THE WORLD'S WORK

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22201, 18 September 1937, Page 14

THE WORLD'S WORK

Notable Achievements of New Zealanders LEADERS IN SCIENCE AND IN EDUCATION (nacuxu wmn* fob tot »«"••) [By URAMAO.] VII The brief biographies printed below deal •^J 1 achievements of distinguished New Zealanders abroad, some of them in science, others as educationists.

The death of Professor John Wilkie Hinton at Colombo in July, 1933. was a loss to science. A physicist of considerable achievement and great promise, Professor Hinton was only 39 years of age at the time of his death, which followed a very sudden illness. He attended the Southland Boys’ High School, where he had a brilliant scholastic career. At the University of Otago he won prizes in mathematics and science. He graduated M.Sc. with first-class honours in physics in 1916, and was twice nominated by his University for a Rhodes Scholarship. He served in the war, being wounded in 1918. From 1920 to 1925 he was lecturer in physics at the University of Otago, and assistant master of Knox College. In 1925 and 1926 he advanced his studies at Cambridge University, principally with research work in physics; and at the end of 1926 he was appointed professor of physics in the University of Ceylon. His death was the more tragic in that, within a very short time, he would have gone again to Cambridge, fulfilling his ambition to serve again under Lord Rutherford in the research work of the Cavendish Laboratory. Woman Professor in Canada Mrs Jennie Benson Wyman, a daughter of the late Mr W. J. Moore. Dunedin, and formerly on the staffs of the Napier Girls’ High School and the Auckland Girls' Grammar School, established a reputation in America. About 10 years ago Dr. Wyman was appointed professor of psychology and education at the University of British Columbia. Vancouver. Under the direction of Dr. Bird T. Baldwin, she had been in charge of the child welfare research station at the Stats University of Iowa; and from tributes paid to her work she had risen to eminence in that particular study of human psychology. In Dr. L. M. Terman’s volume "Genetic Studies of Genius.” a study by Dr. Wyman is included, entitled "Interest Tests of a Group of Gifted Children.” She was one of 10 speakers at a round-table conference of the American Psychological Association’s annual meeting at Cornell University. At a National Vocational Guidance Association meeting at Washington she gave one of the three papers, which drew from the chairman the compliment that Dr. Wyman had made one of the few original contributions to measurement that had been made in recent years. Her experiments had to do with measuring the strength of interests in intellectual and social activity. Professor A. K. Rule Professor A. K. Rule, son of a Christchurch clergyman, was educated at Christchurch. He later entered Princeton University, New Jersey. Winning a foundation scholarship, he was enabled to go to Edinburgh University, where he took the degree of doctor of philosophy. On returning to the United States he became professor of philosophy and Bible knowledge at the Presbyterian College. Jacksonville. Later he accepted a call to the chair of church history and apologetics in the Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky. President Coolidge offered the post of Federal Prohibition Enforcement Officer for the State of California to Professor Rule. Although the offer was attractive. Professor Rule declined it, as he considered his work for the church was of more importance. He held many big positions in the United States, including one as pastor of a congregation with 2000 members. A Noted Algebraist Recognised as the foremost living British algebraist, and held by some authorities to be the greatest since Cayley (1821-1895), Dr. Alexander Craig Aitken (who was born in Dunedin) is lecturer in actuarial and statistical mathematics in the University of Edinburgh. Returning to New Zealand after war service, he studied at (he University of Otago and won three senior scholarships at one time—in Latin, pure mathematics, and applied mathematics —and followed this up by taking honours in mathematics (in a session when there was no professor of that subject in the university), as well as first-class honours in Latin and French. In 1922 he was appointed to a post-graduate scholarship in arts, and went to Edinburgh University, to do research work under Professor E. T. Whittaker, and qualify for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. His thesis, written in less than two years, won instead the higher distinction of D.Sc. The award of this doctorate in so brief

an interval of time is unique in tht history of Edinburgh. Some years ago, Dr. Ait ken wa» awarded the Brisbane-Ma ka cu|all Prize of the Royal Society of EcL-*** burgh, of which he is a fellow. Last year he was elected a Fellow o. .r.e Royal Society, this high honour ooir.g the more significant by his election on being proposed for the His sponsors were Professor tthiadKC., Professor C. G. Darwin -a grandson of Charles Darwin). Professor Turnbull (University of Si. Anarcvsg the Rev. Dr. Alfred Young. Mr G. Udny Yule (Cambridge L niversi >■, and Professor R. A. Fisher ■ Lonoon University). Dr. Aitken and Pro.essm Turnbull are joint authors or a '' on canonical matrices, and Dr. Aaitea has written numerous memo..; on mathematical subjects. He has an extraordinary memm, . During his war sendee he knew tee name and initials of every man in his company, as well as the numocr each man’s rifle. The famous statistician. Dr. L. J. Comne. subjected D.. Aitken to a series of tests, and at a dinner of New Zealand giadua.c; London, mentioned the result. T.-., may prove more interesting to mathematicians than to the ayman Dr. Aitken by mental calculation, sq-ai d a three-figure number m six seconn*: he calculated the square root of a five-figure number m 12 t? factorised numbers of three and figures in about three seconds century, said Dr. Comne. a ligtun.r.s calculator appeared in France. w*.c?e feats had become traditional, but Dr. Aitken had carried out the same tests in two-thirds of the time. Superintendent of Nautical Almanac Office The Dr. L. J. Comrie, who is already mentioned in the present series of sketches, is also a New Zealander who has won success at Home and in the United States. Many New Zealand soldiers in Egypt in 1918 will have pleasant recollections, as the present writer has, of being accompanied out to the desert sands beyond Suez one night to hear a lecture on astronomy given by Dr. Comrie. under an Egyptian sky. Leslie John Comne is a native of Pukekohe, North Island, and while still in his forties, he became Superintendent of the British Nautical Almanac Office at the Royal Naval College. Before taking that position hj filled important ones in the United States—assistant professor of mathematics and astronomy at Swarthmore College, Pennsylvania, and assistant professor of astronomy at NorthWestern University, Chicago. Several standard works on mathematics stand to his credit, as well as numerous papers on astronomy. His early education was at Auckland Grammar School and Auckland University. New Zealand Professor in the United States Professor Wilfred Powell in 1925 was visiting professor of religious education at Yale University. About two years ago he was head of the Department of Religious Education at Phillips University (Oklahoma), and while there. according to the local newspapers, was author of a volume ’’receiving wide acclaim among the best-known critics Of this type of publication throughout the United States.” Professor Powell, who is a native of Dunedin, was educated at the Otago Boys’ High School, and left for the United States 22 years ago. Chair of International Economics A recent benefaction of £20.000 by Sir Henry Price to establish a chair of international economics at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, having as its object intensive research into world economic problems, provided the opportunity for another New Zealander to project’ himself into the limelight. The first occupant of the important position is Professor Allan G. B. Fisher, a native of Christchurch, where be was born in 1895. After completing his education at Melbourne University and the London School of Economics, he became successively professor of economics at the University of Otago and the University of Western Australia. Several books stand to his credit in the field of economics as well as one entitled “Moscow Impressions. A Professor at Belfast Professor F. W. Baxter, an Auckland Grammar School bov, at the early age of 32, was appointed to the chair of English at Belfast University 10 years ago. Before that he filled important positions at London University and Leeds Universitv (England), and the McGill University (Canada). He was with the Army of Occupation in Germany alter the Armistice as an educational officer. He won an Expeditionary Force scholarship of three years at Magdalen College, Oxford, and there won the highest university prize for the study of English—the Charles Oldham Shakespeare scholarship. (To be concluded.)