53Q 



NA TURE 



[October 14, 1922 



this idea applies both to physical and human con- 

 ditions. Western Europe, with inland seas and 

 intricate structure and relief, provides varied resources, 

 maritime, agricultural, and mineral. Into this region 

 spread the civilisation of the Mediterranean region, 

 and here communities found the physical conditions 

 which enabled them to develop. Physical barriers 

 and relatively small productive areas gave distinctive- 

 ness and led eventually to the growth of separate 

 nationalities. These nations became self-governing 

 and, broadly speaking, democratic. 



Eastern Europe, on the other hand, is characterised 

 by uniformity of structure and relief, with great 

 belts of similar climatic conditions and natural vegeta- 

 tion extending through it into Asia and so facilitating 

 human migrations and military movements, mainly 

 east and west. From the human as well as the 

 physical point of view this region was for many 

 centuries an extension of Asia and had but a scanty 

 population. The Slav languages became character- 

 istic and the authority of the Czar dominated the 

 greater part of the region. The Asiatic incursions 

 which in earlier centuries swept across the eastern 

 plains were as a rule checked when they reached 

 the belt of change. Here they found varied condi- 

 tions of life, but different from those to which they 

 had been accustomed. Traditions and names of 

 invading tribes have been preserved, differences of 

 language remain, and not infrequently feelings of 

 hostility and memories of conquest are rife. Sufficient 

 time has not yet elapsed for a complete fusion of 

 races in the several regions of the belt. The Asiatic 

 elements still assert themselves : Finns, Ests, Magyars, 

 Bulgars, and Turks stand out, contrasted in one way 

 or another with Swedes, Germans, Slavs, Albanians, 

 and Greeks of European descent. Moreover, two 

 small Nordic groups, Letts and Lithuanians, have 

 preserved their identity from early times and remain 

 distinct from other Nordic people in language and 

 nationality. On the other hand, the occurrence of 

 minerals has led to the partial penetration of Western 

 influences. 



Prof. Unstead went on to show the diversity of 

 religion and political conditions in this belt of change. 

 The problem of minorities exists in one form or 

 another throughout the belt, and is perhaps the 

 greatest menace to future peace. The present 

 political units are by no means self-sufficing, and 

 their frontiers are frequently barriers to trade and 

 hindrances to production. Furthermore, the attain- 

 ment of political freedom has often been accompanied 

 by a check to production, commerce, and prosperity. 



University and Educational Intelligence. 



Aberdeen. — Applications are invited for the 

 Blackwell Prize, value 30 guineas, for an essay on 

 " The Sculptured and Inscribed Stones of the North- 

 East and North of Scotland." The essays, bearing 

 a motto and accompanied by a sealed envelope 

 bearing the same motto and giving the name and 

 address of the writer, must reach the secretary of 

 the university on or before January 1 next. 



Cambridge. — Mr. J. Walton, St. John's College, 

 has been appointed junior demonstrator of botany. 

 Mr. F. A. Potts, Trinity Hall, has been reappointed 

 demonstrator of comparative anatomy. Dr. A. B. 

 Appleton, Downing College, Mr. D. G." Reid, Trinity 

 College, Mr. A. Hopkinson, Emmanuel College, and 

 Mr. V. C. Pennell, Pembroke College, have been re- 

 appointed demonstrators in anatomy. Dr. Ff. 

 Roberts, Clare College, Mr. T. R. Parsons, Sidney 

 Sussex College, have been reappointed demonstrators 

 in physiology. Mr. G. V. Carey, Clare College, has 



NO. 2763, VOL. I 10] 



been appointed educational secretary to the Cam- 

 bridge University Press. 



A. J. Smith, Downing College, has been appointed 

 University Frank Smart Student in Botany. The 

 John Winbolt prize has been awarded to F. E. Smith, 

 Sidney Sussex College. 



Leeds. — Mr. Lascelles Abercrombie, lecturer in 

 poetry at Liverpool University, has been elected by 

 the council of the University professor of English 

 language and literature, in succession to Prof. Gordon, 

 who was recently appointed to the Merton professor- 

 ship of English literature at Oxford. 



London. — It was announced in Nature of July 

 29, p. 166, that Mr. H. G. Wells had consented to 

 offer himself as Parliamentary candidate for the 

 University, at the invitation of the executive of the 

 University Labour Party, upon the retirement of 

 Sir Philip Magnus at the end of the present session 

 of Parliament. At a general meeting of the party 

 held on Friday, October 6, Mr. Wells was adopted 

 as Parliamentary candidate as recommended by the 

 executive. 



It is announced that Mr. H. M. McCreath, head 

 of the Agricultural Department, Seale-Hayne College, 

 Devon, has been elected principal of the East Anglian 

 Institute of Agriculture, Chelmsford. 



A site consisting of nearly 20 acres has been 

 presented by Mr. T. R. Ferens at a cost of about 

 10,000/. to the education authorities of Hull for the 

 immediate purpose of providing accommodation for 

 advanced technical departments. It is anticipated that 

 a university college will be developed later on the site. 



The distribution of geographical teaching in the 

 universities of Europe is illustrated in a map which 

 accompanies a paper by Mr. W. L. G. Joerg, in the 

 Geographical Review for July, on " Recent Geo- 

 graphical Work in Europe." From this map it 

 appears that more than 120 universities in Europe 

 (excluding Russia and allied Soviet states) have 

 provision for geography. Germany, Switzerland, and 

 France are perhaps the best provided, but Great 

 Britain does not fall far behind. In Balkan lands, 

 geography is fairly well represented in Bulgaria and 

 Yugo Slavia ; Rumania has four universities offering 

 geography, while Hungary and Czecho-Slovakia also 

 have centres of instruction. On the whole, the new 

 or reconstructed states of Europe show every indica- 

 tion of realising the importance of the subject. The 

 only states in Europe which would appear to offer 

 no university geography are Latvia, Lithuania, 

 Albania, Greece, and Ireland. 



Durham University has recently published a 

 calendar for the year 1922-23 (price 3s. 6d. net), 

 a useful compilation which serves as a guide to 

 affairs in the University. The first half of the volume 

 deals with the University as a whole ; its officers, 

 the regulations affecting conduct and degrees, as 

 well as the subjects required for the latter and for 

 various diplomas are given. A special section is 

 devoted to the fellowships, scholarships, and prizes 

 which are awarded by the University. The remainder 

 of the calendar is divided into three sections referring 

 to the Durham colleges, the College of Medicine, 

 Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and Armstrong College, re- 

 spectively. It should be noted that up to and including 

 September 1923 the matriculation examination will 

 continue to be held in Durham and Newcastle ; after 

 October 1923 the matriculation examination (New- 

 castle Division) will cease to be held. The new regu- 

 lations for matriculation in the Newcastle colleges, 

 which will then come into force, are given in detail. 

 In a concluding section of the volume there is an 

 alphabetical list of members of Durham University. 



