500 
ealls attention to another drawback, in occa- 
sional fog formed in a closed room where 
acetylene is used. This he thinks is due to the 
deposition of carbon as the hydrogen of the 
acetylene burns, thus creating a sort of mist. 
It will require some ingenuity to overcome all 
these difficulties, but we cannot doubt but that 
it will be accomplished in the near future; as 
it is, the progress of acetylene has advanced 
much more rapidly than any other form of arti- 
ficial illumination. 
THE most serious problem in the generation of 
acetylene on asmall scale is the after-formation 
of gas in the generator. This is discussed by 
P. Wolff in the Metallarbeiter, and reproduced 
in the Chemical News. According to Wolff this 
after-generation is due to three causes: the 
action of the residual water contained in the 
pores of the carbid, the condensation of water 
on the surface of the carbid, and the absorption 
of aqueous vapor. In an experiment where 
the carbid reservoir was over petroleum, the 
after-generation was 6 liters in 24 hours, 16 
liters in three days and remained constant at 
this figure. Over water 25 liters were given off 
in one day, and 30 liters in three days. The 
generation of gas continued at five to six liters 
a day until the carbid in the generator was 
completely decomposed. This shows the dan- 
ger in small generators where there can be no 
large reservoir. In large apparatus a gas reser- 
voir can be attached which will have capacity 
to hold this generated gas and that without 
compression, which would render it dangerous. 
The best device is spoken of as being that of 
Miunsterberg, which not only has a relatively 
large reservoir, but a device for closing the car- 
bid chamber by an air-tight valve which com- 
pletely shuts off the chamber when the ap- 
paratus is not in use. No mention is made of 
the device which has been used in this country, 
where the carbid is dropped in small lumps into 
water. As each piece is exhausted a new por- 
tion is fed automatically. 
ProFessor R. STAVENHAGEN, of Berlin, has 
described in the Berichte the properties of tung- 
sten, which have been, heretofore, only imper- 
fectly studied in impure specimens of the metal. 
The tungsten was obtained by reduction of the 
SCIENCE. 
[N. 8. Von. X. No. 249. 
oxide by aluminum. It is found to be practi- 
cally insoluble in acids, even in aqua regia; it 
dissolves slowly, however, in fused caustic 
potash. It is decidedly hard, of a color slightly 
darker than that of zinc, and is infusible in the 
electric are. 
ACCORDING to the Chemical News of August 
18th, Professor Dewar, at the Royal Institution, 
had just succeeded in obtaining hydrogen as a 
solid, glassy, transparent mass. Further par- 
ticulars of this interesting discovery will be 
eagerly looked forward to. 
J. L. H. 
THE NEW COLLEGE PRESIDENTS. 
On this subject the Educational Review for 
September comments editorially as follows : 
‘Four of the most important college pres- 
idencies to which we made reference some time 
ago have been filled, and so satisfactorily filled 
that it is a matter for rejoicing. It seems to us 
that Presidents Hadley of Yale, Harris of Am- 
herst, Faunce of Brown, and Wheeler of Cali- 
fornia were the best selections possible, taking 
into account the peculiar traditions and prob- 
lems of each of the four institutions and the 
personal equation of the man chosen to preside, 
we hope for at least a quarter of a century, 
over the teaching body of each. Three of the 
four men are successful and experienced teach- 
ers, and the fourth is a clergyman whose teach- 
ing instinct is very strong and whose relations 
to education have been very close. In these 
elections the recently exploited newspaper 
theory that a large college needs a business man 
or a money getter for President has received a 
set-back and a severe rebuke. We can imagine 
few things worse for higher education in the 
United States than to have the spirit of com- 
mercial trading and the business man’s point of 
view obtain strong foothold in it. ‘Business 
methods’ have debauched and are debauching 
politics on every hand, and the treasure house 
of education must be protected from their in- 
roads at all ‘hazards. The idealism which 
American life so sorely needs must be furnished 
in large part by the universities, and the two 
last questions for their governing boards to be 
taught to ask are, Is it ‘timely’? and, Will it 
pay ? 
