324 NATURE SEPTEMBER 18, 1943, VoL. 152 which enjoys facilities for large-scale experimentation moving towards ever greater simplicity and perfec• through its member firms such as can only be avail• tion; and he quoted Turgot's saying: "Des hommes able to industrial bodies of this kind. The research grossiers ne font rien de simple. Il faut des hommes committee of the body organizing this work visited perfectionnes pour y arriver". This !do publication the Kingston and Fulham Laboratories of the British can be recommended to all interested in the subject, Coal Utilisation Research Association on September 9. and especially it shows no unreasonable bias in Mr. J. G. Bennett, director of B.C.U.R.A., gave a favour of its own language. short address, outlining the organization of his Association and the scope of the work it has in band. Centenary of the Economist Three main divisions can be distinguished, namely, THE centenary number of the Economist worthily the administrative, the general research division, maintains the tradition of impartial examination of and the specialized research departments, the latter public affairs which it has established from the days subdivided into four or five sections. Within several of James Wilson and Walter Bagehot. The factual of the specialized sections there are investigations in approach, acute analysis, constructive criticism and progress which will undoubtedly affect coke-oven the flair for asking the right questions which have practice and the quality of the coke that can be characterized it from the start are faithfully reflected produced from a given coal or blend. In particular in the pages of the centenary issue. Few periodicals may be mentioned the 'heat-of-wetting' test de• can have done more to stimulate the consideration veloped in the Association's physico-chemical lab• of social and economic questions in the cool serious oratory under Dr. D. H. Bangham. This,. and other spirit of science, and it is fitting that in congratulating fundamental work on the structure of coal and coke, the Economist on the attainment of its centenary; was discussed at the recent Conference on the Ultra• men of science should put on record their appreciation Fine Structure of Coals and Cokes held at the Royal of the contribution which that journal has rendered Institution. The visitors spent most of their time at to the advance of science. In the centenary issue Kingston, where they inspected work on the pro• scientific workers will find the articles on "Enterprise duction of high temperatures from solid fuel and and Efficiency", on the Middle East Supply Centre, other interesting aspects before proceeding to the entitled "An International Example", on nationaliza• main building recently opened by Sir Edward tion and on "Active Citizenship" of particular Appleton. interest, but scarcely less stimulating and suggestive is that on "Britain in the World" and the review of Otto Jespersen and an International Auxiliary the first hundred years and of the policy of the Language Economist which open the issue. EARLY this year Prof. 0. Jespersen died in Copen• Academy of Sciences of the U.S.S.R. hagen. He was a philologist of world-wide reputation THE continuing activity of the Academy of Sciences who specialized in the , was the of the U.S.S.R. is indicated in information recently author of various standard works, and a firm believer received from Moscow. Two sessions of the Academy in the practicability of an international auxiliary were held in Sverdlovsk last year, and another is language. His work in this connexion has been ably being held in Moscow this month. All kinds of summarized by H. Jacob in a brochure published by fundamental research are being maintained despite the International Language () Society of Great the urgent claims of war work. Although in the Britain, in which we read of Jespersen's active part U.S.S.R. scientific workers are exempt from con• in elaborating Ido as a revised version of ; scription, many volunteered for military service and of his subsequent invention, in 1928, of a new when war with Germany broke out. It is vigorously constructed called Novia!. He was con• maintained that this is a "scientists' war", demanding vinced that an international auxiliary language the continuation of scientific research, and in the should be based on the material of European lan• list of essentials for victory achievements in mathe• guages, should be regularly constructed, have a matics, physics and agriculture are given equally complete of its own, be flexible and high priority with achievements in fields more imme• independent of national usages. He emphasized diately associated with war. At the forthcoming how incomparably easier it is to learn and use such session, thirty-six new full rpembers of the Academy a than any ethnic language, a and forty-two corresponding members will be elected. view that has been confirmed as the result of a six• Among the candidates for election are Drs. Kharkov, years' test by Prof. Thorndike in the United States. Kirill, Sinelnikov and Leipunsky, who are known in English he regarded as easier than other languages, Great Britain for their work at the Cavendish but it would have to be drastically altered, in regard Laboratory, Cambridge, and also the polar explorers to spelling, grammar, etc., to make it sufficiently Vladimir Bize and Nikolai Yukov. simple for international use. Nor has Jespersen any use for Pidgin English : "it would be laughed at Earthquake in Japan and mocked at, and all those millions who know and AccoRDING to radio reports from Tokyo, a serious love the language would not consider it earthquake took place in southern Japan during the a serious attempt to solve an important problem, but afternoon of September 10. The area most affected would turn away with horror". The attempt to make appears to have been near Tottori, in which town English an international auxiliary language by half the buildings collapsed and more than 1,400 reducing the vocabulary is held by many to be people may have been killed or injured. Tottori is invalidated by the many different meanings which some IOO miles north of Kobe where the earthquake some words possess; thus the "New English Dic• was felt. The shock was also strong at Osaka. Around tionary" ascribes sixty-four distinct senses to 'give', Tottori railway lines were hlocked and telegraph sixty-three to 'take', and twenty-five adjectival communications were interrupted for a distance of senses to 'clear'. As the outcome of a life-long study 60 miles to the west. So far no news has been given of linguistics, Jespersen believed that language is concerning the area east of the town. Further news

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