598 



POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



writer. He was perhaps too fertile in 

 ideas to have the lucidity that makes 

 the good writer. Many of his sen- 

 tences struggle through ponderous 

 verbiage only to die in the folds of an 

 ambiguous anacoluthon. But a pic- 

 turesque phrase sparkles out here and 

 there, as when in reference to some 

 modern geological theories, he says, 

 'still the student of science is groping 

 here, like a child after the silvery disc 

 of the moon.' A sentence that an un- 

 kind critic might apply to some of the 

 philosopher's OAvn speculations. 



Further illustrations of Nordens- 

 kiold's many-sided character might be 

 d^rawn from aspects of his life here 

 scarcely referred to. Enough has been 

 said to render intelligible the hero- 

 worship of the Swedish people. Is the 

 world too old for a Nordenskiold myth 

 to be possible? I doubt one is even 

 now in the making among the remote 

 homesteads in Scandinavian forests. 



F. A. B. 



Alf ITALIAN IN AMERICA. 

 Professor Angelo Mosso, the genial 

 physiologist of the University of 

 Turin, has written a pleasant and 

 plausible little book about America, 

 which has been praised in various 

 places. He duly pats us on the back 

 and tells of our strong and weak 

 points. 'Hurry up' is our national 

 motto, and we are a rampant plutoc- 

 racy. We make inventions, but democ- 

 racy is hostile to pure science. Our 

 neurasthenic tendencies are duly de- 

 scribed as also our 'spoils system.' 



lleligious sentiment is growing, and 

 we are turning towards the Roman 

 Catholic Church. Our universities are 

 not progressing, owing to sectarian 

 control. All this will be found in the 

 book; but perhaps it is scarcely fair 

 to quote it, as there is much there 

 besides. Now how does Professor 

 Mosso know us so well? He spent a 

 month or two here on the . occasion of 

 the decennial of Clark University, and 

 though he can not understand an Eng- 

 lish sentence, he saw us from the win- 

 dows of the railway train. The 

 writer of the present note had the 

 pleasure of meeting Professor Mosso 

 when he was here. He threw his arms 

 about him in a warm embrace. Then 

 he produced a slip from his pocket and 

 proved by documentary evidence that 

 there were two Americans whom he 

 should kiss on both cheeks and about a 

 dozen whom he should cordially em- 

 brace. Professor Mosso said later that 

 he wished to write a book about Ameri- 

 can universities. It was explained to 

 him that midsummer was an unfortu- 

 nate time, the only university carrying 

 on its sessions being Chicago. He asked: 

 "Wliere is Chicago? Is there a uni- 

 versity there?" The position of Chicago 

 on Lake Michigan was described. He 

 then said: "Can I see the University of 

 Chicago to-day and be back in Wor- 

 cester this evening?" These little anec- 

 dotes are told in the most kindly spirit 

 by one who really admires Professor 

 Mosso. But I must protest against his 

 argument that there is no fundamental 

 difference between an American and an 

 Italian. K. 



