452 



NATURE 



[February 7, 1918. 



are most likely to appear around and among active 

 spot-groups, especially groups which are developing 

 and have many component members. At times they 

 follow one another like the balls of a Roman candle, 

 at intervals varying from ten to twenty minutes. Two 

 essential conditions for their observation are good 

 seeing and a large solar image. The appearance sug- 

 gests something of the nature of an explosion, in 

 which nothing but hydrogen seems to be involved. The 

 level at which the explosions occur would seem to lie 

 below the reversing layer, as the Fraunhofer lines, 

 including those of hydrogen, do not seem to be affected. 

 The phenomenon is quite distinct from the ordinary 

 eruptive reversals of Ha, in which the continuity of 

 the dark line is interrupted. 



"Annuaire du Bureau des Longitudes." — In addi- 

 tion to the valuable astronomical tables and explanatory 

 matter which ordinarily appear in this well-known 

 official publication, the volume for 19 18 includes a 

 number of articles of special interest. Among these 

 is the first part of an extensive study of sundials by 

 M. Bigourdan ; the Egyptian calendar, by the same 

 author; the sun and terrestrial magnetism, by M. 

 Hamy; and the life and work of Gaston Darboux, by 

 M. Emile Picard. It should be noted that the tabular 

 matter is not exclusively astronomical, but also in- 

 cludes authoritative data which make the volume a 

 valuable source of reference on questions relating to 

 meteorology, terrestrial magnetism, physics, and chem- 

 istry. The Annuaire is published at two francs by 

 Messrs. Gauthier-Villars et Cie. 



Third Melbourne Star Catalogue. — ^The third Mel- 

 bourne General Catalogue of 3068 stars, for the 

 equinox 1890, has recently been issued. It is based 

 upon observations made at the Melbourne Observatory 

 during the period 1884 to 1894, under the direction of 

 Mr. R. J. EUery, and has been prepared for publica- 

 tion by the present Government Astronomer, Mr. P. 

 Baracchi. The catalogue includes fundamental stars 

 used for the determination of clock-error and azimuth, 

 guide-stars in connection with the astrographic work, 

 and various stars observed for special purposes at the 

 request of other astronomers. The second catalogue, | 

 of 12 II stars, was published in 1889. 



THE ENDOWMENT OF UNIVERSITY 

 AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION. 



MR. H. A. L. FISHER, President of the Board of 

 Education, speaking at Birmingham on January 

 31, referred to the support afforded to higher education 

 in the United States and Germany in comparison with 

 that in England. He is reported by the Times to have 

 said that "he had been looking into the endowments 

 from private sources which have been going to the 

 American universities on one hand, and to the Eng- 

 lish universities on the other, in recent years. In the 

 period from 1906 to 19 17 the American universities 

 received an average of more than four millions 

 annually from private sources, whereas our universi- 

 ties were lucky if they received 20o,oooZ. in one year. 

 Concerning the amount of State help to the universi- 

 ties in Prussia on one hand, and in England and 

 Wales on the other, whereas the Prussian universities 

 receive rather more than a million pounds a year, our 

 universities and technical institutes receive 378,000!. 

 from the rates and taxes combined. The comparison 

 is even more unfair to England than it appears at first 

 sight, because the Prussian figures exclude the endow- 

 ments of the technical institutions and sums paid by 

 the State to assist the training of teachers." 



We are glad that Mr. Fisher has directed attention 

 to the need for more liberal provision for university 



NO. 2519, VOL. 100] 



and higher technical education in this country, as in- 

 dicated by the support offered in other countries. The 

 most complete survey of State-aid and private endow- 

 ments for scientific and educational purposes is that 

 given annually in the report of the British Science 

 Guild; and in connection with Mr. Fisher's remarks 

 it is of interest to extract the following faCts from 

 such reports published in recent years : — 



(i) The grand total of gifts to education in the 

 United States during the forty-four years 187 1- 

 1914 was 116,883,600!. The average annual amount 

 of new benefactions during the four years 1911-14 

 was six million pounds, excluding grants by the United 

 States, different States, and municipalities; in the 

 United Kingdom, the average is less than one-twentieth 

 this amount. 



(2) The total receipts of universities in the United 

 States in the year 1910-11 amounted to nearly nine- 

 teen million pounds, and the benefactions to five 

 millions. In the same financial year, the total in- 

 comes of those universities and university colleges in 

 Great Britain which are in receipt of State grants was 

 little more than one-seventh of the amount of gifts 

 to education in the States, and was less than one- 

 thirtieth of the incomes of the universities there. 



(3) The income from endowments in the case of the 

 universities and university colleges receiving Treasury 

 grants is about 85,000!. for England and 4000!. for 

 Wales; or, say, 90,000!. for Great Britain. Five uni- 

 versities in the United States have each a much greater 

 income from private endowment funds alorte than the 

 total endowment income of State-aided universities and 

 university colleges in Great Britain. They are : — 

 Harvard University, 239,500!. ; Columbia University, 

 199,700!. ; Leland Stanford Junior University, 177,400!. ; 

 University of Chicago, 164,700!. ; and Yale University, 

 140,900!. 



(4) Our Treasury grants in aid of expenses of universi- 

 ties and university colleges amount to about 300,000!. 

 The Treasury grants of the United States Government to 

 universities and colleges amount to 1,175,000!., and the 

 State or city grants for current expenses to 2,940,000!., 

 or more than 4,000,000!. in all. The contributions of 

 several single States in the United States, from State 

 or city funds, for current expenses of universities and 

 other institutions of higher education approach the 

 total amount of the grant made for like purposes In 

 Great Britain. 



(5) In Germany, State subsidies provide the main 

 part of the incomes of the universities. The annual 

 expenditure for the universities from State funds 

 amounts in round figures to 1,800,000!. In 1913 the 

 expenditure of the University of Berlin alone was 

 242,000!. ; and of this amount 200,000!., or about 83 per 

 cent., was derived from .State funds. 



(6) The total number of full-time day students in 

 the universities of the United Kingdom is about 21,000, 

 in comparison with 55,000 in German universities. In 

 our technical institutions, the number of day students 

 in attendance is about 2000, in comparison with 16,000 

 in the technical high schools of Germany. The seventy- 

 two universities, colleges, and technical schools in the 

 United States, on the accepted list of the Carnegie 

 Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, had, in 

 1910, 89,000 students. 



It is evident that we have much leeway to make up 

 in order to increase the number of highly trained men 

 required to enable us to come into line with the United 

 States and Germany as regards the provision for the 

 scientific development of our industries. There is no 

 more important problem of reconstruction than that of 

 extending our facilities for higher education, yet almost 

 nothing has been done to enable our universities and 

 technical institutions to provide for the extensions 

 which are needed for national security in the future. 



