Students' Handbook Mo. 14 1909-1910 PUBLISHED BY The Students' Representative Council of the 1909 POPULAR HOTELS IN CENTRAL LONDON Greatest amount of comfort at Minimum Cost Opposite the British Museum THACKERAY HOTEL GREAT RUSSELL STREET, LONDON Near the British Museum KINGSLEY HOTEL HART STREET, BLOOMSBURY SQUARE, LONDON These well-appointed and commodious Temperance Hotels have Passenger Lifts, Bathrooms on every floor, Lounges and spacious Dining, Drawing, Writing, Reading, Billiard and Smoking Rooms. Fireproof Floors. Perfect Sanitation. Telephones. Night Porters Bedrooms, including Attendance, from 3s. 6d. to 6s. Inclusive Charge for Bedroom, Attendance, Table d'Hôte Breakfast and Dinner, from 8s. 6d. to 10s. 6d. per day Telegraphic Addresses : Thackeray Hotel, "THACKERAY, LONDON." Kingsley Hotel, ALSO UNder the same MANAGEMENT ESMOND HOTEL 1 MONTAGUE STREET, RUSSELL SQUARE, LONDON This TEMPERANCE HOTEL, which has been carried on so successfully for the last twenty-three years, adjoins the British Museum, and is exceptionally quiet and economical. Night Porter. Bedrooms, including Attendance, from 3s. to 4s. 6d. per night Telegrams-"AGROUP, LONDON." FULL TARIFFS AND TESTIMONIALS ON APPLICATION Support those who support you-AND mention the Handbook EDITORIAL To the Academic community of Edinburgh we send forth this fourteenth edition of the Students' Handbook. The form in which it is issued is substantially the same as that of last year. On that occasion the entire structure of the Handbook was altered, its size greatly increased, and its scope considerably extended. To the editors of this year no such latitude was allowed, as by the terms of the three years' contract entered into by the Students' Representative Council, with the printers, the powers of editors of the two succeeding editions were strictly limited. Apart from the pecuniary considerations, which necessitated this arrangement, the resulting rigidity has in some respects been found to be an advantage; in others, a misfortune. Much that was last year necessarily of an imperfect and incomplete character has this year been revised, corrected, and extended, while such articles as those which deal with the Faculty Information have been almost entirely rewritten. The illustrations have also been overhauled, the number of photographs of students having been limited to three-viz., the Senior President of the Students' Representative Council, and the Presidents of the Men's and Women's Unions, the three bodies which can alone be said to be representative of student life in the University. For the photographs of students which have thus been omitted, photographs of the Deans of Faculties and of the Official Advisers in Arts have been inserted. These we consider should prove of greater utility of greater utility to Freshers and others, than photographs of presidents of even the most important Student Societies. We have also been successful in securing the very latest autograph likenesses of the Chancellor, the Right Hon. Arthur J. Balfour; and the Lord Rector, The Right Hon. George Wyndham. For permission to use these we are indebted to Mr. H. Walter Barnett, and Messrs. Elliot & Fry, respectively. Due acknowledgment is made to all the other photographers - professional and amateur who have given us permission to use copyright pictures under the illustrations in question, but we cannot leave this subject without expressing our special thanks to Mr. J. Moffat, Princes Street, Edinburgh, who voluntarily went to a considerable expense and trouble in order to make our portrait illustrations an unqualified success. In regard to the matter of illustrations, we would now draw special attention to two new features which we have introduced and should prove both useful and interesting. The first of these is the plan of the Edinburgh "Latin Quartier," the idea of which emanated from the fertile brain of Mr. J. C. Brash, M.A., B.Sc. The second novelty consists of the fac-simile of the earliest Charter known to exist having reference to the University, or the Townis Colledge as it then was. For this we alone take credit, both for the idea and for unearthing the document from the Municipal Archives, and for negotiating its reproduction. So far as we have been able to learn, it has never before been reproduced in this form, and our thanks are due to the Town Council for permission and facilities for the securing of so good a fac-simile. In two respects the Handbook Committee have this year had to contend with difficulties, the gravity of which was such that only by the most energetic action on the part of those concerned was it able to overcome them. In the very middle of its career, it was confronted with the unavoidable resignation of Mr. Kenneth Fraser from the Joint-Convenership, and although Mr. J. G. Ross was promptly appointed to fill the vacancy, it was some time before he was able to gather up the scattered threads, and the continuity was to some extent broken. Mr. Fraser's assistance was however still largely at our disposal, and our thanks are due to him for many valuable suggestions and much kindly help. The second difficulty which the Committee had to face was of a still more serious nature, affecting as it did the Finances of the Council. Mr. Lockhart, into whose care the advertising arrangements had been entrusted, found himself towards the end of the Summer Session, unable to continue that part of his duties, and was in consequence compelled to resign them into our hands. At the very worst season of the year for successfully overtaking such work, we were thus forced to look around for some one to take up the duties, and an Advertising Agent was discovered in Mr. F. L. Simons, 8 North St. David Street, Edinburgh, who expressed a willingness to do the best he could in the circumstances. The difficulties we anticipated were found to have been by no means exaggerated, and the success which in that branch we have achieved must be placed entirely and unreservedly to the credit of Mr. Simons. The net financial returns from the advertisements have not quite come up to last year's figure, but the difference. is so small that, considering the difficulties which have had to be overcome, it is little short of miraculous. We would respectfully repeat the appeal to students which our predecessors made last year as regards supporting those advertisers who have made use of our medium and have thus supported us. It is the revenue drawn from this source that alone makes the publication of this book a possibility, and the esprit de corps which is so characteristic of our University, should impel every student and graduate, all else being equal, to support an advertiser in preference to one who has not considered it worth his while to make use of our publications. Our special thanks are this year due to Mr. J. Wales Cameron, M.A., Mr. J. C. Brash, M.A., B.Sc., Mr. G. J. Edwards, Mr. James Walker, C.A., and Mr. Harley, for assistance in compiling Faculty Information, and in other respects, but that by no means exhausts our indebtedness, and to all who in any way have lent assistance, we would take this opportunity of according our most sincere and heartfelt thanks. |