Scientific Societies.

During the second term a few industrious, if somewhat misguided grave-diggers, exhumed the "Maths, and Physics Society," but the mustiness of this slightly decayed cadaver seems to pervade its few lectures, and so it was hastily interred again before the stench became too over-powering.

The Chemical Society, after being packed away from 1942, was taken out and shaken, and managed to arrange a few lectures. Mr. Keys, of the D.S.I.R., delivered quite an enlightening address on "Patent Medicines," which seemed to somewhat annoy a patent medicines manufacturer present, particularly the slander that patent medicine pushers were just racketeers. However the odour of moth-balls seemed to cling to the society, in spite of the club officers' most courageous and determined efforts to deodorise it; so the society was again hurriedly packed away. Perhaps next year, or the year after, or the year after that, the society will be given a hearty dusting, which will either bring it back to life, or choke it once and for all.

The Biological Society of all the Scientific Societies seems to have been the liveliest. Lectures included one of a Botanical flava, by Dr. Blair, and a Zoological one by Mrs. Richardson. Also a tour was arranged to Red Docks where numerous specimens, etc., were collected.

In general the Scientific Societies have relatively little to show, in spite of the fact that the number of science students has greatly increased this year. Perhaps it is due to the war. I wonder when we will reach the stage when in the words of A. Tolstoy

"We should find it very difficult to draw a line of demarcation, showing where in the consciousness of the citizen, science ends and arts begins. Both the one and the other are essential for perceiving and knowing the world as it is." I wonder!

Or why is it? to quote J. D. Bernal," The way in which educated people respond, to such quackeries as spiritualism or astrology, not to say more dangerous ones such as racial theories, or currency myths shows that fifty years of education in the method of science in Britain or Germany has produced no visible effect whatever."