August 5, 1920] 



NATURE 



n^ 



vpicuous instance. Mr. Walter Morrison, of Balliol 

 College, has just paid to Bodley's librarian the sum 

 of 5o,oooi. for the capital account of the library. No 

 further conditions are annexed to the gift. This is 

 not the only benefaction for which the University is 

 indebted to Mr. Morrison, for some eight years ago 

 he gave io,oooZ. to each of three funds — one for the 

 readership in Egyptology, another for the promotion 

 of the study of agriculture, and a third towards the 

 establishment of a professors' pension fund. 



The Cairo correspondent of the Times announces 

 that the American Presbyterian Board proposes to 

 establish a university at Cairo, and has purchased a 

 fine site for the building. The new University will 

 be composed of five colleges, namely, arts. Oriental 

 languages, teachers, commerce, and agriculture. It 

 is stated that the first of these will be opened in 

 October. 



Notice is given that, provided sufficient merit be 

 sliown, an election to a fellowship in experimental 

 jihysics or physical chemistry at Trinity College, 

 Dublin, will take place in May, iq2I. Candidates 

 must submit papers or theses (published or unpub- 

 lished) on or before March 25 next. Further par- 

 ticulars may be obtained from the Registrar, Trinity 

 College, Dublin. 



On the occasion of the meeting of the British 

 Association at Cardiff on August 24-28 the University 

 of Wales will confer the honorary degree of D.Sc. 

 upon the following- : — Dr. H. F. Osborn, president 

 of the American Museum of Natural History, or, if 

 he is unable to attend. Prof. C. A. Kofoid, Univer- 

 sity of California ; Prof. G. Gilson, University of 

 Louvain, or, if he cannot attend, Dr. C. H. Ostenfeld, 

 University of Copenhagen ; Don Gullermo Joaquin de 

 Osma, Madrid ; and Prof. Yyes-Guyot, Paris. 



The following subjects of wide educational interest 

 are to be discussed at meetings of the Old Students' 

 .Association of the Royal College of Science, London, 

 in the autumn : — September 14, Pre-Kensington His- 

 tory of the Royal College of Science and the Univer- 

 sity Problem in London, Prof. H. E. Armstrong; 

 October 12, The Proposed University of Science and 

 Technology : Can a Useful and Worthy University 

 be based on Pure and Applied Science?, Mr. J. W. 

 Williamson ; and November 9, The Nationalisation 

 of Universities, Viscount Haldane. 



Dr. R. S. Clay, principal of the Northern Poly- 

 technic Institute, Holloway, London, N.7, informs us 

 that the governors are re-establishing in September 

 the school of rubber technology at this Polytechnic, 

 and that the school will in future be under the 

 directorship of Dr. P. Shidrowitz, well known by his 

 researches and publications on the chemistry and 

 technology of rubber. There will be a day course 

 open only to students who have had a thorough 

 training in chemistry — preferably at one of the uni- 

 versities — and evening classes for those already in 

 the industry. The school will be in close touch with 

 the industry, as it will be under an advisory com- 

 mittee composed of representatives of the manufac- 

 turers, growers, dealers, rubber engineers, etc., and 

 will, therefore, afford a sound theoretical and practical 

 training for those proposing to ente^ a rubber factory. 



The May issue of School Life, issued by the U.S. 

 Bureau of Education, shows that there has been a large 

 increase in the demand for collegiate education during 

 the ten years between 1905-6 and 19 15-16, The f>eriod 

 shows an advance, especially in public institutions, 

 from 258,603 in 1905-6 to 387,106 in 1915-16, being an 

 increase in the case of men of 40-1 per cent., and in 

 that of women of 70 per cent. The number of 

 NO. 2649, VOL. 105"] 



teachers engaged has also risen from 23,950 to 31,312. 

 The total income of these institutions has grown 

 during this period from 62,499,931 dollars t6 

 133,627,911 dollars, or 113 per cent., made up of 

 students' fees 36,133,969 dollars, productive funds 

 18,983,868 dollars. United States Government 6,258,931 

 dollars. State or city 32,204,111 dollars, private bene- 

 factions 30,196,006 dollars, and other sources 9,850,326 

 dollars. The endowment fund increased from 

 248,430,394 dollars in 1905-6 to 425,245,270 dollars in 

 1915-16, or 71-2 per cent. A further table shows that 

 during the last three years there has been a general 

 increase of attendance of 25 per cent, at these 

 institutions. 



The activities of the U.S. Department of the 

 Interior (Bureau of Education) include the bi-monthly 

 issue of a journal entitled School Life. Tliat of May 

 last is concerned largely with the question of the 

 supply and remuneration of teachers, a problem 

 apparently even more acute in America than in this 

 country, as is instanced by the fact that on a given 

 day in May the School Board Service Division ot the 

 Bureau of Education received 436 requests for teachers, 

 with only seven teachers applying for posts. The chief 

 of the Division reports that a year ago there were 

 14,000 registrations from teachers willing to take 

 positions. A recent canvass of this list showed only 

 about 4000 now available for service. The maximum 

 average annual salary of teachers for any State is 

 1600 dollars, whilst the minimum is 93 dollars. The 

 journal further deals with the payment of university 

 teachers, and asks the question : Does it pay to be a 

 college professor? The result of a recent inquiry 

 circular sent out by the Bureau, to which more than 

 two-thirds of the colleges and universities returned 

 detailed and accurate answers, was that in privately 

 supported institutions full professors are receiving on 

 the average 2304 dollars per annum, while assistant 

 professors and instructors draw salaries of about 

 1800 dollars and 1200 dollars respectively. The 

 salaries of professors at State institutions average 

 3126 dollars, of assistant professors 2100 dollars, and 

 of instructors 1400 dollars. There is an interesting 

 table comparing the salaries in 19 19 of professors, 

 assistant professors, and instructors with those of 

 artisans and labourers, much to the advantage of the 

 latter in some cases. 



The development of social activities in the country 

 districts is a problem of the first importance, and in 

 the May issue of the Journal of the Ministry of 

 Agriculture there is a most interesting paper entitled 

 "Social Service in Rural Areas." The author. Sir 

 Henry Rew, points out that if we are to maintain 

 our agricultural output we must provide for the 

 recreation of our farm labourers and their families. 

 The cooditions of village life, and, indeed, the whole 

 psychology of the village people, >»ave undergone 

 great changes in the last few years. The young men 

 returning from the Army to their native villages have 

 found expression ; the economic status of the farm- 

 worker is improved; and, above all, there now exists 

 a definite organisation of the farm-workers. These 

 men are essentially a practical race ; their ambitions 

 are not restricted to increased wages ; they simply 

 make a reasonable claim that life shall not be merely 

 a weary monotony of toil, but that there shall be 

 opportunities for enjoyment — more than are afforded 

 by the village alehouse. The demand is universal, 

 and must l>e met without delay. In the Report of 

 the Adult Education Committee it is suggested that 

 everv village should be provided with an institute 

 under full public control. This institute should be the 

 centre of alL communal activity, educational, social, 

 and recreational. 



