May 7, 190X] 



NA TURE 



21' 



KINEMATOGRAPHY I\ NATURAL COLOURS. 

 A T the inauguration, on May i, of Urbanora House, 

 ■^ where the Charles Urban' Trading Co. malie liine- 

 matograph films, Mr. G. .\Ibert Smith gave a demonstra- 

 ■ion of the first examples that he has prepared of his 

 vstem of animated photography in natural colours. The 

 ■^ults were excellent,, the colours being bright and clean, 

 .md so far as one could judge from the drapery, flowers, 

 and flesh tints, they were very good copies of the originals. 

 The method which Mr. Smith has practically perfected 

 allows of the use of the ordinary bioscope and projection 

 apparatus and the ordinary film. The film itself is not 

 coloured at all, but consists, as in other methods, of colour 

 records, the colour being . supplied by stained films 

 behind it. 



The three-colour method of projection, of which Mr. 

 Ives was the chief pioneer from a practical point of view, 

 has been described in this Journal, and consists, shortly, 

 in photographing the redness, greenness, and blueness of 

 the subject, and then, by means of colour screens placed 

 behind these photographs and three projection lanterns, 

 combining the coloured images on the screen. Kinemato- 

 graphy with three lanterns would offer great, if not in- 

 superable, difficulties, besides requiring new and very 

 complicated apparatus. Mr. Smith therefore makes his 

 colour records alternately on the same strip of film by fix- 

 ing a disc that carries the necessary colour screens in front 

 of the film and causing it to rotate synchronously with 

 it. As seen on the sheet, the alternating colours combine 

 perfectly. To simplify the matter further, Mr. Smith has 

 done away with the blue screen altogether, and broadened 

 the spectrum bands transmitted by the red and green 

 screens, the latter including some blue. As the blue in 

 three-colour work is always a dark colour, its elimination, 

 together with the readjustment of the other two colours, 

 is justified in the result, whether it is theoreticallv correct 

 or not. The method thus simplified left the difficultv of 

 the comparative insensitiveness to red of ordinary films. 

 The method of rendering the film so sensitive to red that 

 the red image may be photographed at the necessary speed 

 Mr. Smith does not describe, but apparently he used a 

 bathing process. 



Thus it has been demonstrated that it is now possible 

 tn represent colour and movement at the same time in a 

 thoroughly practical manner, and with comparatively 

 simple apparatus. C J. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE. 



Cambridge. — The date of the installation of the Chan- 

 cellor in the Senate House is fixed for Wednesday, June 17. 



Graces will be offered on Thursday. May 14, recommend- 

 ing the establishment of the proposed new professorship of 

 biology, and gratefully accepting the proposal of a member 

 of the University to contribute the sum of 300!. per annum 

 for five years towards the stipend of the professor, this 

 offer to be increased to 400/. per annum for any portion 

 of the five years during which the professor may be hold- 

 ing a professorial fellowship. 



It is proposed to continue the Caley lectureship now 

 held by Dr. Baker and the Stokes lectureship now held 

 bv Dr. Hobson in mathematics ; each lecturer is to receive 

 a stipend of 200?. a vear, pavable by the University so far 

 as the benefactions received for these purposes are in- 

 sufficient. It is also intended to continue the appointment 

 of the lecturers in mechanical engineering and in electrical 

 engineering, which would lapse at Midsummer unless the 

 University otherwise determine, and it is proposed in future 

 to appoint three demonstrators of mechanism and applied 

 mechanics in place of the two w'ho now exist. 



The special board of studies recommends the appoint- 

 ment of a universitv lecturer in agricultural ph\'siology for 

 five years from Midsummer, at an annual stioend of 150/., 

 pavable out of the .agricultural education fund. 



The election to the professorship of political econoni}- will 

 take place on Saturdav, Mav '^o. Candidates are reauested 

 to communicate with the Vice-Chanccllor on or before 

 Monday, Mav 18. 



The professor of botany records the gift of more than 

 4000 specimens of British plants, in excellent order, and 

 mounted and prepared with unusual care. These have 

 been presented by the Rev. J. D. Gray, Clare College, 

 Vicar of Nayland, Suffolk. 



The svndicate appointed to consider the steps to be taken 

 for the erection of a building for the department of agri- 

 culture recommends that it be authorised to accept a tender 

 for the building described in a report to the Senate, pro- 

 vided the cost does not exceed the architect's estimate of 

 13,000/. If this proposal should be accepted by the Senate 

 and the building be proceeded with, it will almost exhaust 

 the funds collected by the Cambridge Association for the 

 agricultural school, and leave nothing for furniture and 

 fittings or for maintenance. It is hoped that the funds 

 of the agricultural building, in which the late Duke of 

 Devonshire took so keen an interest, and which he did 

 so much to collect, will be increased materially before the 

 end of the year. 



London. — .\ course of eight lectures on the " Structure 

 and Functions of the Central Nervous System" will be 

 given in the phvsiological department of University College 

 bv Dr. \V. Page Mav on Wednesdays at 5 p.m., beginning 

 on Wednesday, May 13. The lectures are open to all 

 students of the University and to qualified medical men 

 on presentation of their cards. 



Prof. H. Poincar£, professor of astronomy in the Paris 

 Ecole polytechnique, has resigned his chair, and has been 

 given the title of honorary professor. 



Tui! new Education (Scotland) Bill introduced in the 

 House of Commons on March 26, and read a second time 

 on Tuesday, May 5, is not so comprehensive a measure as 

 the Bill of last session. It is interesting, however, to 

 notice how much larger a part educational matters pure 

 and simple take in the Scottish Bill compared with Educa- 

 tion Bills affecting England. The Bill for Scotland now 

 before Parliament proposes to give school boards additional 

 general powers for the supply of meals subject to provisos 

 with regard to defraying e.xpenses, for bringing opportuni- 

 ties for education within easier reach of children in out- 

 lying districts, and for collecting and distributing informa- 

 tion as to employments open to children on leaving school. 

 It makes it the duty of the parent to provide efficient 

 education for his children from five to fourteen years of 

 age, and gives the school board power to summon to one 

 of its meetings parents neglecting their duty, and if satis- 

 factory reasons are not forthcoming to issue an attendance 

 order, which, however, may be made the subject of appeal 

 to the Sheriff. The school board is given power also, in 

 issuing exemption certificates, to impose as a condition of 

 exemption such attendance as it shall prescribe, after the 

 age of fourteen and until such age not exceeding seventeen 

 years as the school board shall think fit, either at a day 

 school or continuation class, or both. The school board, 

 must provide continuation classes, and may make, vary, 

 or revoke bye-laws regulating attendance at continuation 

 classes. It is made a punishable offence to employ a boy 

 or girl at any time when his attendance is by any bye- 

 law required at a continuation class, and parents must 

 assist the school board under liability to fine. The Bill 

 is thus a first step to make education in Scotland com- 

 pulsory up to the age of seventeen, through continuation 

 schools. 



A DISCUSSION took place in the House of Commons on 

 April 29 on the subject of education in India, and a motion 

 was brought forward for " an impartial and searching 

 inquiry into the scope, charact.-r, .and methods of educa- 

 tion in India." The grounds on which this proposal was 

 urged were that the Indian Government had pronounced in 

 favour of free elementary education, but no progress had 

 been made towards it. Also that only one-tenth of the 

 bovs of school-going age were actually at school, while 

 the proportion of girls at school was very much smaller 

 even than this. It was also pointed out that the " amount 

 of money spent on education was deplorably inadequate. 



NO. 2010. VOL. 78] 



