1 84 



NA TURE 



[June 22, 1905 



Visibility of D3 as a Dark Line in the Solar 

 Spectrum. — At a recent meeting of the Royal Astronomical 

 Society, Prof. A. Fowler stated, in a paper on the spec- 

 trum of the great sun-spot of February last, that he had, 

 on February 2, observed the helium line D, as a darlv and 

 distorted line in the spectrum of the sun in the region 

 about the spot disturbance. This observation was regarded 

 as unusual, but according to a letter written by Mr. A. 

 Buss to the Ohscnatory (No. 3s8) it is not at all an 

 uncommon phenomenon, and can be seen frequently if the 

 solar spectrum be closely watched. In fact, Mr. Buss 

 states that, according to his observations w-ith a curved 

 slit spectroscope, D, may be seen as a dark line in every 

 really agitated solar disturbance. 



West Hendon House Observatory. — No. 3 of the 

 Publications of the West Hendon House Observatory 

 (Sunderland) is devoted to the observations of variable 

 stars made by Mr. Backhouse during the years 1866-1904. 

 The observations of each of the forty-nine stars discussed 

 are set out in detail in tables showing the times of observ- 

 ation, the comparison stars, and the magnitudes accord- 

 ing to other catalogues. For a number of stars the 

 observed magnitudes are plotted on a series of curves 

 placed at the end of the volume, with a diagram showing 

 the various gradations of colour employed in the de- 

 scriptions. 



NATURE AND MAN. 

 T^HE annual Romanes lecture was delivered by Prof. 

 ■'■ E. Ray Lankester, F'.R..S., in the Sheldonian Theatre, 

 O.\ford, on June 14, on the subject of " Nature and Man." 

 The complete lecture has been publi.shed by the Clarendon 

 Press (London : Henry FVowde), and the following abstract 

 indicates a few of the points considered in it. 



Prof. Lankester remarked that the subject of his dis- 

 course is one which has largely occupied the attention of 

 biologists during the five-and-forty years in which he has 

 followed the results of scientific discovery. Much mis- 

 conception prevails as to the signification attached to the 

 word " Nature," but the lecturer used it as indicating the 

 entire cosmos of which this cooling globe with all upon 

 it is a portion. Until the eighteenth century the study 

 of nature — nature-knowledge and nature-control — was the 

 appropriate occupation of the learned men at Oxford, and 

 the present peculiar classical education is a modern inno- 

 vation. 



During the latter half of the nineteenth century, the 

 observations of nature-searchers made it possible to 

 establish the general doctrine of the evolution of the 

 cosmos, with more special detail in regard to the history 

 of the earth and the development of man from a lower 

 animal ancestry. The general process bv which the higher 

 and more elaborate forms of life, and eventually man 

 himself, have been produced was shown by Darwin to 

 depend upon heredity and variation. By the process of 

 natural selection, those organisms survive which are most 

 fitted to the special conditions under which they live. 

 Man eventually emerged from the terrestrial animal 

 population strictly controlled and moulded by natural 

 selection. The leading feature in the development and 

 separation of man from other animals is the relatively 

 large size of his brain, which has five or six times the 

 bulk (in proportion to his size and weight) of that of any 

 other surviving Simian. The development of the mental 

 qualities has given rise to attributes which are peculiar to 

 man, and justify the view that man forms a new departure 

 in the gradual unfolding of nature's predestined scheme. 



_" Civilised man has proceeded so far in his interference 

 with extra-human nature, has produced for himself and the 

 living organisms associated with him such a special state 

 of things by his rebellion against natural selection and his 

 defiance of nature's pre-human dispositions, that he must 

 either go on and acquire firmer control of the conditions 

 or perish miserably by the vengeance certain to fall on the 

 half-hearted meddler in great affairs." It is practically 

 certain that all epidemic disease could be abolished within 

 a period so short as fifty years if the State cared to take 

 the matter in hand and employ the means at the command 

 NO. i860, VOL. 72] 



of science. If more men were encouraged to study and 

 experiment on this matter, there would soon be an end of 

 all infectious disease. 



By the exercise of his will, man has done much to 

 control the order of nature, and it is urgent for him to 

 apply his whole strength and capacity in gaining further 

 control. Little, however, is being done in this direction, 

 but when a knowledge of the situation reaches the masses 

 of the people, " the democracy will demand that those who 

 expend the resources of the community, and as Government 

 officials undertake the organisation of the defence and 

 other great public services for the common good, shall put 

 into practice the power of nature-control which has been 

 gained by mankind, and shall exert every sinew to obtain 

 more. To etfect this, the democracy will demand that 

 those who carry on public affairs shall not be persons 

 solely acquainted with the elegant fancies and stories of 

 past ages, but shall be trained in the acquisition of natural 

 knowledge and keenly active in the skilful application of 

 nature-control to the development of the well-being of the 

 community." 



The concluding subject of the lecture was the influence 

 exerted by the University of Oxford upon the welfare of 

 the .State and of the human community in general. Oxford 

 by its present action in regard to the choice of subjects of 

 study "is exercising an injurious influence upon the educa- 

 tion of the country, and especially upon the education of 

 those who will hereafter occupy positions of influence, and 

 will largely determine both the action of the State and the 

 education and opinions of those who will in turn succeed 

 them." Is it desirable to continue to make the study of 

 two dead languages the main, if not the exclusive, matter 

 to which the minds of the youth of the well-to-do class 

 are directed by our schools and universities? In view of 

 modern needs it would be more sensible to make the chief 

 subject of education for everybody " a knowledge of nature 

 as set forth in the sciences, which are spoken of as physics, 

 chemistry, geology, and biology." The ablest youths of 

 the country should be encouraged to proceed to the extreme 

 limit of present knowledge of one of these branches of 

 science so that they might become makers of new know- 

 ledge, and the possible discoverers of enduring improve- 

 ments in our control of nature. The great prizes of life 

 ought to be given to the young man who pursues nature- 

 knowledge successfully rather than to him who takes up 

 less important subjects. In other words, it is desirable 

 that our scheme of education should centi'e round a know- 

 ledge of nature and not continue to be mainly classical 

 and historical. 



Though men of science would make natural knowledge 

 the core of education, they would consider it incomplete 

 if a serviceable knowledge of foreign languages, and a real 

 acquaintance with the beauties of English and other 

 literature, were not added. " The studies of the past 

 carried on at Oxford have been charming and full of 

 beauty, whilst England has lain, and lies, in mortal peril 

 for lack of knowledge of nature." 



The suggestion " that Oxford should resign herself to 

 the overwhelming predominance given to the studv of 

 ancient elegance and historic wisdom within her walls " 

 is an insult to her and an impossibility. Only a few 

 decades have passed since Oxford sent out Robert Boyle 

 and Christopher Wren. Moreover, Oxford exerts an 

 immense influence on the schools, and for this reason men 

 of science cannot be content with the maintenance by the 

 university of the compulsory study of Greek and Latin^ and 

 the neglect to make the study of nature an integral and 

 predominant part of every man's education. For " the 

 knowledge and control of nature is man's destiny and his 

 greatest need." 



SCIENCE AND THE STATE. 



THE seventh of the series of weekly pamphlets which 

 are appearing under the editorship of Mr. W. T. 

 Stead, with the general title of " Coming Men on Coming 

 Questions," is by Mr. R. B. Haldane, and is entitled 

 "The Executive Brain of the British Empire." Mr. 

 Haldane is an enthusiast for higher education. He is a 

 thorough believer in the policy which has been advocated 



