28 



NA TURE 



[November 4, 1909 



Provincial High School and Normal School, and Principal 

 Murray, of the University of Saskatchewan, took part. 

 The University of Manitoba at present is hardly more 

 than a group of science faculties supplementary to the 

 arts courses provided in the affiliated denominational 

 colleges. Alberta and Saskatchewan are laying the founda- 

 tions of what will one day be strong State universities, 

 and Dean Wesbrook did not disguise his opinion that this 

 was the right course to pursue. In the course of the dis- 

 cussion Mr. C. R. Mann, secretary of Section L of the 

 American Association for the Advancement of Science, 

 spoke of the direct influence which the needs of the com- 

 munity at large must have upon the work of a State 

 university. 



Mr. W. M. Heller, a vice-president of the section, opened 

 a symposium on practical work in schools with a paper 

 on the report of the committee on practical studies, which 

 was presented at Dublin last year. Dr. Kimmins con- 

 tributed a paper on the London trade schools ; Miss Lilian 

 Clarke an address, illustrated with the lantern, on scientific 

 nature-study in secondary schools ; and Mr. W. Hewitt 

 read a thoughtful paper on practical work in continuation 

 schools and evening classes. Mr. Walter Sargent, of 

 Chicago University, claimed a place in the primary-school 

 curriculum for manual training for the purposes of indus- 

 trial education. In many localities in America 80 per cent. 

 of the children leave before the end of the primary course. 

 These children drift into unskilled occupations, and spend 

 often two or more years in employment which awakens 

 no industrial interest and' offers no vocational outlook. 

 For these children an optional course should be provided, 

 planned definitely to promote industrial efficiencv. Those 

 who argue that this would abridge the period of cultural 

 education, already too short, were reminded that no sharp 

 line can be drawn between cultural and industrial educa- 

 tion. " Most of the activities which have raised men from 

 savagery involved a utilitarian test of their result. 

 Utilitarian is a word the meaning of which becomes more 

 inclusive with advancing civilisation." 



In the discussion on the teaching of geography Profs. 

 Dodge, Johnston and Brigham, Mr. Chisholm, and Dr. 

 C, H. Leete took part. To one trained in geography on 

 the old topographical method, or want of method, who is 

 watching its gradual displacement by the more scientific 

 regional geography, it was novel to hear that in the high 

 schools of the United States there is practically no serious 

 study of regional geography. The physiographic'al text-books 

 in use in America are admittedly much in advance of our 

 own, but the advance appears to have been at the expense 

 of the student, who, after his fourteenth year, is con- 

 demned to the study of classifications principally of land 

 forms with reference to their origin rather than to their 

 effect upon human and animal life. Happily, there are 

 signs of change. Prof. Brigham's account of 'how he was 

 driven back upon topography pure and simple in his 

 endeavours to aid a young student of his own kin who 

 \yas floundering in a text-book on physiography (very 

 likely his own book !) amused his English hearers, and, ft 

 may be hoped, was not lost upon some of his brother 

 professors across the water. 



The closing discussion, on education as a preparation 

 for Canadian life, was opened bv the president, who pro- 

 poses to test his theories on a farm for English public- 

 school boys which he is establishing in the neighbourhood 

 of Calgary. He was followed by Mr. S. E. Lang with 

 an account of high-school work in agriculture. Miss 

 Benson described the household science course at Toronto 

 University, and Miss Oakley gave an account of the 

 similar course at King's College, London. Mr. Eggar 

 spoke of the value of school games. If the principle that 

 It was better to lose a game than to win it unfairlv were 

 true, then school games had a grand moral as well as a 

 physical effect. 



An account of the proceedings would be incomplete 

 without some mention of the collection of brush drawings 

 bv pupils of the Village Hall School, Wevbridge, which 

 Mr. T. S. Marvin's pertinacitv had brought in tact through 

 the_ Canadian customs. This interesting' exhibit had been 

 designed to help children in Canadian schools to realise 

 the conditions of child life in England. There were series 

 of brush drawings illustrating rooms in English houses, 

 NO. 2088, VOL. 82] 



methods of going to school, bric-a-brac, portraits of the 

 ai lists, and so on. Nature-study was illustrated by 

 sketches of plants characteristic of the different months, 

 and studies of the seasonal growth and decay of common 

 wild flowers. The purpose of the drawings was excellent, 

 and was carried out in a charming fashion. The nature- 

 study work reached a high standard of accuracy, and 

 almost all the drawings showed great artistic merit. It 

 is pleasant to think that the collection will remain in 

 Manitoba to pay a double debt — as a token to the educa- 

 tors of the province of our gratitude for their efforts on 

 our behalf and as a reminder to the children of their child 

 cousins on the other side of the sea. 



CONFERENCE OF DELEGATES OF THE 



CORRESPONDING SOCIETIES, BRITISH 



ASSOCIATION. 



I V the annual conference of delegates of the local 

 societies in correspondence with the British Associa- 

 tion had been held at Winnipeg, it is not likely that many 

 societies in this country could have sent representatives. 

 It w'as consequently decided to hold an autumn conference 

 in London, as was done after the South African meeting 

 four years ago. Accordingly, a conference was held on 

 Monday and Tuesday, October 25 and 26, in the rooms 

 of the Geological Society at Burlington House, under the 

 chairmanship of Prof. A. C. Haddon, F.R.S. As many 

 of the delegates from the provinces arrived in London on 

 the preceding Saturday, an official visit to Kew Gardens 

 was made on Sunday afternoon, when the delegates were 

 received by Lieut. -Colonel Prain, F.R.S. , and Dr. O. 

 Stapf. 



The conference was opened on Monday morning by an 

 extemporaneous address from the chair, in which Dr. 

 Haddon urged the local societies to carry out observational 

 work of an original character. Regional surveys might 

 well be undertaken. Intensive work in the special areas 

 within range of the activities of the respective societies 

 would ultimately lead to a close knowledge of the whole 

 country. Dr. H. R. Mill's detailed study of a district 

 in the south-east of England was naturally held up as a 

 model ; and reference was also made to the excellent work 

 of Prof. A. VV. Clayden on the origin of the scenery of 

 Devonshire, and to that of Prof. W. W. Watts on Charn- 

 wood Forest. Turning to our rivers as a suitable subject 

 for local study, Dr. Haddon referred to the work of Prof. 

 W. M. Davis, remarking, incidentally, that it w^as rather 

 strange an American should have to teach us how to read 

 the story of our own streams. With regard to zoology, 

 the chairman explained that when he worked under 

 F. M. Balfour he was an enthusiastic embryologist. Not- 

 withstanding the advance of special work in the higher 

 departments, there was still ample room for the amateur 

 in zoology. Anthropometry, again, was a subject that 

 might well be taken up by the local societies. 



.•\ paper on national anthropometry was read by Mr. 

 J. Gray, the secretary of the anthropometric committee 

 of the British Association. He explained the methods of 

 measurement, and exhibited on the screen the excellent 

 figures prepared by the late Prof. Cunningham to define 

 the exact points of reference on the living subject, from 

 which measurements should be taken. The instruments 

 used are inexpens've and their use not difficult, so that, 

 in the absence of a national system of anthropometry by 

 a Government department, the natural history societies 

 in each county might well undertake the work. .\ demon- 

 stration was given, and many of the delegates were 

 measured. Attention was also directed to the various 

 means now used to estimate quantitatively certain mental 

 faculties. 



A prolonged discussion was initiated by Prof. Meldola, 

 F.R.S., who desired to elicit from the delegates their 

 opinion as to the expediency of establishing a fund, with 

 Government aid or otherwise, for the purpose of assisting 

 scientific societies in the publication of original work. 

 Many societies were crippled by insufficient means, and it 

 was believed that much good work in the country re- 

 mained unpublished, or, if published, was insufficiently 

 illustrated, whilst in many cases the proportion of income 



