518 
NATURE 
e P 
[ Sept. 24, 1885 
Pickering, and,Pritchard, entering into a searching ‘criticism of 
them. The sources of error of the most considerable systematic 
deviations in the results obtained with these instruments were 
not yet sufficiently known, and it would therefore be well to mark 
out a number of stars of which thorough observations should be 
taken by the different observers with the use of all the three 
instruments. 
Prof. Seeliger, of Munich, spoke of theoretical, and in part 
also practical, investigations he had commenced, which for the 
present had shown that the Lambert law respecting the reflective 
power of illumined surfaces, the basis hitherto of all photo- 
metric experiments, was entirely false. He reserved his more 
complete exposition of the matter till the close of his labours in 
this direction? 
Prof. Safarik observed that some astronomers to whom he had 
communicated his ‘‘ fluorescence plates,” whose intermediate 
junction of eye-piece annulled the secondary spectrum, had 
given him a favourable report regarding their use. He was 
always ready, hesaid, to place other plates at the disposal of 
any who desired them. 
Prof. Weiss announced that he was engaged in the pre- 
paration of a catalogue of 4500 stars which had formerly been 
observed at Geneva, a catalogue which was now approaching its 
completion. 
President Auwers once more expressed thanks for the friendly 
reception the Association had met with at Geneva and proposed 
to the meeting that they should rise from their seats in honour of 
Col. Gautier. The proceedings were then declared to be 
concluded. 
EDUCATION IN THE UNITED STATES 
‘THE pride taken in popular education in the United States | 
makes any digest of their experience valuable ; and education, 
as carried on in their cities, the subject of a recent Circular of 
Information from the Bureau of Education, is necessarily the 
branch of it most interesting in our crowded island. Dr, Phil- 
brick, the writer of it, has been, in Boston, a most successful 
school superintendent, an officer who undertakes the active 
duties of both School Board and Government Inspector, and 
one without whose services cities are here said to be behind the 
times. The uncertainty of a good choice of members for a 
School Board by popular election in the United States makes 
this office the more important ; women having, as a rule, de- 
clined to counteract corrupt votes by their own. Every branch 
of education is treated upon here. Technical instruction, both 
as provided in Paris and in the United States, is largely and 
systematically considered ; from the shape it takes in the school, 
where it simply replaces the gymnasium to boys over thirteen 
years of age, to the apprentice school which really attempts to 
supersede the worn-out system from which it gets its name by 
a more scientific and intelligent teaching of a few trades, among 
which building in its various branches, necessarily so important in 
anew country, is always one chosen. School museums are re- 
commended, both of natural history and of technolegy ; the 
decoration also of schoolrooms with statuary, &c., now provided 
for the purpose at low prices, a list of which is appended. The 
rules to be observed in building are a digest of both European 
and American experience, valuable to every one concerned with 
the architecture of schools of any class; and we may just note 
Dr. Philbrick’s conclusions—that increased centralisation and 
;-ermanency are found desirable ; that speaking F rench or Ger- 
man is unnecessary to 90 per cent. of secondary scholars ; and 
that high school education is bad for girls. ‘‘ Free and uni- 
form” is Dr. Philbrick’s ideal. He believes that the work of 
elementary schools can be so revised that the higher subjects 
will be a simple continuation of the lower ; so that a complete 
elementary course shall be just the same as the first few years 
of a university education. Higher stages are never to be com- 
menced till after the age of fourteen. Free high schools, ‘*the 
most truly democratic of all our institutions,” are being used by 
youths who go back to farm work, contending that in no way 
does a classical education unfit a man for manual labour and 
attending meetings of ‘‘old boys” whose common interest in 
the school helps to obliterate social distinctions. Such schools 
are to be provided for the mechanic to carry on his studies 
therein in the evening ; while for higher students manual labour, 
especially the use of carpenters’ tools, is to replace the gymna- 
sium, and be pursued afterwards in evening technical schools ; 
and thus study and labour will complement each other, and the 
daily toil of the poor man is raised to the level of the rich man’s 
recreation. Military and fire drill are to be taught, and replace 
out-door games. We fear that an elementary course complete 
in itself and different from university rudiments, although per- 
petuating class distinctions, will probably be a necessary evil for 
some time yet, and also that paralysis for lack of competition 
must be incurred where pupils are required to attend the school 
in their own district of their own city—this necessitating uni- 
formity of books for the sake of families removing. 
A PREAITSTORIC CEMETERY 
DUNFERMLINE correspondent writes that another ceme- 
tery of prehistoric times has been discovered on the estate of 
Pitreavie. About two and a half miles to the north-east of the 
former discovery a number of workmen were, some days ago, 
engaged in collecting: rough stones to form an embankment. 
Ere the work had proceeded far it was noticed that the stones, 
which lay on a moor, formed a circle, partly covering a mound 
200 feet in diameter. In the centre of the mound, and about 
36 inches below the surface, a cyst measuring 46 inches in length 
and 24 inches in width was found. ‘The cyst was three-parts 
filled with a dark mould, and in it was discovered a beautifully- 
formed urn which stands 5 inches in height and measures 6 inches 
across the mouth. There was nothing in the urn but soil, but 
in the cyst some large calcined bones were found. Explora- 
tions were continued in the vicinity of the cyst and within the 
stone circle, with the result that no fewer than eleven other 
urns were found. All these urns contained calcined human 
bones and much vegetable charcoal, both in dust and in pieces, 
and numerous pieces of burnt bones were also found in the 
mound—a circumstance which indicates that a good many in- 
terments had taken place without urns. The urns measured 
from 5 to 12 inches in height, are hand-made, and of the type 
usually known as ‘‘ food-vessels.” They have everted rims, and 
are ornamented with varied designs, formed by oblique lines and 
dots on the upper part, and encircling projecting rings at the 
bulged part. ‘The urns are of a reddish colour, but the pottery 
section shows a black interior with a mixture of coarse sand. 
There are several interesting features attached to the discoveries. 
In the first cemetery a row of cysts with an urn in each were 
discovered—circumstances which unmistakably indicate the pre- 
dominance of inhumation oyer that of cremation. No bones 
were found in the urns. In the second discovery only one cyst 
was found, and eleven of the urns were simply buried in the 
mounds, and all contained burnt bones—facts suggestive of 
cremation. The second discovery corresponds more than the 
first with most of the prehistoric local cemeteries which have 
been laid bare in the county of Fife. The chronological rela- 
tionship between the two kinds of interment—inhumation and _ 
cremation—as presented to us in the two Pitreavie cemeteries, 
opens up a most interesting field of inquiry to the enthusiastic 
archzeologist. Dr. Worsaae, the late distinguished archzeologist, 
says cremation was the outcome of higher and more advanced 
religious principles than characterised the people of the Stone 
Age, who were in the habit of burying their dead in dolmens 
and other megalithic tombs, with food-vessels, weapons, orna- 
ments, and such articles as were supposed to be serviceable 
beyond the grave. Founding upon Di. Worsaae’s idea, it is not 
unreasonable to assume that the two discoveries under notice 
belong to the Stone and Bronze ages. The urns are all in the 
hands of the proprietor of the estate, Mr. Beveridge, and are 
likely to be handed oyer to the National Society of Antiquaries. 
SCIENTIFIC SERIALS 
Annalen der Physik und Chemie, No. 8, July 15.—This con- 
tains the following :—On the time-relations of the formation of 
the electric residuum in paraffin, by C. Dietericii-On the 
quantity of electrical elementary particles, by E. Budde.—On 
the theory of thermo-electric forces, by the same.—On a deduc- 
tion from the laws of electro-dynamic points, suggested by 
Gauss, by the same.—On some applications of theory of change 
of form in a body when it is magnetically or dielectrically polar- 
ised, by G. Kirchhoff.—Determination of some coefficients of 
friction and experiments on the influence of magnetisation and 
electrification on the friction of liquids. The values ‘obtained 
