284 



NA TURE 



[January 23, 1902 



of books used in France, should be introduced as soon as pos- 

 sible to supersede Euclid's elements. Text-books adapted to 

 modern needs are in use in the United States of America, and 

 their chief characteristics are : — (i) The more orderly arrange- 

 ment of propositions ; (2) the entire separation of theorems 

 from problems of construction, hypothetical constructions being 

 used in proving a theorem ; (3) the closer association of a pro- 

 position and its converse when both were true ; (4) the adop- 

 tion of arithmetical notions and algebraic processes; (5) the 

 early introduction of simple loci ; (6) insistence on accurate 

 figures drawn by accurate and practical processes ; (7) practice 

 in exercises from the very beginning. It had been suggested 

 to Prof. Lodge that he should add, " Attention paid to the 

 various ph.ases of a theorem as the figure changes, and (as the 

 student progresses) to the easier forms of generalisation." The 

 greater part of these improvements could be adopted at once, 

 provided that the sanction of the great examining bodies could 

 be obtained. A committee of the Association is being formed 

 to cooperate with the committee of the British Association in 

 advancing the reforms advocated in mathematical teaching. 



The work of the Sir John Cass Technical Institute, London, 

 was inaugurated on January 15, when an introductory address 

 was given by Sir William Roberts-Austen, K.C.B., F.R.S. 

 The institute has been founded by the governors of Sir John 

 Cass's Foundation, and is one of the London polytechnics 

 aided by the Technical Education Board of the London County 

 Council and by the City I'arochial Foundation. The institute is 

 situated in Jewry Street, Aldgate, and is readily accessible. It 

 is provided with good laboratories for chemistry, metallurgy and 

 physics, and on the art side with workshops and drawing rooms 

 for the department of arts and crafts. Dr. C. A. Kohn is the 

 principal of the institute. Sir William Roberts-Austen in his 

 introductory address dealt chiefly with the subject of metallurgy. 

 It was, he said, an industrial art depending for its success on 

 what were called the applications of science, but he heartily 

 wished that the term "applied science" had never been de- 

 vised. There was no essential ditterence between what was 

 called pure science and what was called applied. In industrial 

 life they simply applied the facts of science to a particular set of 

 conditions or to the solution of definite problems. This view 

 w.as illustrated by reference to the process of cupellation, the 

 history of which was described and illustrated by suitable ex- 

 periments. The diff^usion of solids was then referred to, and a 

 summary was given of the steps that had led Sir William to the 

 investigation of the diffusion of metals. 



The importance of geography in education was the subject 

 of an address delivered by Mr. James Bryce, M.P. , at the annual 

 meeting of the Geographical Association helJ last week, Mr. 

 Douglas W. Freshfield, president, being in the chair. The 

 Association aims at the improvement of the leaching of geography 

 by spreading the knowledge of all such methods as call out the 

 pupil's intelligence .and reasoning powers and make geography 

 a real educational discipline, instead of merely loading the 

 memory with names and isolated facts. After expressing his 

 hearty sympathy with the objects of the Association, Mr. 

 Bryce considered the place of geography in education under 

 three aspects, viz., as the gateway to the physical sciences, the 

 key to history, and the b.asis of commerce. In this country, 

 as in Germany for some time, it is thoroughly realised by all 

 progressive teachers that geography must be made as much as 

 possible an experimental science — that the pupil's mind must he 

 brought into contact with facts and not alone with words. The 

 pupil taught to observe has it .suggested to him how things are 

 connected with one another ; he acquires the habit of looking 

 at the country and asking himself what are the physical causes 

 which make the district what it is, and what is the relation between 

 those different causes. As to geography being regarded as the 

 basis of commerce, Mr. Bryce said that the producer and 

 merchant ought to know where each article could be best pro- 

 duced, where the raw material comes from, what are the con- 

 ditions of labour, which are the best points of manufacture, 

 where are the best markets, and what are the lines of communi- 

 cation and transport. Although the commercial man has to rely 

 upon trained observers he would do better if he acquired geo- 

 graphical knowledge himself, because he could develop for him- 

 self certain lines of policy upon which he could conduct his 

 operations ; his wider knowledge of the world would enable 

 him to take, not only a more intelligent, but a more practically 

 serviceable view of the action which in each particular case was 



NO. 1682, VOL. 65] 



to be taken, and which, of course, would be constantly shifting. 

 If the heads of great business houses were thoroughly trained 

 to observe these things and to look at them in a scientific way, 

 a great deal would be done to enable the country to hold its 

 place in the great commercial world. 



In view of the recognition with which scientific training is 

 now meeting, as part of our educational system, some of the 

 suggestions made at the Conference of Public School Science 

 Masters on January 18 are of interest. Those responsible for 

 the framing of the regulations for Army examinations were 

 unanimously recommended by scientific men from all the great 

 public schools, and from many others, to lay more stress upon 

 the practical side of the science work. It was, further, suggested 

 to them that quantitative work should be introduced and that 

 physics should be given the place it deserves in the com- 

 pulsory science papers. Moreover, what is to be sought is not 

 knowledge-worship, but training, not the old-fashioned theo- 

 retical questions with which examiners find it so easy to elicit 

 facts, but the construction of problems which, when worked out 

 practically under their own eyes, will truly tell them the 

 capabilities of the candidates. Testimony was also forthcoming 

 that there are examiners who will take the trouble to examine 

 in the latter way, and the meeting was in favour of allowing that 

 greater scope to assistant practical examiners which they must 

 have if large numbers of persons are to be examined at one time. 

 The pernicious specialisation which takes place in schools as a 

 result of the examinations for science scholarships at the 

 Universities of Oxford and Cambridge was made abundantly 

 clear, and some system advocated which will prevent this and 

 at the same time ensure all boys in the school — and not the 

 " intellectual refuse " and Army cLasses alone — having a proper 

 scientific training for several years, whether they be classical or 

 modern, literary or mathematical. A committee, it has been 

 arranged, is to take up the matter. A sidewind during the discus- 

 sion, as to whether classical boys do better than others in 

 scientific work elicited the fact that at Woolwich, for instance, 

 no rule one way or the other could be laid down. The necessity 

 of culture as well as scientific education was a point that was 

 touched upon, and might well form the subject of a future dis- 

 cussion. Biology as a school subject was rather pooh-poohed 

 by one representative from Cambridge University, while its 

 importance was just as strongly urged by a public school master. 

 It came as no surprise to those familiar with what occurred last 

 year, that a definite association was formed as a result of the 

 conference which will arrange for similar and possibly more 

 frequent meetings in the future. Principal Riicker has con- 

 sented to become the first president of the Association of Public 

 School Science Masters — a body the constitution of which will 

 be somewhat elastic, as it is difficult to define what is a public 

 school science master, but the title is sufficiently rigid to specify 

 the character of the Association. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 



LONIION. 



Royal Society, June 20, igoi. — "The Anomalous Disper- 

 sion of Sodium \'apour." By R. W. Wood, Professor of 

 Experimental Physics, Johns Hopkins University, U.S.A. 



The modern theories of dispersion show that the effect of an 

 absorption band is to lower abnormally the refractive index of 

 the medium on the side of the shorter wave-lengths and raise it 

 on the side of the longer wave-lengths. In some cases even the 

 refractive index may fall below one on the blue side of the band, 

 which means that light of a certain wave-length travels through 

 the medium at a higher velocity than in a v.acuum. Substances 

 showing this peculiarity are exceedingly op.iquc to light, a 

 thickness of a few wavelengths absorbing completely all of the 

 light for which this peculiarity exists. 



It is quite possible to conceive of a medium with a strong 

 absorption band in the middle of the visible spectrum having a 

 refractive index greater than unity for all waves longer than the 

 absorbed waves, and a refractive index less than unity for all 

 shorter waves. A prism made of such a substance would deviate 

 half of the spectrum in one direction and half in another direc- 

 tion, something in the manner of the direct-vision prism, except 

 that the arrangement of the colours would be anomalous. Such 

 a medium has been found in metallic sodium vapour, which is 

 most beautifully transparent in addition to having the peculiarity 



