10.
Cambridge and Manchester
By
the end of J.J.'s time as Professor the Cavendish was
beginning to wane. Although it continued to attract
students from all over the world, J.J. had become overshadowed
by Rutherford, his former student who was now a professor
at Manchester. In 1912 Niels Bohr came to J.J. with
his orbital theory of the electron. J.J. couldn't accept
it, and the lead in British Physics was lost to Rutherford.
In
August 1914 the First World War began. Men who had been
pursuing research in physics rushed to enlist for their
country. At that time it was inconceivable that science
should have any use in warfare. By the end of the war
this attitude had vanished, and the political importance
of science was recognised. When the war ended young
men flocked to university for an education in physics.
J.J.
resigned as Professor in 1919, having been appointed
the Master of Trinity College. At the last possible
moment Rutherford agreed to replace him, initially reluctant
as he thought J.J. would want to retain control. J.J.
assured Rutherford that he would have a 'perfectly free
hand to carry out any policy he might see fit to adopt'.
With Rutherford's return to the Cavendish this 'essential
asset of the University' once more became the focus
of physics research in Britain.
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