Notes and Comments. 343 
rather vague forms of statement, and to shrink from closer 
examination of the puzzling and the obscure. Another is to 
deny the existence of anything which makes no appeal to 
organs of sense, and no ready response to laboratory experi- 
ment. Against these tendencies the author contends. He 
urges a belief in ultimate continuity as essential to science ; 
he regards scientific concentration as an inadequate basis for 
philosophic generalization ; he believes that obscure phenomena 
may be expressed simply if properly faced; and he points 
out that the non-appearance of anything perfectly uniform 
and omnipresent is only what should be expected, and is no 
argument against its real substantial existence.’ 
ETHER OR NO ETHER. 
Following the Presidential Address, there was an interesting 
discussion on ‘ Radiation’ in the Physical Science section. As 
the Yorkshire Observer points out—With complete obliviousness 
of the fact that there was anyone in the room of lesser degree 
than a senior wrangler they concentrated their attention upon 
the ether—the ‘ alleged’ ether—and fought, with much con- 
sumption of chalk on the blackboard, their battle. Sir Oliver 
opened the matter in his presidential address—pro ether ; one 
who denied its exsitence followed with an hour’s debate; Sir 
Oliver responded by silently and solemnly writing a formula 
on the blackboard which, to the evident satisfaction of himself 
and many of the ‘ orthodox,’ destroyed one of Mr. Jeans’s 
elaborate calculations, and ether found another distinguished 
champion in Dr. Lorentz, who eventually summed up _ his 
view of the situation in the question—given with the more 
piquancy because of the speaker’s foreign accent—what did it 
matter whether they called it ether or vacuum so long as it 
behaved like ether? Other contestants set themselves 
promptly to show that it did not behave like the ether as theory 
pictured it, and so the battle went on. 
PROFESSOR GARWOOD’S ADDRESS. 
In his Presidential Address to the Geological Section, 
Professor E. J. Garwood dealt with the part played by Cal- 
careous Algz in the formation of rocks. He stated that :— 
‘More than twenty years ago, whilst engaged in the study of 
the lower carboniferous rocks of Westmorland, I noticed the 
occurrence of certain small concretionary nodules of very 
compact texture, in the dolomites near the base of the suc- 
cession in the neighbourhood of Shap. Shortly afterwards, 
when examining the Bernician rocks of Northumberland, I 
again met with similar compact nodular structures. It was 
obvious, however, even at that time, that the Northumberland 
‘specimens occurred here at a much higher horizon than those 
which I had observed in Westmorland. More recently, whilst 
1913 Oct. 1. 
