PROGRESS AND NEEDS IN PHYSICS.

Many students whose field of concentration does not bring them into close proximity with the Department of Physics will be surprised to learn from Professor Lyman's article of the different lines of original investigation which are being pursued in the University. Although one of the first buildings in the country designed for such purposes, the Jefferson Laboratory remains today one of the most efficient. At present there are twenty-two different bits of research being done in sound, heat, light, and electricity; and last year extensive apparatus for wireless communication was established in the new Cruft Laboratory. Messages are received there daily. Similarly the installation of Professor Trowbridge's high tension storage battery has made possible very important investigations concerning X-Rays. Knowledge on this subject has proved of inestimable value to modern surgery and hospital work.

Surely Harvard is making worthy contributions to science from her Physics Department. The principal building, however, is essentially a place for delicate measurements and nice adjustments. The presence of heavy machinery is an effective drawback to the most perfect results. A special building to contain the machine shops, as Professor Lyman says, would undoubtedly be a great been to the men doing research. The endowment also has been found insufficient to meet the demand of progressive work. To enable Jefferson to maintain its position in the first of the line; more funds are needed, and this is an especially good time for benefactors of the University and of society to give assistance to science, pure and applied.