470 
an ascendancy and even an actual or presumptive 
international position with regard to scientific publica- 
tion. For example, the Internationale Revue der 
gesammten Hydrobiologie und Hydrographie is pub- 
lished in Leipzig, and it must be confessed that it 
is conducted with considerable ability and adequately 
fulfils its function. Such works, too, as_ the 
“Nordisches Plankton’? show how keen our present 
enemies have been in publishing monographs which 
have become indispensable, It is not necessary, how- 
ever, to look for sinister intentions in the progress 
which Germany has made in publication. In all 
countries scientific literature has had a similar history, 
and its evolution may be said to mark the progress 
made by each with respect to science. In all 
countries, societies, museums, and laboratories have 
sought an outlet for their investigations by pub- 
lications which have the primary advantage of secur- 
ing by exchange similar publications from institutions 
at home and abroad. 
The result is somewhat chaotic, and for this reason 
we are thankful to the societies and publications and 
agencies which attempt to give us periodical lists of 
literature and summaries of papers. I confess I do 
not see how the national output of scientific papers 
is to be controlled, or, indeed, if it is desirable that 
it should be controlled. This is a matter which it 
appears must be left to the editor and the writer. 
But now that our attention has been directed to the 
subject, the opportunity should be taken to discuss 
whether we should be content with pre-war conditions, 
or if improvements could be suggested so far as the 
nation is concerned, and especially with regard to the 
control’ of such publications as are meant to be inter- 
national in character. We have to recognise that each 
country must necessarily have an output of material 
for publication for which provision must be made. 
The fact that so many English papers have been 
published in Germany raises the question whether 
the provision is adequate. It might be suggested that 
each country should publish its own material, and 
that the desirability of publishing year-books bringing 
together summaries of the important papers and dis- 
coveries in each subject should be considered. If this 
were done by each country, probably the necessity for 
international journals would disappear, and better so, 
for it would be difficult to determine in each case 
which country and which language to choose. 
An improvement of great value would result if a 
suggestion which has been made before were carried 
into effect, viz. that a size of page for octavo and for 
quarto periodicals should be decided upon. If this 
were agreed to by each country, and the effort made 
to issue the more monographic papers separately, it 
would be possible to bind in any way suitable to the 
institution or worker. A. MEEK, 
Armstrong College, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 
January 27. 
Science in Education. 
On p. 432 of your issue for February 1 it is stated 
in an unsigned article that ‘tin the early fifties of the 
nineteenth century a little experimental science crept 
in almost shamefacedly, introduced by the peripatetic 
teacher with his box of tricks.’’ Then after mention- 
ing Queenwood in 1847 it goes on: “But it was not 
until twenty years later that this example was 
followed in other schools. Then Clifton tool the lead 
in 1867, and was followed immediately by the Man- 
chester Grammar School.” iescn 
Your-correspondent is not very well informed, 
At Rugby in 1849 William Sharp, F.R.S:, was 
appointed by Dr. Tait reader in natural philosophy, 
and gave systematic teaching to classes of boys. He 
was succeeded by Henry Highton, a distinguished ~ 
NO, 2468, vot. 98] \ 
NATURE 
[FEBRUARY I5, 1917 
‘electrician (see Arago’s ‘‘Tonnerre”), who taught ~ 
chemistry and physics to about forty boys. He became 
_ headmaster of Cheitenham College in 1859, and Dr- 
Temple appointed me to succeed him. A chemical 
laboratory was built, and I taught physics, chemistry, — 
and a little geology to somewhat larger classes. Then — 
in 1865, after the Public Schools Commission, a great _ 
increase in science teaching took place; the Rev. T.N. 
Hutchinson was appointed to take chemistry, and — 
Mr. Kitchener took botany with large classes. I went 
on with physics and geology. All this happened | 
before 1867. ek 
Clifton College is an excellent school, but it need : 
not be exalted at the expense of its mother, 
James M, WI son, 
Sometime mathematics and science master at Rugby, 
and afterwards headmaster of Clifton College. 
Osvious Ly the article referred to did not profess to — 
give a complete history of the introduction of science 
teaching into schools. That would be a long story, 
and would necessitate reference to several schools 
besides Queenwood, such as the Friends’ School at 
Ackworth, in Yorkshire, where for many years some 
teaching of science subjects had been established long 
before Rugby and other public schools had made a 
beginning. The claim for Clifton is based on the fact 
that it is believed to have been the first great school 
in which natural. science was introduced as a con- 
stituent of the curriculum imposed on the whole school 
(except the Classical VI.), and not as a voluntary 
subject taken up by a small number of boys as an 
alternative to modern languages or other subjects, 
as was the case at Rugby in 1859. f 
: THE WRITER OF THE ARTICLE, 
‘*Frost Thistles.’’ 
In Nature of January 11 Dr. R. T. Gunther de- 
scribes a very beautiful freezing effect. I recently 
obtained a similar effect on a much larger scale. One 
of the large bottles, holding several litres, used. for 
collecting rainfall in the London parks, in connection 
with the investigation of atmospheric pollution, was 
found, when brought into the laboratory for examina- 
tion, to contain a hollow cylinder or annulus of ice, 
perforated with silvery air-tubes arranged, as Dr. 
Gunther remarks, for all the world like lines of force — 
round a magnetic pole. We were unable to detect — 
any visible specks of solid matter at the peripheral 
ends of the tubes; but these ends were pointed, where- 
as the inner ends were rounded and expanded, prob- 
ably terminating thus where ice and the central core 
of water met. The surface of this central portion 
was covered with a scum of air-bubbles. One feature 
which was noticed particularly was that, in addition 
to the air-tubes, other channels filled with somethi 
(probably liquid water containing dissolved matter 
were arranged radially throughout the mass. 
The water represented the accumulated rainfall of 
January, and, in addition to matters in solution, con- 
tained an appreciable deposit. It is, therefore, quite 
probable that small particles were present on the sides, 
and thus formed collecting points for the air first 
liberated when congelation began. 
The various points observed agreed entirely with 
those already described, except that the very much 
larger quantity of water had not solidified throughout 
its mass. If this had occurred it would have prob- 
ably been a slow action and the opaque central mass 
would not have been seen. J. H. Coste: 
Teddington, February. ) 
Note.—Since writing the above I have seen another 
mass of ice solid throughout, which had broken 
bottle; a small opaque central cylinder, or inverte 
cone, was observed.—J. H. C. ; 
