June 27, 1919] 



SCIENCE 



613 



ably not be directly in the line of any limiting 

 shape, as a four-sided figure, but towards 

 something intermediate between a limiting 

 shape and the most general form, or a figure 

 having twelve or twenty-four faces. That the 

 rhombic dodecahedron is possibly the real 

 plan, if there be any, although having in na- 

 ture curved surfaces, seems to be borne out 

 by the trend of the chief mountain ranges of 

 the world, and by the situation of the main 

 volcanic aotivities at the sharp solid angles or 

 the points where each set of faces intersect. 



Viewed, then, in their telluric relations the 

 continents are probably best regarded not as 

 broad basins w^th upturned rims but as some- 

 what irregular, interrupted, meridianally dis- 

 posed ridges. These ribs appear to be di- 

 rectly traceable in their genesis to released 

 cumulative tension that depends upon the 

 secular retardation of the earth's rotation. 

 Charles Ketes 



american assistance for russian 

 educational institutions 



To THE Editor of Scienxe : Revolution, war 

 and anarchy threw Eussia out of the rut of 

 normal life. And in no phase of Russia's na- 

 tional life have the results been so disastrous 

 as in public education, which can not be 

 placed again on an adequate and normal foot- 

 ing without the assistance of the Allies. 



Just before the war, there was adopted a 

 plan for universal education, also for opening 

 a number of higher institutions of learning, 

 especially, technical and agricultural colleges. 

 These educational institutions are open, but 

 on account of complete lack of the supplies 

 needed for conduct of studies and practical 

 work of the students, and, because it has been 

 impossible to obtain apparatus, tools, etc., 

 from Germany and Austria whence they for- 

 merly came, it becomes necessary to conduct 

 the studies one-sidedly and incompletely and 

 it is diflScult to expect good results from such 

 studies. 



There is only one way of obtaining such 

 supplies for Siberia, where several higher in- 

 stitutions of learning have recently been 

 opened, and that is to purchase the supplies in 

 the United States where, at present, most of 



the laboratory instruments and other technical 

 supplies, so far as I know, are manufactured 

 and are quite satisfactory as to quality. 



The writer, who came to this country as the 

 representative of the Ministry of Agriculture, 

 would like to dwell upon this mattter in refer- 

 ence to the laboratories and institutions in 

 different branches of agriculture and experi- 

 mental stations and also to throw light upon 

 the general aspect of this question. 



Equipment of the Russian educational in- 

 stitutions with necessary supplies is further- 

 more complicated by other circumstances, such 

 as: lack of means and complete impossibility 

 of making purchases for cash owing to very 

 low exchange rate of the rouble at the present 

 time. And, meanwhile, the matter of educa- 

 tion is urgent and a way out of this difficult 

 situation is ptossible only in case the American 

 scientific and academic circles would realize 

 that the problem of education in Russia at 

 present is tragic, if they would have a desire 

 to come to aid and organize such aid. 



During the difficult struggle against the 

 Bolsheviki, Siberia had an opportunity to be- 

 come acquainted with and learned to appre- 

 ciate the brotherly assistance of the American 

 Red Cross in the matter of organizing hos- 

 pitals and havens for refugees. The scientific 

 educational matters as well as the work of the 

 Red Cross may and must be outside of poli- 

 tics. It is sufficient to be in sympathy with a 

 people in order to come to their assistance. 

 And, if my American academic colleagues 

 share this point of view and would give an 

 impetus to this new movement in the matter 

 of spiritual aid to Russia, then, I am firmly 

 convinced, the Americans would organize this 

 aid in as splendidly efficient a way as they have 

 organized the Red Cross. 



It is, however, self-evident that this aid 

 must be given on an entirely different basis. 

 There could be no question of charity, but 

 simply the matter of facilitating the purchase 

 of the necessary technical equipment by per- 

 mitting purchases to be paid for in instal- 

 ments. 



I do not, by any means, offer my suggestion 

 as the only feasible plan, but would only like 



