FEBRUARY 26, 1914| 
of trying to find out whether the well-established sun- 
spot periodicities, other than that of eleven years, 
exists or not in prominences. He limits himself to 
periodicities up to eleven years in this communication, 
and studies them by the periodogram method as before. 
The data used are those published by the Italian 
observers, and deal with all prominences more than 
30” in height recorded since 1871. A brief summary 
of his conclusions is as follows. The prominence 
periodogram is very similar to that of spots tor the 
Same time interval. Between two years and eleven 
years there are no periodicities present in prominences 
which can be proved to be absent from sun-spots and 
vice versd. The eleven-year period is the predominant 
feature of the prominence periodogram, and _ its 
maxima occur about one year later than in sun-spots. 
The maxima of its first subperiod, 5-56 years, are not 
delayed in prominences. Periods between seven and 
eight years of considerable intensity in prominences 
have been shown to be present also in spots, but they 
are not permanently active. As regards shorter 
periods, that of thirteen months in prominences is not 
present in spots, and one of 8} months in spots is 
stated to disappear for a time and then reappear. In 
December last (NaTuRE, vol. xcii., No. 2301, p. 411) 
reference was made to Prof. A. A. Michelson’s deter- 
minations of sun-spot periodicities by the harmonic 
analyser, but he could not find any periodicity other 
than that of eleven years. 
THE TEACHING OF ANTHROPOLOGY 
AT THE UNIVERSITIES. 
A JOINT committee of the Royal Anthropological 
Institute and Section H of the British Associa- 
tion, of which Sir Richard Temple is chairman, has 
had under consideration the steps desirable to give 
Practical effect to the conclusions resulting from the 
discussion, which took place at the meeting of the 
British Association at Birmingham last September, on 
the practical application of anthropological teaching 
in universities. It will be remembered that it was 
held at Birmingham that increased facilities should be 
offered at our universities for training those who, in 
after life as officials, business men, missionaries, and 
the like, will be brought into close contact with the 
peoples of the Empire, whose civilisation is alien to 
Our own. After careful consideration, the joint com- 
mittee is of opinion that such facilities can best be 
offered by the collaboration of the Royal Anthropo- 
logical Institute, the British Association, and the uni- 
Versities, with the support and the cooperation of the 
Government, the Foreign Office, the India Office, the 
Colonial Office, and the Civil Service Commissioners, 
and that it would be well for the organisation to take 
the form of encouraging the existing schools of 
anthropology in the universities and the formation of 
such schools, where none exist, with their indispens- 
able adjuncts of laboratories, libraries, and museums. 
In furtherance of the scheme thus elaborated a con- 
ference was summoned by the joint committee at the 
Drapers’ Hall, by courtesy of the Master and Wardens 
of the Drapers’ Company, on Thursday, February 109, 
under the chairmanship of the Earl of Selborne, K.G. 
Letters supporting the proposals of the conference 
Were received from, among others, the Colonial Secre- 
tary, Lord Cromer, Sir Richard Martin, Sir Robert 
Blair, Sir George Grierson, Sir Joseph Larmor, M.P., 
Sir John Rhys, Sir Ernest Trevelyan, and the Right 
Honourable Ameer Ali. An encouraging feature was 
the presence of an official representative of the Colonial 
Office. 
NO. 2313, VOL. 92] 
NATURE 
725 
. The following resolution was moved by Sir Henry 
Craik, M.P., seconded by Sir Everard im Thurn 
(Royal Geographical Society), and carried unani- 
mously :—‘ That this conference approves the findings 
and views of the joint committee, and is of the opinion 
that, in the highest interests of the Empire, it is neces- 
sary so to extend and complete the organisation of the 
teaching of anthropology at the universities of Great 
Britain, that those who are about to spend their lives 
in the East, or in parts of the Empire inhabited by 
non-European races, shall at the outset of their career 
possess or have the opportunity of acquiring a sound 
and accurate knowledge of the habits, customs, social 
and religious ideas and ideals of the Eastern and non- 
European races subject to his Majesty the King- 
Emperor.”’ 
A second resolution, moved by Sir Hercules Read 
(British Museum), and seconded by Dr. T. H. Warren 
(Oxford University), was as follows :—‘tThat this 
conference hereby authorises the chairman and mem- 
bers of the joint committee of the British Association 
for the Advancement of Science and the Royal Anthro- 
pological Institute, to represent to the Prime Minister, 
the Right Hon. Herbert Henry Asquith, K.C., M.P., 
the opinions of this conference as set forth in the pre- 
ceding resolution, and to move him to appoint an Inter- 
departmental Committee for the purpose of advising 
as to the form in which the sympathy and support of 
his Majesty’s Government can be best expressed.” 
The resolution was carried unanimously. 
All the speakers to the resolutions strongly endorsed 
the findings of the joint committee, and pointed out 
how seriously handicapped were young men in every 
walk of life, who went abroad without any anthropo- 
logical training, amongst alien peoples, and it was 
only by the painful process of committing mistakes 
that they were enabled to get an insight into the habits 
and customs of those with whom they came into daily 
contact. The Hon. J. G. Jenkins (London Chamber of 
Commerce) bore testimony to the wastage of millions 
of pounds sterling in trade owing to this fact, as the 
mistakes constantly made by the untrained men, who 
were sent out by commercial firms, were made at the 
expense of the firms; in the case also of the untrained 
missionary, he stated that during his first years abroad 
ground was lost and good influence retarded until he 
began to get a knowledge of the people, finally, from 
his own experience as a Minister in the Government 
of South Australia, he laid strong emphasis on the 
necessity for State aid in the anthropological training 
of the youth of the Empire. 
As Prof. Arthur Keith pointed out, the Royal 
Anthropological Institute has spent more than thirty 
years in collecting information, so that the knowledge 
is available, but it is the dissemination of this know- 
ledge that is necessary, and to achieve this object the 
institute had been trying for the last twenty years to 
induce the Imperial Government to help by means of 
financial support. 
Dr. J. G. Frazer (British Science Guild) mentioned 
that it was largely due to the lack of anthropological 
training that the recent outbreak occurred in Somali- 
land, and this is not the first occasion on which. loss 
of life and money has been attributed to the same 
cause. 
In the interests of the Empire it is earnestly to 
to be hoped that Dr. Warren will prove a true prophet 
and official support will be given in a matter of such 
vital importance, and that a scientific system of 
anthropological training will be the outcome of the 
conference, and thereby crown with success the labours 
of the joint committee and of its indefatigable secre- 
tary. 
