850 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. II. No. 51. 



The Academische Bevue states that the Uni- 

 versity Extension Movement in connection with 

 the University of Vienna is meeting with much 

 success. The first courses now being given 

 number twenty-four, and in the first week 1,916 

 auditors were registered. The largest attend- 

 ance (350) is in the course in anatomy, offered 

 by Prof. Zuckerkandl. Each course is com- 

 posed of six lectures, and the fee for attend- 

 ance on the course is only about 20 cents. A 

 small appropriation (about $2,000) has been 

 made by the government toward the expenses 

 of the movement., Vienna is the first German 

 University, with the possible exception of Berne, 

 to inaugurate University Extension. 



In May of the present year the Universities 

 of St. Petersburg, Moscow and Kieff replied to 

 an inquiry from the Minister of Education unan- 

 imously favoring the establishment of labora- 

 tories of psychology in all of these universities. 

 A committee of eight professors from the Uni- 

 versity of Kieflf have petitioned for about S3, 000 

 for the establishment of a laboratory of psychol- 

 ogy, and a yearly appropriation of $300. 



Prof. E. Otis Kendall, since 1855 professor 

 in the University of Pennsylvania, has resigned 

 his position of Flower professorship of astron- 

 omy, but remains the nominal head of the depart- 

 ment of mathematics and honorary dean and 

 vice-provost. 



President Hill, of Rochester University, has 

 consented to postpone until the first of January 

 his resignation from the presidency. His action 

 is due to an address adopted unanimously by 

 members of the faculty, urging him to retain 

 his position. 



Dr. Herbert Nichols, formerly instructor 

 in psychology in Harvard University, has been 

 appointed lecturer in psj^chology in Johns 

 Hopkins University. 



Carleton College, Northfield, Minn., has 

 received $8,000 bequeathed by James H. Carle- 

 ton, among other charitable bequests which now 

 take effect on the death of his sister. 



A NEW University, entitled UniversiiS Nouvelle, 

 with power to confer degrees in all faculties, has 

 been established in Brussels under the control 

 of socialistic leaders. Among the professors are 

 the geographer Prof. Elisee Reclus and the 



jurist Prof. Eurico Ferri, both of whom were 

 unable to hold positions in their own countries. 

 The opening address of the Rector Professor 

 Janson urged that property should only be 

 acquired by labor and that the State should be 

 the only heir. Sixty students were matriculated 

 at the opening of the University, the future of 

 which will be followed with interest. 



Prof. Ruth has been appointed professor of 

 geodesy in the Technical High School of Prague 

 and Dr. v Rudzki assistant professor of mathe- 

 matics in the University of Krakau. Dr. Kempf 

 and Dr. Wilsing, astronomers at Potsdam, and 

 Dr. E.- Buchner, a chemist of Kiel, have been 

 appointed to professorships. Dr. C. von Twar- 

 dowski, privatdocent in the University of 

 Vienna, has been elected assistant professor in 

 philosophy in the University of Lemberg. 



CORRESPONDENCE AND DISCUSSION. 



A LAST WORD ON ERECT VISION. 



I SAY ' last word ' because I hope it may be 

 the last I shall say on this subject at present, 

 fearing that I have already occupied too much 

 space, and not in the sense of a final solution. 

 In the latter sense the last word is never said on 

 any scientific question, much less on this question 

 which has been discussed for two centuries and 

 will probably be for two centuries more. But I 

 wish, if possible, to state clearly the question as 

 it seems to me, so that I shall not be misunder- 

 stood. 



I agree with Prof. Minot that erect vision is 

 acquired by experience. Yes, but not by indi- 

 vidual experience. For the individual it is un- 

 doubtedly an inherited capacity — an endow- 

 ment. It is acquired by experience, true ; but 

 by experience along the whole line of the evolu- 

 tion of the animal kingdom, and especially of 

 the eye ; and more and more fixed in brain 

 structure or mental structure ; vmtil finally it is 

 thoroughly inherited as any other capacity. 

 This is, it seems to me, proved by cases of oper- 

 ation for congenital blindness from double cata- 

 ract in persons sufficiently old to have acquired 

 definite ideas of position in space by means of 

 other senses. I refer now to only one carefully 

 observed case recorded in the Revue Scieniifique, 

 Vol. 50, p. 571, 1892. An intelligent child. 



