New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-09-26
BRITISH SCIENCE.
THE DOVER MEETTNG-FAMLrAR PAW,
AND FIGUREs-ACADEMIC SPORTS
Dover, Septemhe, ,


Dover September "a
The most important session in the recon, =.
nails Of the British Association was the On. =.
oxford five years ago. when Lord SALISBURY A.
livered the presidential address and LORD D..
Ieigh's discovery Of argon was announced r.
Ipswich meeting was a dull one consnlcuoa.
mainly for the aftermath Of argon and ho,,,,..
the Liverpool session was a more brilllan, a..
with an address Of fascinating interest by -,
Lister. the most eminent Of English suryeo..
and last year at Bristol tho learned mon :.
everybody laughing by the facility with vh,.,
they allowed themselves 70 be drawn int
clever scheme for advertising ". Ioul. a.
/ Rougcmont's romance, the geOgraphers and ~
anthropologists being occupied with Invests.
tons respecting the credibility Of his South G..
tales. The Dover meeting has not rvalled el,b..
the oxford the Liverpool sessions in attend.
ance or oratory or general interest: but II Ia,
been spared the reproach ~ providing certf
cate of character for "A rOmancing adventure
The only conspicuous bit OF advertising has
been the display Of the instruments Of the Wlre
less Telegraph and Signal Company. and TIA,
was legitimate for Mr. MarcOnFs invention Ia h.
day scientific toy rather than commercial
undertaking. whatever It may be in future, and
the possibilities are great
Perhaps the chief discovery made by the Eng.
ush scientific world this year Is Dover its.i
When Gloucester asks. "Dost thou know
Dover?" Edgar promptly answers: Aye. mas
ter" and then follows the famous description q
the Shakespeare elf. Few EngIshmen know
Dover except as doorway to the Continent
and even the tireless American tourist rushes
from train to Channel steamer or follows the
1 ,-ftt,1s
that he is neglecting one ~ the most interesting
towns in England. a quaint town which can
boast Of having the most ancient structure IN
the United Kingdom deserves closer scrutiny.
and 10 the unique Roman Pharos added
the Oldest church In tho realm and Norman
castle which has not been marred by the med.
dlesome touch Of haphazard restorers. A cloud
Of historic "reminiscences envelops this cleft IN
the chalk cliffs. with its ragged edges and clus-
tors Of oldtime churches and houses. and ths
coast east and west is a glorious one with
grand prospects Of the sea and fine contrasts y
coloring The British Association viii not have
met here in vain II # helps to interest travellers
i'm the castle crowned cliffs. the picturesque
coast and the historical landmarks Of Norman,
Saxon and Roman England.
Presidential addresses before the British Asso-
ties Of the eminent men who deliver them. Tho
veterans Of this assembly remember the dis.
tlnct impression Of personal courage which Pro.
fessor Tyndal conveyed to them when he was
in the chair and also the instructive love u
controversy which was Professor Huxeys dom
mating trait Lord Kelvin more recently has
impressed a first night association audience with
the depth II his mind, Lord Raylegh with the
III md or1T feta r-rs.L
the scientific spirit Of surgery. Sir Michael Eos.
ter has been oppressed this year with the con-
seriousness that the century is nearing rs close.
and has considered It official duty to provide
a chapter Of scientific "reminiscences Ike Sir
Douglas Cations at the Ipswich meeting. It
was a felicltousy phrased lecture, which dis.
closed the classroom habit Of saying little
about a great subject in an academic way. Sir
Michael Foster was bred surgeon. hut he
speedily dropped into a professors chair at
Cambridge. and became in due time a graceful
writer and secretary Of the Royal Society. He
not only academic in style. but diplomatic d
method. The amenities Of professional fellow.
ship with the French Association had been rn.
dered difficult and delicate by the Dreyfus YER
diet The president knew how to say the right
thing in the right way
The faces on the platform at the Dover Town
Hall were varied studies OF the intellectual lie
Of England. Lord Lister. famous for the DIS
covery of the antiseptic treatment in surgery
smiled benignly upon his friends. Sir Henry
Roscoe one Of the most eminent students q
chemistry in Europe. had fine glow Of enthu.
siasm on his thoughtful face. Sir W. II Preeoe,
the chief electrician Of the Postonice Depart
ment was whispering to his neighbor an
49,, g, s-fa fl,n-
ing without wires by means Of instruments
similar 10 Mr. Marconfs. Sir william White
one Of the greatest naval architects. had the
air OF carrying under his hat all the secrets o.
the Admiralty and most Of the possibilities o.
future designing. Sir Norman Lockyer sat near
by with the preoccuped face Of a star gazer
and student Of spectrum analysis. yet also with
the rudy color and robust we'll knit figure Of
an expert golf player Two octogenarian'
were near each other. Sir Frederick BramweI
famous as an engineer, and sir Erasmus
Ommanney. with record OF sea service running
back to Navarino and to early Arctic exped.-
lions.
Sir William Crookes. the retiring president
we'll known as n chemist and electrician. had
cracked a mild joke at his own expense in intro
ducing his successor. and he smiled pacdE
from time TO time as though It had LETT a pleas
ant taste in his mouth. Sir Archibald GeiNs
the director general II the Geological Survey
looked grim and solemn enough 20 draw a ser
mon out OF the Dover CLIFFS. Sir Joseph Hooker
whose scientific service began on the Erebu'
sixty years ago under Sir James Ross. and was
continued in the Hmaayas and the ROCKY
Mountains. and finally at the Kew Gardens. was
a patriarchal figure. Professor George Howsr'
Darwin, preserving the traditions ~ great
name by his own growing reputation IN science
was in his right place near Professor J.
Thomson and Professor oliver Lodge. Close
together were Or. Francis Cation. the philoso'
phcr of finger prints and heredity, and Sir Jonn
Evans. the archeologist and not far away were
Professor Ray Lancaster Sir John Murray o.
the Challenger expedition; Professor Sedg"ic"
Professor Kicker, Professor Boyd Da~klns, u
-.. Scotch