THE twenty-fifth annual meeting of the Indian Science Congress Association, to which the British Association has sent a large delegation, opened at Calcutta on January 3 under the presidency of Sir James Jeans. Lord Rutherford was to have been president, and that portion of the address which he had prepared, representing his final word on what he used to describe as "the new alchemy", is printed on pp. 58–61 of this issue of NATUBE. Sir James Jeans made his address brief, so that he might read to the assembled Congress a portion of that prepared by Lord Rutherford. In the first part of his address, Sir James paid eloquent tribute to the man whose place he was filling—"one of the greatest scientists of all time". He spoke of his greatness, his simplicity and sincerity, and remarked on his genius for friendship and good comradeship, an aspect of Rutherford's character which has also been demonstrated in the tributes to his memory we have been privileged to publish. In spite of the honours showered upon him, he was always "unassuming and ready to listen patiently to even the youngest and most inexperienced of his pupils or fellow-workers". Speaking of the work he accomplished, Sir James said that, "in his flair for the right line of approach to a problem, as well as in the simple directness of his methods of attack, he often reminds us of Faraday, but he had two great advantages which Faraday did not possess—first, exuberant bodily health and energy, and second, the opportunity and capacity to direct a band of enthusiastic co-workers. Great though Faraday's output of work was, it seems to me that to match Rutherford's work in quantity as well as in quality, we must go back to Newton".
Read full abstract7-days of FREE Audio papers, translation & more with Prime
7-days of FREE Prime access