Edinburgh University Students' Handbook Mo. 15 1910-1911 PUBLISHED BY The Students' Representative Council of the 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 Bedroom, Attendance and Table d'Hôte Breakfast, Table d'Hôte Dinner, Six Courses, 3/ Support those who support you-AND mention the Handbook EDITORIAL THE Edinburgh University Session of 1909-10 was one of the least eventful in its history, since the Students' Handbook was first given to a grateful student community. Since the last edition of the book was published, no new ordinances have been promulgated, no sensational resignations of professors have taken place; nor has the long lost Charter even yet been found, so that while we did not consider it necessary this year to retain the reproduction of the 1582 Charter of James VI., we have as yet been unable to substitute another in its place. This lack of history during the past year has therefore been the means of making the fifteenth edition of the Handbook differ from the last in very few particulars indeed. Yet the labours of the Editors have been in few respects lighter, and their indebtedness scarcely less, than it has been in past years. The general and increasing utility and popularity of the book is causing an ever greater demand to be made upon the space at our disposal, and we have been reluctantly compelled occasionally in the interests of brevity and clearness to utilise our editorial scissors, and frequently to alter copy where it was possible to do so without changing the sense or completeness of the notice. We trust that secretaries and others, whose notices have thus been altered, will realise our difficulties, and appreciate our efforts to avoid any minimising of essentials. At the same time, in the interest of future editors, we would appeal to those concerned to send in particulars early, and to make their notices as brief and concise as possible. The illustrations have again been completely overhauled, and such as had become obsolete or out of date withdrawn, while one or two new ones have been inserted. The most notable of these are the portrait of Sir Robert B. Finlay, the sitting Member of Parliament for the Universities of Edinburgh and St. Andrews, and two interior views of the M'Ewan Hall specially taken for the Handbook, with permission of the University Court, by Mr. J. Moffat, Princes Street, Edinburgh, to whom we would again express our gratitude for his courtesy and disinterested generosity in placing his complete stock of University photographs entirely at our disposal. To Mr. H. Walter Barnett, Messrs. Elliot & Fry, and Mr. G. C. Beresford, all of London, as well as to the other photographers-professional and amateur who have given us permission to use copyright pictures, our thanks are also due. We have this year also extended the area embraced in our plan of the Edinburgh Latin Quartier. This should prove a source of increased usefulness to a very large number of those into whose hands the book will naturally fall. We have again, as the outcome of a general desire, increased the number of student photographs by the inclusion of those of the Presidents of the University, and Women Students' Athletic Clubs. We have also made another innovation in inserting a photograph of Lord Hugh Cecil, who, as the Honorary President of the Associated Societies, is the representative of a large and influential body of the student community. We feel sure that these additions will meet with universal approval. Regarding the remaining pictures in the book, nothing further need be said, but it will be apparent to all that in this, by no means easy matter, we have attempted to make as representative a selection as possible. We now come to the vital question of the advertisements. The ever increasing number of periodicals making their claims upon advertisers renders the difficulty of securing the high class of advertisements upon which we have always insisted, greater and greater every year. Yet with the able assistance of our Advertising Agent, Mr. F. L. Simons, 8 North St. David Street, Edinburgh, we have again been successful in that important branch as well. At the risk of being tiresome, however, we must remind students that advertisers will not continue their support of our publications unless they obtain some adequate return. We would therefore respectfully appeal to students to make a careful perusal of our advertisement pages before making any necessary purchases, and if all else should be equal, to give their custom to advertisers in preference to those who do not use our pages as an advertising medium. While on this subject we would draw particular attention to an improvement which we have made in the general appearance of the volume, by the removal of the unsightly advertisement which in the last two editions disfigured to some extent the back of the book. This has been done also by the desire of the majority of those using the book, and we trust the artistic improvement will compensate to some extent at least for the pecuniary loss which the alteration has involved. The Handbook may now be given a prominent place upon the student's bookshelf, without its offending in any way, his æsthetic susceptibilities. Our indebtedness for suggestions and assistance is this year again very great, but in submitting this fifteenth issue to the Academic world of Edinburgh, we cannot conclude without according our special and sincere thanks to Professor Macgregor, M.A., D.Sc., F.R.S., and to Mr. F. G. Deans, M.A., B.Sc., for many valuable ideas towards the improvement of the Science Faculty Information, and for other suggestions specially applicable to their particular sphere, most of which we have given effect to. To Mr. J. S. P. Dickey, B. A., also we are indebted for devoting part of his vacation to reading the Medical Faculty proofs, in which he made several corrections which we had failed to detect. Last of all, to the various members of our Committee we would accord our grateful thanks for the ready and harmonious manner in which they have on all occasions worked together under our humble direction. |