Oo 
o) 
L 
NOTES AND COMMENTS. 
BRITISH ASSOCIATION. 
The Eighty-sixth Annual Meeting of the British Association 
was held between September 5th and oth. Difficulties of 
railway travelling, combined with the fact that so many men 
are now employed on work of national importance, resulted 
in the attendance being smaller than usual—there being 826, 
as compared Ww ith 1439 at Manchester last year. The attract- 
ions for the * hangers-on’ of the British* Association, were 
absent. Visits to Sabri were dispensed with; there were 
no garden parties, and no river trips. As the Mayor told us, 
and as we found out, Newcastle was a ‘ prohibited area,’ and 
the various works were all closed to visitors, with notices 
outside ‘No admittance except on business,’ and not always 
even then ! 
SCIENCE AND WAR. 
Still it did not necessitate visits to works to show to what 
a great extent a certain district is doing its share of work 
in the present national crisis. It was patent everywhere. 
And it was some satisfaction to the visitors to feel that behind 
all this vast multitude of manufactures of war materials, there 
was the trained scientist :—the nature of the explosives, the 
construction of the shells, the manufacture of the guns, the 
building of ships—aerial and marine; were all the result of 
organized science. The only regret one has is that it is neces- 
sary in this twentieth century that the best brains of the 
country should be put to such a use. 
However, the fact of the members attending, and’ the 
nature of their discussions, demonstrated that the decision to 
continue these annual conferences was a wise one. There is no 
question that in future, the necessity ef giving science its 
proper position will be recognised. Its great neglect, by this 
country, in the past, has almost proved a national calamity. 
The British Association may certainly be looked upon as the 
hub of British science, and anything in the way of retarding 
scientific progress, at this juncture, would be deplorable. 
In almost every section, it was shown that science could 
play its part in the country’s welfare. The papers read at the 
sections devoted to Mathematics, Chemistry, Geology, Geo- 
graphy, Engineering, Physiology, Botany, Agriculture, etc., 
clearly indicated the variety of ways in which science could be, 
and is being, placed at the service of the state. 
THE PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS. 
The President, Sir Arthur Evans, delivered an address on 
‘ New Archeological lights on the Origins of Civilisation in 
se a title of peculiar significance at the present time. 
1916 Oct. 
U 
