some impartial authority to examine the whole 

 question of the provision of education of university 

 type, and the facilities available to enable men 

 and women to obtain a university education. On 

 one hand, the war has shown that the country 

 needs a much larger supply of highly trained men 

 and women, and, on the other, it is common know- 

 ledge that thousands of qualified students are 

 unable to afford a university education, the 

 financial incidents of which will become much more 

 difficult after the war. If the soldier in the 

 trenches, who, by the qualities of courage and 

 cheerful fortitude he has shown during the war, 

 has satisfied the highest tests of education, is 

 found to require further instruction, what would be 

 the verdict in the case of our diplomats, Civil 

 Servants, and Staff officers? It is to be hoped that 

 Mr. Fisher, having achieved a great personal 

 triumph in the passing into law of his Education 

 Bill, will attack the problem of higher education 

 with equal fervour and success. 



