EMS Ruse

The Edinburgh Mathematical Society met at 6.15 p.m. on Friday 6 November 1936 in the Mathematical Institute, Edinburgh. The retiring President of the Society, Harold Stanley Ruse, delivered his Presidential Address Modern Differential Geometry. The following is a minute of this lecture as it appears in the Society's Minute Book:

Dr Ruse, delivered his Presidential Address Modern Differential Geometry. He began with a historical sketch leading up to the novel and unified outlook on geometry introduced by the Erlangen Programm of Klein (1872); the essentials of Riemannian differential geometry were next discussed, having seemingly no place in Klein's scheme; but finally the lecturer showed how the recent development of projective differential geometry related back to Klein's Programm and clarified also the significance of Riemannian geometry in that connection. The more recent geometries of Finsler and Kawaguchi were also briefly described. A short discussion followed, and the lecturer was warmly thanked for this stimulating and interesting address.