Science.

SANITARY PROGRESS.

During the recent Budget discussion the Hon. Sir C. Sankaran Nair sketched the course of improvement in Sanitation. He said :—

The estimates for 1915-16 included the reserve of Rs. 7-70 lakhs for the improvement of sanitation. Out of this sum non-recurring grants, amounting to Rs. 3.70 lakhs, have been made during the year, namely, R3 1 lakh for the improvement of the pilgrim route to Kedernath and Badrinath; Rs. 2 lakhs towards the scheme of drainage and of water supply for the Peshawar Municipality, and Rs. 70,000 to Delhi for sanitary improvements. The balance, namely, Rs. 4 lakhs has been surrendered in view of the financial situation. The Indian Research Fund Association received, as usual in 1915-16, an annual grant of Rs. 5 lakhs. Out of the total sum at its disposal the Association made various grants, the chief of which were (a) anti-malarial schemes in Delhi and the United Provinces, Rs. 2,52,216; (b) Bombay School of Tropical Medicine, Rs. 1,00,000; (c) a scheme of experimental research in Lucknow, Rs. 80,000. The Association also conducted various enquiries at its expense on cholera, water analysis, plague, diabetes and tuberculosis. For 1916-17 will be seen that no fresh grants for sanitation will be received. Indeed, in view of the financial situation Rs. 2 lakhs of the sanitary reserve, and Rs. 2 lakhs out of the annual grant of Rs. 5 lakhs placed at the disposal of the Indian Research Fund Association, will be temporarily resumed. The sanitary reserve for 1916-17 amounts to Rs. 370 lakhs, of which Rs 1 lakh has been earmarked for the KedarnathBarinath pilgrim route.

ITALIAN SHELLS.

The Italians repeatedly mention the difficulties which they have encountered in overcoming the Austrian heavy artillery, and an account of these guns, which is given by a Russian medical officer, enables us to form some idea of the splendid fighting qualities to which the continued successful advance of the Italians testifies. The effect of the Skoda 17in. howitzers, known as the "Pilseners," is worse, states this Russian officer, than the effect of the Krupp "Fat Berthas." The Skoda shells weigh 2,800lb. (1 ton 5 cwt.), their usual curve is nearly 4 miles high, and in soft ground they penetrate 20 feet before exploding. The explosion occurs two seconds after impact. The " Pilseners," except in diameter, do not resemble the Krupp 17in. guns. A "Pilsener " shell kills everyone within 150 yards, and kills many who are farther off.

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The mere

pressure of gas breaks in the partitions and roofs of bomb proof shelters. Scores of men who escape metal fragments, stones, and showers of earth are killed, lacerated or blinded by the pressure of the gas. Men who are only a short distance away are torn asunder.-The Times of India.

THE NEGLECT OF SCIENCE.

Sir E. Ray Lankester writes to the Times :— What is needed is not a better knowledge of the facts of science by a few, but a widely spread knowledge and understanding of chemistry, physics, and biology in all classes, so that the manufacturer and workman, as well as the Civil Servants of the Government and the members of the Legislature, shall perceive the value of science and insist on the cultivation of it and on the use of it, and the capacity to use it, in all those who are entrusted with the direction of public affairs. It is no less essential that in the management of business enterprises the knowledge and due respect for and utilization of science, and the scientific habit of mind, should dominate and guide our action.

It is sometimes asserted that the classical education at present favoured in our public schools and universities is a general one, and that training in science is 'specialization' and should come later. The truth is the precise contrary of this. An education, in which every branch of natural science is ignored, is not a general one, but foolishly specialised. The great obstacle to the introduction of the natural science, as essential parts in the country of school and university education, has been the deliberate assignment by the Civil Service Commissioners of an overwhelming excess of marks to Greek and Latin and allied subjects, and a negligible quantity to the branches of natural science in the competitions conducted by them for the selection of candidates for posts in the Public Service. Thus the knowledge of science is neglected and is even treated with contempt.

My object in writing this letter is to point out that the one and only way of saving the country from utter inefficiency and consequent ruin is for the Legislature to entirely remodel the competitions for the valuable posts of the Home and Indian Civil Services. These elements of chemistry, physics, and biology should be made a compulsory subject for all candidates, and as much as half total marks in the competiton should be assigned to the great branches of these subjects; one quarter to mathematics and one quarter to the whole group described as classics, history and proficiency in the use of the English language. It is only when this--or something equivalent to it has been done that we can hope to see our people enter upon that new phase of efficiency and power, which is surely the first necessary step to the maintenance of our prosperity and independence.

Personal.

CHARACTERISTICS OF G. K. GOKHALE.

In unveiling the portrait of Mr. Gokhale at the Tinnevelly Home in Triplicane, Madras, the Hon. Sir Harold Stuart made the following shrewd observations on Mr. Gokhale's characteristics:

I would first of all lay stress on his self-sacrifice. With his high intellectual attainments and his charming manner, wealth and honours would have come to him in abundance, but he put them all aside and deliberately devoted himself to work for his country, seeking neither riches nor honour. He was singularly devoid of personal ambition, but he was filled with ambition to do public good, His early life was characterised by selfsacrifice that is both rare and highly commendable. 'The next quality I should lay stress upon is his great industry. He recognised that no man could be prcperly equipped for a public life unless be was prepared to undergo much toil and labour in acquiring the necessary knowledge. His fine speeches, which my friend Mr. Natesan has recently published, will show how much labour he had given for the purpose of preparation. There was nothing superficial about him, and those of us who heard his debates saw how carefully he must have prepared himself for his immediate task. I commend that characteristic very much to the young men who seek a public career. A mere superficial knowledge can never advance a cause; a few eloquent words will not bring success. Behind the eloquent words there must be complete and detailed acquaintance with the subject. The next great characteristic of Mr. Gokhale is his transparent sincerity, a quality which always struck me very forcibly. He never followed that school which suggests that the end justifies the means. He was no opportunist in the unfavourable sense of that word. He was always studiously careful to avoid exaggeration of statement and of language, with the result that when Mr. Gokhale made a statement it received marked attention. One felt that he advanced no proposition which he was not fully able and prepared to defend. That absence of violence of language which may win applause for the time being, and that studied avoidance of exaggeration, secured success to any cause which is worthy of your attention. The last quality which I wish to mention is his marked fairness. It is a quality which is very often lacking in public men in all countries, and it is a quality which claims for public man the respect of his opponents. If a man is going to devote himself to public life, he must cultivate fairness to his opponents and so secure their respect and gain for himself the influence which is of such great value.

I think I have given a sufficiently hard task for the young men of this Association in mentioning these four qualities. If they will follow Mr. Gokhale in his selfsacrifice, his industry, his sincerity and his fairness, they will have gone a great way towards attaining the goal that he himself reached. Many a young man who earnestly and deliberately sets himself to do so will meet with much disappointment, but I hope that with this great example before him he will strive after failure and strive and strive again, having his ideal to encourage him and so be a lamp unto his feet and a light unto his path,

THE LATE AUDINARAYANIAH.

The death of Dewan Bahadur M. Audinarayaniah Garu removes from the public life of Madras one of its most respected citizens. After thirty years' honourable service in the Mysore State and in the Madras Government, Mr. Audinarayaniah spent his last days in public service in various capacities. There is scarcely an institution in Madras with which he is not in one way or another intimately associated. The Mahajana Sabha, the Industrial Association, the Temperance League, the Indian Bank, the Social Reform Association, each one of these institutions will be the poorer for his death. With a turn for the practical he was the moving spirit of general Swadeshi enterprises. An ardent Social Reformer he presided over the Ninth Provincial Social Conference at Tinnevelly in 1906, when he made a capital speech. To the versatility of his accomplishments must be added the gift of a sort of old-world eloquence, which for his age and experience carried a peculiar weight and authority in all public deliberations.

LORD CHELMSFORD.

Mr. Austen Chamberlain recently entertained Lord Chelmsford to dinner at Claridge's. There were present: Mr. Asquith; the Cabinet Minister; the Vice-President and members of the Council of India; the High Commissioners of the Dominions; H. H. the Raja of Rutlam; H. H. the Aga Khan; Lord Inchcape; Lord Stamfordham; Sir Hugh Barnes; Sir John Nixon; Sir Ameer Ali; Sir Krishna Gupta; Sir Ali Imam; the Raj Kumar Sirdar Singh of Shapura, and Mr. Charles Roberts, M. P. In this connection, the London correspondent of the Times of India writes :-Lord Chelmsford is quietly making his preparations, personal and official, for going to India, and is understood to have neither time nor inclination for attracting public attention. He is quite ready to hear privately the views of those who can speak with experience and knowledge of the present-day conditions in India. His personal study of them under the favourable circumstances of the last fourteen months for detached observation has not been merely superficial. While serving with his regiment, he is understood to have cherished the secret ambition that one day he might be called not to the Viceroyalty but to a Governorship of one of the Provinces. His friends report that on the basis of his observations in India, he is entering upon his heavy responsibilities in a spirit of confidence and hope.

Political.

THE WAR AND THE INDIAN BUDGET.

In the closing passage of his speech on the Budget Estimates in the Imperial Council, Sir William Meyer said:-It has been a source of great concern to the Government of India that the last Budget to be presented under Your Excellency's auspices should be marked by the Decessity of a large increase in taxation. But we hould be flinching from our duty and unmindful of the example which has been set to us in other parts of the Empire, were we to shrink from this, The the increased burdens which we have proposed are small in comparison with those which have to be borne by other countries participating the war. We may also, I think, derive some satisfaction from the fact that whereas on the het occasion on which additional taxation had to be imposed (in 1910) that necessity arose from e domestic circumstances of India, our present reasures arise only through the participation of India in the greatest war which any of us are likely to see and in which the whole future of the Empire is in issue. And when I recall the Resolution unanimously passed in this Council on February 24th, 1915, which affirms the unswervng resolution of Indians to support the honour, ignity, and prestige of the Empire regardless of the sacrifice it may entail on them,' I am confident hat the measures we propose will receive full quiescence in the Council and in the country.

THE EMPIRE AND THE WAR.

Mr. Sidney Low, speaking on "The War and Problems of Empire," at King's College on 2nd Instant, said that no one would be likely to dervalue the part which India has taken in war, for the Indian troops had fought with a antry, a courage and an endurance not inferior those of their colleagues from all parts of the Empire. It was a difficult question how far the resources of India might be further utilised. He

ld make no attempt to go into that question, at he thought it worth pointing out that in the ew of some of the most influential and most apable leaders of the Indian community, there as the very strongest desire to increase the apacity of India to take that part,

BURMA ADMINISTRATION.

The administration report of Burma for the past year shows that the total receipts were Rs. 907 lakhs, of which Rs. 357 lakhs were credited to the Imperial Fund. The total expenditure was Rs. 673 lakhs, of which Rs. 77 lakhs were on Imperial account. The province received only Rs. 46 lakhs from Imperial Exchequer, against a contribution of Rs. 357 lakhs in the preceding year.

LAWYERS IN POLITICS.

"A Financial Expert," writing in The World, is very severe on lawyers as politicians. The article is entitled " Why Lawyers cannot govern a Country," and begins with a quotation from Shakspeare's Henry VI. which says: "The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers." Whatever be their reasons for so doing, lawyers have a love for the letters, M. P. after their name:

The present House of Commons is choc-a-bloc with lawyers, and that is why the actual governing of the country is a disastrous failure. The Cabinet is choked with lawyers (which is bad enough in times of peace, but sadly deplorable when we are in the midst of a terrible war) whilst hundreds of the rank-and-file of the great army of M. P's are lawyers of various types. They cannot see anything excepting from a legal point of view. Business, finance-organisation, and broad-minded principles and thoughts are not within their ken. As orators and time-wasters they may justly claim the gold medal, but as practical men of business they are absolutely at sea without a lifebelt, and the bitter experiences we are now suffering are simply because the country is not being governed on scund business and financial lines,

He then quotes the eight "good points of law" -the last and not least of which is "Good Luck.',

In strenuous times such as these we do not want the support or interference of gentlemen who are accustomed to trust to luck, who do not appear to grasp or even appreciate the seriousness of a national dilemma-let aloue tackle it. In the best of times a country can only be ruled and governed on sound business and financial lines. A country is after all nothing but a huge Store, catering for its customers both st home and abroad. There are many departments requiring expert organisation and management, and at the head of each department there should be a specialist in his particular branch-a specialist brimful of knowledge of the ecessary requirements, and with the capacity and intelligence for working out the salvation of his own department and not interfering or meddling with the business of others.

The writer then proceeds to show that as men of business, lawyers do not shine. The article is very interesting if we may regard it as a piece of humerous writing.

General.

WHY ARE THE HINDUS DYING?

A very interesting lecture was delivered in the Hall of the Ram Mohan Library by Lt.-Col. U. N. Mukherji, on Saturday the 26th February. Dr. J. C. Bose, M.A. D.Sc., C.I.E., was in the chair :

We

Lt.-Col. Mukerji insisted on the efforts of elevating the condition of the lower classes whom we hate as the untouchable, but who form a lakh and a seventy thousand the total being two lakhs. In this way we have deprived our countrymen the just privileges of mankind. have caused them to forget their self-respect, we have made them beasts in the guise of mankind, in fact, we have been guilty of a great sin. He was apprehensive of the future of our race and cited, for example, the history of Egypt which became Greek, Roman, Christian and Mussalman by turns and thus completely lost its national identity. He proved from the history of Japan that the way to keep our nation free from death's grasp is to teach the lower classes and to regard them as our brothers, to reinstate them into their just birthrights as human beings, thus making co-operation and sympathy possible amongst every member of the nation. Dr. Mukherji vividly described the real picture of our society from different standpoints. Looking to education, he said that ninety per cent. of our countrymen are illiterate. Agriculture is regarded as the hereditary patrimony of the peasants. We try to infuse certain chimerical ideas into the scheme of industry and make it a failure. Trade, Dr. Mukherji said, brings in our mind a thought of going to foreign countries, and we at once give it up for losing our caste. In this way, Dr. Mukherji said, during the last hundred years we have convened no less than fifty lakhs of public meetings to discuss our national welfare, but unfortunately our nation has not been able to gain a step towards the actual realisation of those ideals. Thus the nation fettered in religion, agriculture, trade, commerce, industry, education, and independent thought has no other alternative but to die a natural death.

SIKH HEROISM IN FLANDERS.

In a lecture to the Calcutta Light Horse, Captain C. F. Smith, commanding the Governor's Body Guard, referred to a number of his experiences while in Flanders with the 9th (Hodson's) Horse. These men, (of the Sikh Infantry) he said, had lost all their officers but one. They were in a trench up to the waist in icy water. It was December, and they had been there three days and three nights almost without food. As he waded up the trench, he spoke to some of the men, every one of whom was grey with cold and almost frozen from the waist downwards. They all said the same thing: "Sahib, we cannot move, but we can still shoot. Take your men away. We will stay here until we die. They had to be carried out bodily and in thirty-six hours they were back again,

ROUMANIAN NAVY.

Of the Balkan States, Greece and Roumania now stand aloof. "If Roumania joined the war —is an interesting speculation. If she did or the side of the Allies, her navy, though small, will be available as an axiliary to the Russian fleet to weaken the resistance of Bulgaria by directly attacking her sea-board Roumania possesses four 600-ton moni ors of 14-knot speed, carrying three 4·7 guns each, also a couple of 4·7 howitzers. These monitors, the Joan Bratiano, Michael Cogulnicheanu, Alexander Lahovari, and Laskar Catargi are superior to any Austrian craft, being swifter and better armed; they have also thicker armours. Roumania has also three torpedoboats suitable for Danubian operations as well as sixteen river torpedo craft.

BOMBAY SOCIAL SERVICE LEAGUE.

We are in receipt of a copy of the fourth Annual Report of the Bombay Social Service League, showing the work done during the period beginning with June 1914 and ending with 31st May 1915. The institution might well be proud of its educational and sanitary work. The promoters of this philanthropic organization deserve to be congratulated on their successful and manysided activities on behalf of the poorer classes.

THE BOY SCOUT MOVEMENT.

Among the Resolutions of the Educational Conference was a strong recommendation that theBoy Scouts' movement should be introduced into our schools as early as possible in view of the experience of Great Britain and other countries of the value of scouting as a powerful means of moral and physical instruction.

The Leader of Allahabad points out that the Conference in our opinion might have made another recommendation in addition. It might have reasonably urged that our students should be given a certain amount of military training. In the Thomason College at Roorkee European-yes, any European and not only British -and Anglo-Indian students have to join the cadet corps. No option is given to them not to, nor is option given to the Indian students to join it, if they choose to do so. The distinction is racial and invidious and it is deplorable that their status of inferiority, because they are Indians, should be brought home to them while yet they are students and in the most sensitive and impressionable period of their life in an institution owned and controlled by the Government, whose policy i religious neutrality. It is too late in the day for the splendid advantages of military training to body and mind alike to be seriously disputed by any one. Tha it is beneficial is tacitly proclaimed by the rule made it respect of the European and Anglo-Indian students Why then in the name of reason and fairness shou}( Indian young men go without it ?