136 
NATURE 
[| DECEMBER 6, 1906 
our haste we impose Western conceptions of justice 
on people who are still in the clan-stage ot 
society, our judgments seem to such people absurdly 
unjust, and even pernicious. . . . There are few things 
the old people grumble about so much as the way the 
proximity of Europeans, with their new-fangled ideas 
of justice, undermines the characters of young Kafirs. 
In olden days there were regular courts of investiga- 
tion, consisting of a dozen old women of the kraal. 
All the girls were medically examined by these women 
before and after large dances; and thus certain forms 
of vice were impossible as they would be so speedily 
detected. Nowadays the young women will not 
submit to such examination, and threaten to complain 
to the nearest magistrate when it is suggested. Con- 
sequently, so the old people say, ancient restraints 
have been removed, and no new ones have been 
substituted by white men. The result is disas- 
trous. 2s 
“The case of ‘mixed bathing’ of the children is 
another example of a somewhat similar thing. Ac- 
cording to Western conceptions of morality this prac- 
tice is indelicate and liable to lead to immorality. 
So missionaries advised natives to abandon it. The 
natives now declare that the abandonment of this cus- 
tom has led to an increase of immorality, and say 
that it introduces new vices amongst the people.” — 
Mr. Kidd is not the only author who has pointed 
out the injury to health and to morals inflicted on 
native races by forcing upon them European ideas 
and customs. People know too little of anthropology 
and of evolution. They are not aware that the prac- 
tices, which are as second nature to themselves, have 
only become so by a course of selective action through 
thousands of years, and that to force changes on 
natives whose course of evolution has been so dif- 
ferent is almost certain to be disastrous. Changes 
take time; Nature will not be hurried: and it is 
particularly necessary to understand, not only the 
native customs, but the reasons which have deter- 
mined them. As a contribution to this end, a work 
with many interesting observations and a considerable 
array of facts, Mr. Kidd’s book may be commended. 
MEETING OF THE ROYAL 
SOCIETY. 
qpe2 anniversary mecting of the Royal Society 
was held as usual on St. Andrew’s Day, Novem- 
ber 30, when the report of the council was presented, 
the presidential address was read, and the new 
council already announced (p. 36) for the ensuing 
year was elected. The annual dinner was held in 
the evening at the Hétel Métropole, the chair being 
taken by Sir William Huggins, K.C.B., in the ab- 
sence of the president, Lord Rayleigh, owing to 
illness. 
_ The main features of the activity of the Royal 
Society during the session 1905-6 are described in the 
report of the council. Among other subjects referred 
to is the preparation of the reports on the scientific 
results obtained by the late National Antarctic Ex- 
pedition. The council has decided that these reports 
shall be published in quarto form, uniform with the 
Philosophical Transactions and the Challenger pub- 
lications. ; 
In May last the council learned that the funds 
(36,000l.) provided by the British South Africa Com- 
pany for the South African meridian arc had been 
exhausted. The are had been extended beyond the 
Zambezi towards Lake Tanganyika, but a gap of 120 
miles existed in the middle of it. It was estimated 
that 16001. was required to fill this gap, and the 
matter was most urgent in view of the pending 
NO. 1936, VOL. 75 
ANNIVERSARY 
disbandment of the surveying parties. The officers 
had intimated by authority from the president that 
the Royal Society would probably be able to subscribe 
3001. from its private funds on condition that the re- 
mainder of the money required were provided; and, 
on the strength of this information, Sir G. Darwin 
obtained a promise of Sool. from the British South 
Africa Company, tool. from the Royal Geographical 
Society, tool. from Wernher, Beit and Co., and 
cabled to Sir D. Gill that the surveying party was to 
proceed, thus assuming responsibility for the remain- 
ine 3001. This 300l. has since been subscribed by the 
British Association from its special South African 
fund. 
The council of the International Association of 
Academies met in Vienna at the end of May last, 
Prof. Schuster attending as representative of the 
Royal Society. Two proposals submitted by the 
society received considerable support. Regarding 
one of these, which aims at the establishment of a 
uniform lunar nomenclature, the council resolved to 
recommend to the general assembly of the association 
the appointment of a committee to consider the sub- 
ject. The proposal that the association should allow 
itself to be placed at the head of the bodies constitut- 
ing the International Union for Solar Research was 
considered, and, while sympathy was expressed with 
the wishes of the Solar Union, the. council felt a diffi- 
culty in recommending a scheme that might involve 
the association in responsibilities which it had no 
legal power to incur. Prof. Schuster undertook to 
bring the matter forward again next year in it 
modified form. 
On the suggestion of the Academy of Sciences of 
Paris, the council agreed to recommend a scheme for 
the organisation of meteorological stations at different 
points of the earth’s surface. 
The subject of international cooperation in the re- 
duction and standardisation of seismological observ- 
ations has engaged the attention of the council. In 
accordance with the decision of the International 
Association of Academies, the proposition made by 
the German Government and referred to in the last 
report of the council has, during the present year, 
been carried into effect. The conditions suggested to 
the Treasury by the Royal Society, on which the con- 
currence of this country should be given, have been 
fulfilled. Both the Governments of France and the 
United States agreed to send representatives fo the 
first meeting of the permanent commission of the In- 
ternational Seismic Association, and on the recom- 
mendation of the council] Prof. Schuster was deputed 
by the Treasury to attend that meeting as delegate 
from this country. The various representatives of 
the different countries which agreed to take part in 
the operations and deliberations of the commission 
met in Rome on October 16 last. The chief business 
of this meeting was the organisation of the work of 
the association. One of the principal results of the 
discussion was a resolution to use a portion of the 
funds at the disposal of the association for the estab- 
lishment of a seismological station in the Arctic 
regions. The permanent commission is to meet every 
two years, and the first general meeting of the 
association has been arranged to be held next year. 
The progress of the Indian magnetic survey, under 
the direction of Major H. A. D. Fraser, R.E., is re- 
ported from time to time to the observatories’ com- 
mittee of the society. Preparations are also in pro- 
gress for the reduction and publication of the very 
long * series of magnetic records accumulated at 
Bombay, under the superintendence of Mr. Moos, the 
director of the observatory. 
A magnetic survey of South Africa has been in 
progress for some years, under the direction of Prof. 
