August 31, 1916] 



NATURE 



545 



tical training-." This, however, must not be 

 taken to mean technical instruction in applied 

 science, or the position of physical and natural 

 science as an integral part of a truly liberal edu- 

 cation will be seriously imjjerilled. How far the 

 old universities themselves should be encouraged 

 to deal with the technological aspects of science 

 is an open question. The report states that " the 

 subjects for which either Oxford or Cambridge, 

 or both, may be regarded as offering special 

 advantages are : Classics, history, mathematics, 

 pure science. The modern universities should be 

 better, as a rule, for students desirous to pursue 

 commerce, applied science, technology." All this 

 has its bearing on the source, the p>ecuniary value, 

 and the tenure of scholarships to be held in the 

 universities. 



The Government has already appointed a Com- 

 mittee of the Privy Council for Scientific and In- 

 dustrial Research and an Advisory Council to sur- 

 vey the field and propose schemes to this com- 

 mittee. In connection with research, the impor- 

 tance of continuing scholarships for a fourth or 

 fifth year is indicated in the report. After the 

 rather obvious remark that "the good researcher 

 is rare," reference is made to the qualifications of 

 women in this direction. " One of our witnesses," 

 it is said, "has spoken unfavourably of women 

 as researchers, at any rate in chemistry; but in 

 our opinion experience does not point to any 

 such general conclusion. Judgment should come 

 later, after a full trial of feminine capacity in this 

 direction." With this sentiment we heartily 

 agree, notwithstanding the impression that the 

 experience of teachers of chemistry and physics 

 up to the present generally supports the view of 

 the witness referred to. The independent 

 research accomplished by women, to judge by 

 published work, has been chiefly in connection 

 with biological subjects. 



The Committee has drawn up a series of 

 General Conclusions, followed by a number of 

 definite Recommendations. Among the general 

 conclusions the report contains the following 

 passages, with which most readers will agree •. — 



The system of scholarships at every grade of educa- 

 tion should be judged from the point of view of 

 national needs. . . . The exceptional needs of the 

 nation are at the present moment, and will be for 

 some time to come, rather on the scientific and tech- 

 nological side than on the literary side. ... 



The first need is the wider recognition, especially by 

 employers, of the benefits that can be obtained by the 

 employment in industry', agriculture, and commerce 

 of men trained in science — in all grades, but especially 

 for directive and advisory posts. 



Secondly, the most useful thing that can be done 

 without any great increase in the means at our dis- 

 posal is to encourage research in existing institutions 

 after graduation. The prolongation of scholarships 

 in suitable cases is one means that is available ; other 

 means fall within the province of the Committee of 

 the Privy Council. 



Improved and extended .places of higher tech- 

 nical and scientific instruction as well as improved 

 secondary education are needed, and as the uni- 



NO. 2444, VOL. 97] 



versities, colleges, and schools are strengthened 

 and the number of workers increases, so an 

 increase in the supply of scholarships will become 

 necessary. It appears to be admitted on all sides 

 that we must be prepared after the war for a 

 great increase in the cost of education in all de- 

 partments. The Committee makes an estimate 

 of the cost of the additional .scholarships and 

 other forms of endowment recommended in the 

 report. The amount of their estimate, 339,500^. 

 a year, cannot be regarded as excessive, but it 

 will probably be prudent to begin with modera- 

 tion and to be satisfied with additional endow- 

 ments in proportion as the expense seems to be 

 justified by experience. 



The recommendations of the Committee are as 

 foUov/s : — 



We recommend for the consideration of the Board 

 of Education, and of those local education authorities 

 which have power to grant scholarships from 

 secondary schools to universities and other places of 

 higher education, and of other authorities so far as 

 they may be concerned :— 



General Principles. 



(i) That, in framing schemes for scholarships, the 

 following ends be kept in view : the training of men 

 and women according to their capacity that they may 

 serve the needs of the nation in the manner for which 

 they' are best fitted ; the reward of merit and the 

 encouragement of learning; and the provision of equal 

 educational opportunity : the furtherance of industry, 

 agriculture, and commerce being regarded as a prin- 

 cipal need of the nation, and higher education being 

 regarded as a means to this end among^ others. 



(2) That, for the furtherance of higher scientific 

 and technological education, scholarships from 

 secondary schools to universities and the highest scien- 

 tific and technical colleges be still accepted as the 

 principal means. 



(3) Nevertheless that, as supplementary and subsi- 

 diary means to the same end. scholarships from 

 secondary schools to senior technical schools and tech- 

 nical colleges, from senior technical schools to univ^- 

 sities and other places of higher education, from even- 

 ing classes and works-schools to technical colleges and 

 universities, be also granted on a suitable scale. 



(4) That a certain proportion of scholarships to 

 places of higher education should be granted to candi- 

 dates who show merit under scientific and mathe- 

 matical tests alone, without any test of general educa- 

 tion beyond an examination in the English language. 



(5) That the matriculation tests at the universities 

 be modified so as to admit to full university privileges 

 scholars who, having obtained their training by part- 

 time or discontinuous instruction, have been selected 

 by the tests indicated in recommendation (4), and are 

 able to satisfy the university authorities that thev are 

 fit to take advantage of university instruction in science 

 or technolo^-. 



Aid Required from Government. 



(6) In proportion as the provision of higher 

 secondarx"^ education is extended, improved, and used, 

 the provision of scholarships by local authorities to 

 universities will need to be correspondingly increased. 



The provision of such scholarships for women needs 

 immediate increase. 



But, in order to hasten the extension of higher 

 secondare' education — especially for boys — we venture 

 to suggest that a substantial grant-in-aid be made at 



