November 13, 1919] 



NATURE 



289 



of any previous fifty years (or, for that matter, 

 any previous one hundred and fifty years) of i 

 the world's history, and there can be no ques- : 

 tion that, in that progress. Nature has been 

 indeed pars magna. All the indications, how- 

 ever, point to the conclusion that, splendid and 

 memorable as has been the advancement of science 

 in that half-century, the next fifty years will see 

 the chariot wheels revolving with a vastly increased 

 velocity. That being probably so, it is equally clear 

 that the services of such a journal as Nature will, in 

 the future, be more needed than ever before. I con- 

 gratulate, ex imo pectore, all concerned in its pub- ; 

 lication on the conspicuous ability with which it has ; 

 been conducted, the splendid progress it has made, 

 and the value of the work it has done since the issue , 

 of its initial number. But I also congratulate, with 

 equal cordiality, the entire scientific world, at the com- 

 mencement of another vitally important half-century, 

 on the possession of such a very ably conducted and 

 enlightened organ, and I fervently pray that, when 

 the year 1969 arrives, it will find our beloved Nature 

 still holding on its way and, in its very old age, still 

 bringing forth such fruit as it now yields from week 

 to week with ceaseless regularity, acceptance, and 

 success. 



University of Birmingham. Vice-rrincipal : Sir 

 \Vm. Ashi.f.v. — The influence of Nature on the wel- 

 fare of modern universities is matter for grateful 

 acknowledgment. It has fostered that local generosity 

 and enlightened opinion which led to their foundation 

 and endowment. Through its columns there has 

 appeared an informed and helpful criticism that has 

 furthered university growth and development, and its 

 records of progress in science have been of value to 

 all graduates, and specially to those scattered in dis- 

 tant centres. The list of universities is not yet com- 

 plete. A new age of learning has begun. New centres 

 for promoting "humane" and scientific knowledge 

 are arising. Meanwhile, as one of recent growth, 

 the University of Birmingham cordially congratulates 

 Nature on its successful advocacy of higher learning, 

 and sincerely hopes that its influence may continue 

 to help those who are shaping the educational future 

 of the Empire during the fateful years that are 

 coming. 



University of Bristol. Vice-Chancellor: Sir Isambard 

 Owen. D.C.L., M.D. — I hope I may be permitted to 

 offer my hearty congratulations to Nature upon the 

 attainment of its jubilee. Since its first appearance 

 in 1869 Nature has occupied an essential place in the 

 scientific life of this country, and may pride itself on 

 having attained the rare position of an indispensable 

 publication. I shall but be voicing the feeling of the 

 whole scientific world in wishing it a long career of 

 continued prosperity and usefulness. 



University of Cambridge. Vice-Chancellor : Dr. P. 

 Giles. — It must be a great satisfaction to all who 

 admire and wish well to British learning to know that 

 at the end of its fifty years of successful career Nature 

 remains as it has so long been : a most valuable 

 medium of opinion and criticism on scientific subjects. 

 To Nature the man who is remote from academic 

 centres looks for the first information on new dis- 

 NO. 261 1, VOL. 104] 



coveries and for a sound judgment on the publications 

 of the scientific world. One result of the war has 

 been an advance, rapid beyond past experience, in 

 many fields of knowledge. Of all such advances may 

 Nature continue to be the herald as heretofore ! 



University of Durham. Vice-Chancellor : Mr. J. S. G. 

 Pemberton. — The Vice-Chancellor, on behalf of 

 the University of Durham in general, and the 

 Dean of the Faculty of Science, on behalf of 

 the Science Faculty at .Armstrong College in 

 particular, send hearty congratulations to Nature 

 on the celebration of its jubilee. Nature, in the 

 past, has occupied a unique position in forming 

 a connecting link between workers in various branches 

 of science the world over. Many a time discussions 

 on subjects of interest to more than one scientific 

 section have been carried on in its columns. A notable 

 case was when the late Lord Rayleigh in 1892, in a 

 letter to Nature, asked for suggestions from chemists 

 as to the reason for the discrepancy he had found 

 : between the densities of "atmospheric" and 

 " chemical " nitrogen. This led eventually to the 

 successful co-operation of Lord Rayleigh and Sir 

 William Ramsay in the discovery of "argon." Such 

 interlinking between the sciences promises to be of 

 even greater importance in the future. 



University of Edinburgh. Printipal and Vice-Chan- 

 . cellor : .Sir Alkred Ewing, K.C.B., F.R.S. — My debt 

 \ to Nature extends back to the 'seventies, when we 

 were both very young. From time to time I have 

 been a contributor; always an interested reader. In 

 the steady advance and diffusion of scientific know- 

 ledge during half a century Nature has taken an 

 honourable part, maintaining a standard which has 

 never failed to command the respect and gratitude 

 of serious workers. That its usefulness may long 

 continue is the confident hope of many who in a 

 double sense are students of Nature. 



University of Glasgow. Vice-Chancellor: Sir 

 Donald MacAlister, K.C.B. — I attended the 

 dinner given to the Editor of Nature five-and- 

 , twenty years ago, when Huxley and other con- 

 temporary leaders in science bore strong testimony 

 to the great part which the journal had played 

 in furthering the cause of natural knowledge and 

 inquiry in tWs country. Nature has, in the fateful 

 years since then, maintained and enhanced its 

 influence and usefulness. It has become, indeed, 

 an indispensable factor in the development of 

 i British science. It still furnishes " solid ground " 

 : to "the mind that builds for aye." It still 

 informs, chastens, and stimulates the scientific 

 worker and the scientific teacher. None interested 

 in modern higher education in particular can 

 afford to overlook a single weekly number, except 

 at the risk of missing a link in the evolution of the 

 subject. 



The University, Leeds. Vice-Chancellor : Sir Michael 

 Sadler, K.C.S.l. — We bring our tribute of gratitude 

 and honour to those who have made the columns of 

 Nature during its fifty years of public service a 

 source of indispensable help and stimulus to students 

 of science and to those engaged in scientific educa- 

 tion. The exacting care with which it has been 



