1 64 



NA TURE 



[December 19, 1901 



lithium group, and that, in consequence of their lack of electric 

 polarity and their inactivity they form, in a certain sense, a con- 

 necting-linlv between the two. It is curious, too, to notice that 

 iodine, xenon, ctesium and barium form the ends of their 

 respective columns. It is, of course, not impossible that other 

 elements may be discovered, possessing similar properties, and 

 yet higher atomic weights than these ; but as yet there is no 

 clue to guide us where to search for them. 



It is diflicult, owing to the impossibility of effecting a com- 

 plete separation of the inactive elements from each other, to do 

 more than hazard a guess as to their relative amount in air. As 

 they are easily separated from the other constituents of air, 

 there is no doubt as to their total amount ; air contains 0'937 

 parts of argon and its companions by volume in loo parts. 

 Perhaps the table below may be taken as affording some indica- 

 tion of their relative amounts. Air contains by volume: — 



0*937 p.art of argon per hundred. 



One or two parts of neon per tiundred thousand. 



One or two parts of helium per million. 

 About one part of krj'pton per million. 

 About one part of xenon per twenty million. 



It is of course not impossible that xenon may contain an even 

 smaller proportion of a still heavier gas ; but it is unlikely. 

 Sea-water sometimes contains a grain of gold per ton ; that is 

 one part in 15,180,000 ; a grain of xenon is contained in about 

 four hundredweights of air. 



The problems suggested by the periodic table are by no means 

 solved by the discovery of these aerial gases ; but something has 

 been done to throw light upon one obscure corner of the field. 

 The gap between the electro-positive and the electro-negative 

 elements has been bridged. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE. 



President Roosevelt has definitely decided not to accept 

 Mr. Carnegie's ofler of ten million dollars in Steel Trust bonds 

 for public educational purposes. The provision attached to the 

 offer to the effect that the Government should hold the bonds 

 for a term of years is regaided as being especially objectionable. 



The scheme for the establishment of a University of Liverpool 

 is beginning to take definite shape. A report upon the subject, 

 submitted to the Liverpool University Committee on Monday, 

 stated that the capital invested in land, buildings, equipments 

 and endowments at University College, Liverpool, is not much 

 less than 500,000/. To realise the ideal of a modern University, 

 efforts will be made 10 raise a further capital sum of 330,000/. 

 and an additional annual income of 9000/. Of the capital sum, 

 530,000/. would be required for additional college land and 

 buildings. The remaining 200,000/. would supply an endow- 

 ment for the professorial chairs and lectureships most urgently 

 needed, especially in modern languages, chemistry and applied 

 science, including electrotechnics. The additional yearly income 

 of 9000/. would be needed for maintenance of the various de- 

 partments, scholarships, equipment of the library, &c. The 

 committee hope that the 330,000/. will be provided by gifts of 

 Liverpool citizens and others interested in the highest education ; 

 and the additional income will be provided by increased grants 

 from the Treasury, an annual grant from the Liverpool City 

 Council, which, as it helped to create the college, will, it is 

 hoped, give its aid in the establishment and maintenance of a 

 Liverpool Univeriiity. 



The annual conferences of science teachers arranged by the 

 London Technical Education Board will be held on Thursday, 

 January 9, and Friday, January 10, 1902, at the South-Western 

 Polytechnic, Manresa Road, Chelsea, S.W. There will be four 

 meetings, successively presided over by Mr. T. A. Organ, Sir 

 Henry Roscoe, I'.R.S., Principal Riicker, F.R^S., and the 

 Countess of Warwick. The addresses to be delivered are as 

 follows: — "Teaching of Hygiene," Miss Alice Ravenhill ; 

 " Mental School Hygiene," Dr. Francis Warner ; "Teaching 

 of Natural History," Mr. Frank E. Beddard, F.R.S. ; "Value 

 of Natural History Collections for Teaching Purposes," I'rof. 

 W. R. Bottomley ; " American Systems of Nature Study," Mr. 

 R. lledger- Wallace ; "Nature Study in Schools," ^lr. 1). 

 Houston ; " Technical Education in Rural Secondary Schools," 

 Mr. E. E. Henncsey ; "Pioneer Work in Secondary and 

 Technical Education in Rural Districts," Prof. R. Meldola, F. R. S. 



NO. 1677, VOL. 65] 



A collection of home-made apparatus for science teaching in 

 schools will be on view duiing the days of the conference. 

 Applications for tickets of admission should be made to Dr. 

 Kimniins, Park Lodge, Harrowon-the-Hill, or to Mr. C. A. 

 Buckmaster, 16, Heathfield Road, Mill Hill Park, W. 



The following resolutions passed by the committee of the 

 Agricultural Education Association were confirmed at a general 

 meeting of members held on Thursday last : — (i) That, if the 

 Board of Agriculture retain their present educational work, it is 

 essential that there shall be complete cooperation between that 

 Board and the Board of Education on all educational matters 

 specially affecting the agricultural classes. (2) That for pur- 

 poses of agricultural education the country should be divided 

 into districts, and such inspectors appointed as may be necessary. 

 {3) That groups of counties, not yet affdiatcd to any collegiate 

 centre, should be formed, each group being affiliated to some 

 centre. (4) That, after due inquiry, reports should be issued 

 dealing with the most appropriate forms of agricultural educa- 

 tion for each county. (5) That permanent demonstration 

 stations should be organised in each county or group of counties. 

 (6) That official information bearing upon all matters of agri- 

 cultural interest, whether educational or otherwise, should be 

 distributed to the public free of cost. (7) That to carry out the 

 above objects it is essential that larger funds be placed at the 

 disposal of the Board of Agriculture for educational purposes. 

 (8) That the work of the Board of Agriculture might be facili- 

 tated by the appointment of a consultative committee on the 

 analogy of those of the Board of Education and of the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture in Ireland. ('9) That copies of the above 

 resolutions be sent to the Presidents of the Boards of Education 

 and of Agriculture. 



.Sir William Abney, K.C.B., opened the new science build- 

 ings in connection with Watford endowed schools on Thursday 

 last. The new rooms comprise a lecture room, a physics labora- 

 tory, museum and balance room, a preparation room and a dark 

 room, which, with the chemical laboratory (28 ft. by 24 ft.), 

 erected in 1892, form a serviceable set of rooms, specially 

 designed for science teaching. The cost of the additions has 

 been about 2000/., and the sum previously expended on 

 science buildings about 1000/ In the course of his remarks at 

 the opening ceremony, Sir William Abney .'aid he did not wish 

 any of them to think that whilst they in the secondary branch of 

 the Board of Education encouraged science in every possible 

 way they discouraged the other branches of education which 

 were given at the same time. One of the reasons for starting 

 the schools of science on their present basis was to insure that 

 any boy or girl going through a course of science should at the 

 same time be educated in literary work, which was so necessary 

 in education. Of course there was a great deal of difference 

 between mere instruction and education. The utilitarianism of 

 education was of minor importance ; the great thing was educa- 

 tion itself. If they could make the instruction that was given 

 useful .so much the better. In the old days the only possible 

 means of education was by literary woik, classics and so on. 

 There was no science, and therefore they could not say that a 

 boy or girl was to be educated in scientific methods ; but he 

 was certain those who founded schools like those at Watford 

 were so alive to the necessity of education that they would be 

 equally alive to the necessity of education in modern methods. 



We are glad to see that the subject of the coordination of the 

 work of the Polytechnic Institutions of London with that of the 

 Colleges was touched upon by Principal Riicker in the course 

 of an address delivered at the South-Wcstern Polytechnic, 

 Chelsea, on Friday last. A place has been found for the Poly- 

 technics in the reconstituted University of London, but their 

 position is not clearly understood, and the direction in which 

 their work may be usefully developed has not Leen sufficiently 

 described. The Institutions provide opportunities for study 

 and research, and the buildings, with those of other Colleges, 

 help to make the University of London something more than a 

 name. The standard of Polytechnic instruction is perhaps not 

 so high in some cases as might be desired, but it can be raised 

 in the course of time, and the efforts of friends of the University 

 should be directed to this end. It is far better to make the 

 best use of existing educational material than to neglect it. As 

 Principal Rticker remarked, the endeavours that are being made 

 are scattered, and the object of the University is to focus them 

 into one strong efiort in order that they may advance as a well- 

 ortlered army towards tne common end. If that can be 



