May 17, 1917] 



NATURE 



^-'D 



OUR BOOKSHELF. 



Science Francaise — Scolastique AUeinande. Par 

 Prof. G. Papillault. Pp. iv-fi54. (Paris: 

 Librairie Felix Alcan, 1917.) Price 2.50 fr. 

 This volume is one of the well-known series 

 " Bibliotheque de Philosophic contemporaine," 

 and the author is professor of sociolog^y at the 

 School of Anthropolog^y of Paris. There has 

 been a great mass of literature that is inspired 

 by a form of patriotism, published in France and 

 over here, on the defects of German character and 

 the incompetence of the Germans in science, so 

 that it is a relief to have the author's assurance 

 (p. 3) that this is not tlie case with his book. 

 His object is to estimate scientifically the value 

 of German thought as shown in its principal 

 philosophical systems and in its most evident 

 general tendencies. The methods used are 

 tw o : one is to regard a philosophy as an 

 effect of psycho-social causes, and the other is to 

 regard it as a cause. It is impossible not to feel 

 that regarding Kant or Hegel or Nietzsche as a 

 cause of the ideals of the State current in Ger- 

 many is somewhat of the nature of wisdom — if 

 it is wisdom — after the event. In this book it 

 is Kant who comes in for blame. 



The second part of the book deals with the 

 sophisms made by the rational instincts, chiefly 

 of Germans, and the third part is a comparison 

 of the great philosophical systems with scientific 

 and sophistical methods. German thought is, 

 we hear, "scholastic" and "sterile"; certain 

 rather inferior Germans used to say very much 

 the same thing about what was too subtle for 

 them. ^ 



The Chemists' Year Book, 1917. Edited by 

 F. W. Atack, assisted by L. Whinyates. In 

 2 vols. Pp. 1030. {London and Manchester : 

 Sherratt and Hughes, 1917.) Price 10^. 6d. 

 net. 

 The general character of the contents of these 

 excellent volumes was described in the review of 

 the 1916 issue published in Nature for June 15 

 last (vol. xcvii., p. 320). In the present edition, 

 in addition to general revision, the sections on 

 gas analysis, sulphuric acid, oils and fats, fuels 

 and illuminants, and photography have been 

 thoroughly revised; and that on textile fibres has 

 been rewritten. New sections have been added 

 on the analysis of essential oils, the efficiency of 

 boiler plant, cement, and paints and pigments. 

 It is hoped In next year's issue of the Year 

 Book to include articles on ceramics, lubricants, 

 and metallurgy and metallography, which had 

 unavoidably to be held over this year. 



The thorough editorial work has well main- 

 tained the trustworthiness and up-to-date 

 character of this comprehensive compilation. 



X-rays. By Dr. G. W. C. Kaye. Second edi- 

 tion. Pp. xxii + 285. (London: Longmans, 

 Green and Co., 1917.) Price 95. net. 

 The first edition of Dr. Kaye's book was re- 

 viewed in the issue of Nature for March 25, 1915 

 NO. 2481, VOL. 99] 



(vol. xcv. , p. 87) ; and it will be enough to say 

 of the new edition that, §9 /ar as his mUitary 

 duties have permitted, the author, who now ranks 

 as a captain in the Royal Engineers (T.), has 

 thoroughly revised the text and incorporated all 

 important original work published up to June of 

 last year. An additional chapter on X-ray equip- 

 nsent and technique by Mr. W. F. Higgins has 

 been incorporated. 



j LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. 



\ [The Editor does not hold himself responsible for 

 j opinions expressed by his correspondents. Neither 

 I can he undertake to return, or to correspond with 

 ! the writers of, rejected manuscripts intended for 

 j this or any other part of Nature. No notice is 

 taken of anonymous communications.] 



Classical Education and Modern Needs. 

 In his reply to Mr. Livingstone's letter in Nature 

 of May lb Mr. Wells makes a point which classical 

 apologists, especially those who have not had experi- 

 ence in teaching boy^ seem incapable of grasping. 

 Mr. Livingstone, on his own showing, would seem 

 to have fallen into a like error. For more than 

 twenty years it has been my lot to teach science to 

 boys, most of whom are graded on their proficiency 

 in linguistic studies, chiefly Latin and Greek. Ex- 

 perience has convinced me that it is a fundamental 

 mistake to suppose that boys even of fifteen or sixteen 

 show marked taste or ability for science or mechanics 

 as exposed to linguistics, or vice versa. Those that 

 do are the exceptions that prove the rule. 



The boys who are best at classics are also 

 best at science. It is a question of general ability 

 and nothing more. The fallacy that success in, or 

 aptitude for, science denotes the possession of a special 

 kind of intelligence, rarely forthcoming, but always 

 clearly marked at an early age where it does exist, 

 needs uproodng now and for ever; its prevalence is 

 widespread, and the mischief it has done is great. 



Every intelligent boy must be given equal oppor- 

 tunities in science and languages in the widest sense 

 of the word, until he is old enough to show which 

 line of study he can most 4)rofitably follow. L'ntil- 

 I this is done, and while only those boys who show 

 I a want of literary faculties are encouraged to "take 

 I up science," so long will the best brains of our rising 

 ! generation be imperfectly trained, and the potentiali- 

 j ties of the nation towards achievement in science 

 j stunted and handicapped. M. D. Hill. 



Eton College, Windsor, May 13. 



Aeroplanes and Atmospheric Gustiness. 



The invitation of Prof. McAdie to readers of Nature 

 (April 12, p. 125), to offer suggestions on die above 

 subject, is one to which I, for one, am very glad 

 indeed to respond, although I may not be able to 

 add much of value to what has already been said in 

 previous writings regarding gusts. 



It is a common matter of agreement, I think, .that 

 the gust condition is associated, not with mere velocity 

 of the air — which is already identified with the idea of 

 wind — ^but with changing velocit\- of the air. The 

 simplest record of that, and so, on this view, of the 

 gust, seems to be the instantaneous acceleraticm of 

 the air, moment afier moment. Accordinglv I would 

 suggest that continuous obser\'atory records of gusti- 

 ness might already be obtained, by first obtaining 

 ordinary anemograph records of the wind, with time 

 scales open enough to show distinctly whole seconds ; 

 and by then graphicallv difTerentiating such records 



