23 



UDOdiledge & Selentilie Hems 



A MONTHLY JOURNAL OF SCIENCE. 



Conducted by MAJOR B. BADEN-POWELL and E. S. GREW, M.A. 



Vol. II. No. 2. [new series.] FEBRUARY, 1905. 



r Entered at -i 

 LStationers' Hall. J 



SIXPENCE. 



CONTENTS.—See Page VII. 



EditorioLl. 



.\t the end of the Prst year of the New Series of 

 " Knowledge," it will not, perhaps, appear superero- 

 gatory to review the progress of the journal since its 

 amalgamation with the " Illustr.\ted Scientific 

 News," from a material as well as from an editorial 

 standpoint. It was intended in the amalgamation to 

 preserve and present the features of both periodicals ; 

 that is to say, while the editors were determined that 

 there should be no falling off either in the amount or 

 the value of those contributions to Astronomic and 

 Natural Science which had, up to that time, formed 

 the chief contents of " Knowledge," they also be- 

 lieved that it was desirable to effect a general re- 

 arrangement of the periodical, and to add to it articles 

 on Physics, Chemistry, and Applied Science. The 

 reason for this belief was not alone that they thought 

 themselves bound to such a programme out of con- 

 sideration for the large number of readers of the 

 " Illustr.ated Scientific News " who had become 

 subscribers to the amalgamated periodical ; but because 

 they were convinced that in the new significance and 

 importance which applied science is now recognised as 

 having in every department of the national life, there 

 was a real demand for an organ which should deal with 

 such subjects in a manner that was at once authorita- 

 tive, comprehensible, and interesting. No pains or 

 expense were therefore spared to attain this end, and 

 it is an ideal to which the conductors of the paper will 

 steadily adhere during the coming year. The difficul- 

 ties that have presented themselves are none the less 

 considerable. In the first place there has been the 

 question of preserving the former scientific interests of 

 the paper without diminution, while adding the new 

 subjects. That has been a matter which has involved 

 considerable additional expense, because it has 

 necessitated not only the payment for special articles, 

 but the enlargement of the paper by the double method 

 of increasing the number of its pages and of adding to 

 the quantitv of contributed matter by the reduction, on 

 several pages, of the type. We believe that in spite of 

 one or two complaints that this or that subject has 



been included which an isolated reader did not 

 want, the endeavour has completely succeeded, and 

 that we have added alike to the attractiveness and 

 value of "Knowledge." The feature of attractive- 

 ness has also involved better printing, a very large 

 increase in the number and variety of illustrations, and 

 a better quality of paper. These matters have been 

 among the additional sources of expense, and in order 

 that the standard which has been set up may be main- 

 tained, we desire to make a special appeal to readers of 

 " Knowledge .^nd the Scientific News " to give us 

 an increasing support. There is no other scientific 

 periodical in the United Kingdom which occupies the 

 same or even a similar position, and in making this 

 appeal we feel that we are doing so not only on behalf 

 of the commercial success of our venture, but on behalf 

 of the popular advancement of scientific teaching and 

 information. 



-Some of the commercial difficulties that we have en- 

 countered in an anxious year have made it necessary to 

 effect a re-arrangement of the editorial staff, but during 

 the coming year the journal will be conducted by the 

 same editors as heretofore, with the exception that 

 Mr. E. Walter Maunder, F.R.A.S., in whose hands 

 the Astronomical editorship of "Knowledge" has 

 been so long, and whose services to the paper have 

 been most valuable, will, we regret to say, no longer 

 be able to continue in that position. We hope, never- 

 theless, that his name will continue to appear as 

 a contributor to the paper. Steps are being taken to 

 place the astronomical editorship in responsible hands, 

 and articles on astronomical subjects will continue to 

 appear from Miss Agnes Gierke, Dr. W. J. S. Lockyer, 

 Mr. J. E. Gore, and Mr. Shackleton. 



In addition to soine fine astronomical photographs 

 which we hope to present as full-page supplements, we 

 are having prepared some star maps on a new and 

 original system, which, when collected, should form a 

 complete atlas of the heavens. 



It is proposed to continue the articles on Physics, 

 Chemistry, and Geology, which have been a feature of 

 the later numbers, and we have been promised a con- 

 tinuance of contributions by Prof. A. W. Porter, Dr. 

 F. Mollwo Perkin, Prof. Grenville Cole, and Mr. 

 H. J. H. Fenton. Natural History will again be ex- 

 pounded by such authorities as Dr. Sclater, Mr. 

 Lydekker, Mr. P. Collins, and others. In all other 

 respects "Knowledge" will be conducted on those 

 lines which in the past year we hope have proved to 

 be acceptable to the great majority of our readers. 



