144 



NA TURE 



[December 3, 1908 



" pretty " questions unsuitable for a three-hours' examina- 

 tion paper. At Bangor Mr. Lloyd George had directed 

 attention to the need of explorers who should survey the 

 unlcnown regions of science. This need was urgently felt 

 in mathematics, both pure and applied. Thus the theory 

 of groups was a newly explored territory which might in 

 time become a field of wealth in the hands of colonists 

 like Prof. Perry. The true explorer would never stand in 

 the way of progress. It was the man who thought 

 he had done everything when he had competed in a walk- 

 ing race over the measured mile of a syllabus who never 

 became an explorer, and never produced explorers. No 

 man who relied only on his powers of walking would ever 

 become an explorer. We required men to be carried over 

 the greater part of the distance by the fastest means of 

 locomotion at our disposal to bring them to the forefront 

 of the unknown territory, and this was in effect what Prof. 

 Perry wished to do. The research mathematician was in 

 reah'ty assisting, not hindering, progress. He had exposed 

 the futility of elementary deductive geometry by raising 

 the foundations of geometry to the level of a very difficult 

 and advanced subject of post-graduate study. As for 

 Fourier's theorem, modern researches had made the proof 

 of that theorem a subject involving years of study, thus 

 rendering it impossible for the science man to do more 

 than study its applications. As for examinations. Prof. 

 Bryan was thankful he had not been debarred from con- 

 ducting them, as this work had afforded him most valuable 

 experiences, and, referring to Prof. Perry's remarks on the 

 solution of triangles, he gave a striking' illustration of the 

 cumbersome methods adopted by examinees in finding the 

 area of a right-angled triangle by the unnecessary use of 

 formula?. There was far too much teaching and far too 

 little learning. Prof. Perry lamented the lack of in- 

 dividuality on the part of teachers, and at the same time 

 condemned the specialist teacher. Prof. Bryan, on the 

 other hand, thought that the cause was that the teachers 

 were not sufficient specialists to develop original ideas, 

 and that an all-round man who was put on to teach 

 mathematics, Latin, history, geography, Welsh, and 

 chemistry could never (except in rare instances) get beyond 

 blindly following the text-book or the examination 

 syllabus. 



Mr. Godfrey next spoke. He said that subjects such 

 as mechanics, hydrostatics, and optics were, as a rule, 

 taught in one way by the mathematic.il master and iti 

 another by the science master. He would throw the whole 

 leaching of these subjects, both theoretical and practical, 

 on the mathematical master. There w-ns no educator so 

 good as responsibility. The mathematical master would 

 benefit by having the experimental work thrown on his 

 shoulders ; the science master would have more time for 

 other work. 



The reference to optics might well have been dwelt on 

 at greater length. There is no better exercise in con- 

 structive geometry than the construction of reflected and 

 refracted rays, caustics, and images, and the subject is cap- 

 able of exact experimental verification, thus differing from 

 the study of the motion of impossible particles on equallv 

 impossible smooth curves. Mr. Godfrey further pointed 

 out that the clock sums and problems on filling baths had 

 plenty of counterparts in the form of questions on graphs. 



Mr. Jackson quoted Emerson's view that education was 

 what remained when everything learnt at school was for- 

 gotten. There was no one panacea for inaccuracy. He 

 recommended for graphs the use of a board with invisible 

 squares scratched on it, identical in principle with the 

 boards used by lightning caricaturists in music halls. He 

 referred to the great French logarithmic tables, the com- 

 putation of which was done bv hairdressers who had been 

 thrown out of work by the Revolution. We wanted to 

 make^ boys believe that mathematics was a useful element 

 in daily life, and not a punishment for their sins. 



Prof. Alfred Lodge thought that in the higher forms 

 boys taking mathematics might dispense with experi- 

 mental work. He suggested that lists might be drawn 

 up of experiments suitable for illustrating mathematical 

 prmciples, and, conversely, that in science text-books each 

 chapter might be prefaced by a list of mathematical 

 formulae. 



Mr. W. J, Dobbs put in a olea for deductive geometry, 

 NO. 2040, VOL. 7q] 



which, he contended, was really a branch of experimental 

 physics involving properties of matter. He referred to the 

 value of mechanics in teaching trigonometry. He pleaded 

 for the use of simple, inexpensive home-made apparatus, 

 and contended that a great deal of money now spent on 

 costly apparatus should be given to the teachers. Mr. 

 Tuckey pointed out that two subjects taught by the same 

 teacher were not necessarily correlated. 



Prof. Armstrong suggested that Prof. Perry would have 

 to tell teachers absolutely what they ought to do. People 

 would be glad to learn, but they were not at present com- 

 petent to understand his methods. Mathematicians must 

 take off their coats and use their hands. The majority 

 of pupils should not be trained from the scholarship point 

 of view. He asked if there was any particular value in 

 any educational subject. 



.After Mr. Nunn had spoken the latter question was 

 again raised by the chairman, and Prof. Perry emphasised 

 the necessity of differentiating between subjects which 

 were useful in themselves and subjects which were educa- 

 tionally useful. Every child should be fond of reading 

 and should be good at computation. He should have an 

 elementary knowledge of science, and be able to express 

 his ideas clearly in English. Lord Roberts's statements 

 regarding the incompetence of men from the public schools 

 when on service during the South African war were 

 quoted. Prof. Bryan urged those present of the necessity 

 of fighting that practical mathematics should receive its 

 proper importance in the training of the working citizen, 

 and that it should not be ousted by subjects the study of 

 which had once formed the luxury and pleasure of the 

 now vanishing English middle classes, but had only given 

 rise to sadness and disappointment when these classes had 

 been forced to earn their daily bread in the world at large. 

 .A vote of thanks was finally proposed by Mr. Siddons, 

 who gave illustrations of the reforms that had actually 

 taken place in recent vears largely at the instigation of 

 Prof. Perry. 



SCIE.XTIFIC INVESTIGATIONS OF 

 FISHERIES.^ 

 'T'O the scientific inquirer the issue of these reports is, 

 ^ on the one hand, interesting for statistical and other 

 proofs of the actual condition of the British sea-fisheries, 

 and, on the other, for a statement of the views of impartial 

 men — especially concerning the measures, if necessary, to 

 be adopted for the preservation and improvement of the 

 fisheries. 



In the annual report of the English fisheries for 1906 

 it is gratifying to find that the quantity landed exceeded 

 that of any previous year, and, if corroboration were 

 necessary, the report of the Scotch Board for that year, 

 and also for 1907, tell the same tale. It is further satis- 

 factory to observe that by the methods now adopted the 

 report is more nearly brought into line with modern re- 

 quirements, and reflects credit on the Board and its staff. 

 It may be pointed out, however, that the terms 

 " demersal " and " pelagic " as applied to the food-fishes 

 (and very suitable for their ova) are not free from mis- 

 interpretation even by fisheries' authorities, and it may 

 be that the old terms " round " and " flat " white fishes 

 and " skate," as distinguished from " herrings, mackerel, 

 pilchards, sprats and anchovies," would prove as useful 

 and at the same time be in accordance with the classifica- 

 tion adopted by the Scotch Board. It is suggestive, again, 

 that in the south dabs are included in the " decreasing " 

 flat fishes, whereas the Scotch Board lately considered 

 that this abundant form was usurping the areas of the 

 more valuable plaice. The growing scarcit of market- 

 able plaice is anxiously recorded, yet it is a complaint 

 of very old date, and it has not been shown that the 

 numbers of very small plaice show any diminution. The 

 statistics of the average catch of this fish per day during 

 the years 1903-6 must be cautiously accepted, since there 



1 (1) Annual Report of the Board o' Agriculture and Fisheries under the 

 Acts Relating to Sea-fisheries for the Year tQo6 (iqo8). 



(2) Report of Research-work of the Same Board on the Plaice Fisheries 

 of the North Sea, iods-6 (1008). 



(3) Report of the Committee appointed by Treasury-Minute to inquire 

 info the Scientific and .Statistical Investigat'ons n-)W being carried on in 

 Relation to the Fishing Industry of the Uni'ed Kingdom. 



