398 



NATURE 



[January 17, 19 18 



Prof. Eddington, however, in succeeding issues of 

 the Phil. Mag. (September and October, 1917), has now 

 applied my theory to the Earth and Venus, and shown 

 that according: to it either their orbits must revolve, or 

 their eccentricities must be affected, to an extent small 

 indeed, but greater than is astronomically allowable. 

 Also that there will be unpermissible variations of 

 eccentricity for^ Mercury and Mars. Hence the whole 

 matter is sub judice, and the last word has not been 

 spoken. 



Conclusion. 



Finally, it is necessary to say that this astronomical 

 -application of the electrical theory of matter — at any 

 rate as g-iven here— assumes that the extra or spurious 

 inertia due to motion is not subject to gravity. If it 

 is a portion of the true mass, and as much subject to 

 gravitational pull as all the rest of the inertia, then 

 it would seem that there should be no perturbation at 

 •all,^ for weight and mass will be still accurately pro- 

 portional. . 



But certain analogies suggest to me that in all prob- 

 ability the part of inertia dependent on motion is due 

 to aethereal reaction and is not likely to add to the 

 body's weight. 



Until we have some theory as to the nature of 

 g^ravity we cannot definitely pronounce on such a point, 

 though meanwhile the success or otherwise of the 

 above astronomical application may tend to bear some 

 testimony on this very point. If the calculated perturba- 

 tion does not exist, it may mean either that the inertia 

 -of matter does not vary with speed as electrical theory 

 predicts, or else that every kind of inertia, however 

 caused, is fully subject to gravity, which in itself would 

 be a momentous conclusion. In that case (I may say 

 Incidentally) the deflection of a ray of starlight grazing 

 the sun or other large body is decidedly to be expected, 

 the deflection being probably 2gR/c^; v^-here the g and 

 R are solar. 



We must, however, anticipate that if the ultimate 

 •conclusion does turn out negative, and if, taking all the 

 planets into consideration, no such set of perturbations 

 as is here foreshadowed can be really allowed, it will be 

 •claimed as one more negative answer returned by the 

 aether. And we must regretfully admit that every 

 negative answer tends (at least temporarily) to 

 ■strengthen the apparently growing faith in that com- 

 plex and perturbing view of the relation between space 

 and time and matter which is known as the Principle 

 of Relativity. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE. 



Two Theresa Seessel research fellowships, to pro- 

 mote original research in biological studies, are offered 

 in competition by Yale University. The fellowships 

 are open to men or women, and each' is of the value 

 of 200L Applications, accompanied by letters of recom- 

 mendation, reprints of scientific publications, and a 

 statement of the particular problem which the candi- 

 date is prepared to investigate, should reach the Dean 

 of the Graduate School, New Haven, Conn., U.S.A., 

 before April i next. 



The City Council of Rome has nominated a com- 

 mittee for the formation in Rome of an " Elementary 

 School of Industrial Chemistry," with the view of 

 "improving existing education on the subject and to 

 arrange for new courses of instruction in this modern 

 industry, which may have a great future in our city." 

 The committee, arrcording to L'Economista d'ltalia 



" I lave since seen reason to modify this at first sight obvious opinion, and 

 have more to say on this subject ; probably in the Philosophical Magazine 

 for Februarj', 1918. 



I for January i, has already commenced work, and ho{)i -. 

 to be able to conclude its deliberations during Januarx , 

 so that at the end of the present school year 

 the school can begin its courses and take part at once 

 in the professional culture of the Rome working classes 

 and preparations for the after-war campaign in the 

 city. 



The annual , meeting of the Mathematical .\ssocia- 

 ciation was held on January 9 and 10. In his presi- 

 dential address on '" Mathematics and Individuality," 

 Prof. T. P. Nunn maintained that the development of 

 individuality is the only natural and reasonable ideal 

 in education. He pleaded for much greater freedom 

 for boys and girls in choosing both the distribution of 

 their time and the lines along which their energies 

 should be directed. The function of the teacher should 

 be to "stand by," giving help in the form of guidance 

 and advice, and, where necessary, teaching. This 

 teaching should be partly collective as now, but to a 

 large extent it should be given to individuals, or at 

 least to small groups of pupils. In this way boys and 

 girls, free to follow their own bent and to give scope to 

 their natural impulses towards knowledge, would not 

 only find much greater vividness and reality in their 

 school work, but each of them would also 

 be prepared to make later that unique contri- 

 bution which he alone can make to the varie- 

 gated whole of human life. Such freedom to 

 each to make the best of his life in his own wa}- 

 is the source of all higher goods ; education can accept 

 no lower, and can find no higher, aim. In a newly 

 constituted " advanced section " Dr. W. P. Milne read 

 a paper on " The Graphical Treatment of Power 

 Series." He urged, in teaching higher algebra, both 

 the use of graphical and intuitional methods and the 

 application of the calculus. Principal Hatton raised the 

 question of the omission of mathematics from Section 

 A of the new scheme for Class I. of the Civil Service 

 Examination. After some discussion it was agreed 

 to ask the Commissioners to add the words "and 

 mathematics" to the title of subject 4 ("The general 

 principles, methods, and applications of science ") and 

 to double the number of marks assigned to that sub- 

 ject. 



A RECENT issue of the EducMional Supplement of 

 the Times included a translation of an article piib- 

 lished in the Berlin Lokalanzeiger describing how 

 the German working classes in particular would be 

 reduced to a wretched condition if Germany were to 

 lose this war, or even if it were to be obliged to con- 

 clude a peace of renunciation. That, the article urges, 

 is not only applicable to the economic position of the 

 German working classes, it may also be said to the 

 same extent of the intellectual development of the 

 masses of the people. That they will be the most 

 severely affected if Germany is obliged to bear alone 

 the burdens of war will clearly appear from a retro- 

 spect of what Germany has achieved until now in 

 regard to popular education. The total financial needs 

 of the German States amounted in 1910, apart from 

 the expenses on behalf of the Imperial Army and thr 

 Navy, to about 150,000,000/. ; 13-8 per cent, of this was 

 expended for science and instruction, 8-9 per cent, on 

 schools alone, and 7-1 per cent, on the people's schools. 

 In iqii the German States and municipalities raised 

 together nearly 44,000,000/. for the schools, of which 

 3-^,500,000/. was for the benefit of the people's schools 

 alone. That means, the article states, that in Germany 

 per head of the pnoulation 13s. was expended, in 

 England 85... and in France 75. "If in Germany until 

 now" more than 50,000,000/. was spent yearly exclu- 

 sively for educational purposes, the question arises, 

 the German writer continues, if these achievements 



NO. 2516, VOL. 100] 



