New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-08-21
THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION.
IMPORTANT SCIENTIFIC PAPERS PRE-
sENTED AT TORONTO.
LORD KELVIN FAvoRs THE METRIC SYSTEM
CHARACTERS OF THE HUMAN sTRUCTURE-DE-
GREES CONEERRED BY TILE UNIVERSITY.

|
Toronto. Aug. 2o.-Those who are in attendance
upon the annual meeting of the British Assoca-
ton for the Advancement OF Science. wnich opened
here Wednesday. have to-day enjoyed variety
of entertainment. In addition to large doses or
science some OF 1t very technical and some OF II
just In popular form, the visitors have been
treated TO private hospitality and imposing acad-
emic ceremonial
The session OF physics and mathematics was
centre Of great interest this morning because
number of conspicuous men had been announced
as likely to contribute papers. Foremost In I'M
portance. though not In time. came LORD Kelvin.
He discussed the worlds fuel supply and air sup
ply In a highly original manner. BY fuel he meant
not only heat, coal and oil. but existing forests
/ and mould In fact. all ancient and modern vege-
! tation. Referring the familiar phenomenon OF
plant life, that 1t absorbs carbonic acid ana throws
! off oxygen he argued there was possibly even
| probably, a distinct relation between the amount
| Of oxygen gas In the earth's atmosphere and the
amount OF vegetation past and present Three tons
! Of oxygen are required to burn ton Of standard
fuel. Consequently he would assume that FOR every
three of oxygen In the air ton OF fuel had
come into existence The outcome OF this rough
computation was 9ioOoocO tons Of fuel
| In the course OF this talk Lord Kelvin digressed
frequently and delightfully."-. He made serious
plea for the general adoption Of the metric system
Of weights and measures, and then facetiousy
| added that cyclometer would register more kilo-
metres than mics, that the public had deep
| interest In securing the change
Another physicist OF wide reputation who
favored this system Of calculation Silvanus
| y. Thompson, author Of a valuable college and
! high school textbook on electricity and magnetism
| He reported incomplete researches into the
nature of the cathode rays, or those rays within
vacuum tube which, with the tube itself. gave
rise to the recently discovered rays. The latter
exist only outside Of the tube. Professor Thomp
! son had found four distinct species OF cathode
! rays. He Illustrated his talk with apparatus.
During this part II the lecture Lord Kelvin stood
| beside the speaker asking questions. pcering at
/ the huorcsccnt tube eagerly and ovncing the de-
| light of schooboy in tOyshop. Close observers
noticed at this time that although Professor
| Thompson made the "g' in "R0ntgen" soft. Lord
Kelvin did not sanction the by initiating
him, but invariably made the g" hard. as most
well-informed people do
Professor Oliver j. Lodge. another eminent Brit
ish electrician. present and asked questions
at the close Of Professor Thompson's story. Later
Mr. Lodge discussed the recent discovery Of the
influence of magnetism on the lines of the spec
trum.
PECULTARITIES OF HUMAN STRUCTURE
The anthropoogical section listened to-day 10 an
able address from It's president Sir William Tur-
ncr Of Edinburgh, whose topic was Some Dis
tlnctive Characters Of Human Structure" This
WAS a long paper and written in popular style.
Some of the peculiar features OF mans frame
the curvature Of his spine. the crooked way in
which the thigh-bone fits into the hip the greater
freedom and grace of the movements of the legs
! than are possible with apes and lower animals. the
more highly developed hand and certain character
istcs of the foot All these interesting and sig
nitcant as they are. are oyershadowed by the
perorty of the brain i'm relative weight and in
complicated structure. Boys brains at birth weigh
more than girls. The brains OF men of intellectual
emincnce weigh hfty-ilve or sixty ounces on the
average, while imbeciles may have only thirty
ounces The mean Internal capacity OF the cranl-
ums Of adult Europeans is about thousand five
hundred cubic centimetres. and In Australian
aborgines thousand hundred and eighty.
That OF adult male gorillas Is about four hundred
and ninety.
Now that It IS known that the higher apes and
men have brains with more cOnvouions than the
/ lower animals, the apes are being studied with
! view to localizng the functions of the brain. The
| Old phrenoogy had no well-estab.ished basis Only
since 1870 have we been able definitely TO localize
some of the brain functions. Not only have we
found out something about the centres OF
and muscular control. but also coming TO
detect a third set Of areas. which the speaker
called the Association centres" Flechsig ascribes
to these the higher forms of intelligence, such as
memory Judgment and reflection Further
parison between these centres in man and in the
lower animals is much needed. Mans erect atti-
tude, firm footing. free upper limbs and well-bal-
higher powers here referred to.
The principal address of Professor II. Marshall
Ward, of Cambridge University as president of the
botanical section. was another very strong paper.
1t was largely devoted to those microscopic and
very low forms OF vegetable life which known
as beneticent bacteria These of practical
! Importance in brewing. cheese-making. agriculture
! and other industries.
Professor Henry +. Osborn OF the Museum OF
Natural History Of New-York City, presented
h lS Of of zooogy oa and nSr r.
Dodge. of the Teachers College. Morningside
on Scientific Geography for Schools This after
noon the latter section ,,id heard popular lecture by
tnder ; the Sea-
CONFERRING DEGREES
An impressive spectacle was witnessed shortly
after ( O'Clock in the Horticultural Gardens pavil-
ion when the degree of doctor OF laws was con-
ferrod by the University OF Toronto Lord kol-
vim Lord Lister Sir John Evans. a. 5. Hardy.
Premier Of the Province OF Ontario and Lord Aber-
deem. Governor General of Canada. 1t had been
the intention to bestow similar nonors Professor
Oliver Woloot Gibbs. recently president Of the
American Association for the Advancement OF
Science ana still al the head of the National Acad-
envy OF Science: on Sir Wilfril Iaurer. Prime Min
t the practice OF this Institution never 10 give de-
reefS o in thg n Newpor, 6 illness sir Wd
has noi returned from England and Lord Rayleigh
did not come over from the Old Country, As had
| been expected
The senate OF the University, numbering about
| eighty men, In black gowns with cOlored hoods. In
dcatiye of well-wOn academic honors. marched into
the pavilion at the appointed hour and assembled
the platform George Ross Minister of Educa-
ton FOR Ontario. made the presentation speech TO
Lord Kelvin. and President Loudon OF the Univer-
sitv ala the same Tor Lord Lister. Sir joan Evans.
this years president OF the British Association for
| the Advancement of Science. received his degree
| from Sir Oliver Mowat. the Canadian Minister OF
Justice.
| Perhaps the most eloquent of the presentation
| addresses WIS that OF Mr.. Ross. Tho keynote of
Lord Kevin's response WAS that he was child 2f
the universities. having been born Under the shad-
! ow of one and having lived ever since IN one as
student and prof ,ssor lie rejoiced I'm all these uni
| yersitv honorS and discussed IN" scope Of modern
university work The institution that mad just hon
ored him to-day WAS heartily praised for It's hiGh
| standards and breadth.
Iord Lister when his turn came, said with evil