>34 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



here and there. The author remarks that 

 the mathematician will complain of deficient 

 rigor in his method of treatment, but he 

 feels that from the point of view of the 

 physicist some slight relaxation is justifiable. 



A text-book on Steam and the Marine 

 Steam Enginehas been prepared by John Yeo, 

 R. N., from notes of the lectures given by 

 him as an instructor in steam engineering at 

 the English Royal Naval College (Macmil- 

 lan, $2.50). The scope of the book includes 

 descriptions of the marine boilers and en- 

 gines in common use, with their fittings, a 

 statement of the properties of steam, and 

 instruction concerning feed-water, the com- 

 bustion of fuel, etc. Other matters treated 

 are the construction of double and triple ex- 

 pansion engines and the form of propeller 

 screws. The author's language is notably 

 clear and concise, and the volume is fully 

 illustrated. 



Under the title The Genesis of Water a 

 speculation as to how the first combination 

 of oxygen and hydrogen took place is pre- 

 sented by P. W. Dooner. The pamphlet is 

 printed at Los Angeles. 



In the Report of 'the State Board of Health 

 of South Dakota for 1892 we find, besides 

 the usual accounts of the transactions of the 

 board and the conditions of public health, 

 articles for public information on Dangerous 

 Contagious Diseases and Diphtheria, and more 

 general articles on climate and the climatic 

 cure for consumptives. The climate of South 

 Dakota is presented as of special value, from 

 the medical point of view, on account of the 

 peculiar dryness of the atmosphere. " That 

 it is as good as any during the summer is not 

 to be doubted, and that in winter it is far 

 better than the great majority is a fact." 

 Cases of "taking cold" and of pneumonia 

 are much rarer in proportion to the popula- 

 tion than in the States farther east ; and 

 with the clearness of the atmosphere of the 

 country and its lack of clouds and cloudy 

 weather the sunlight acts as an efficient 

 tonic and destroyer of impurities. The claim 

 is maintained that the climate fulfills to an 

 excellent degree the conditions of one favor- 

 able to consumptives. 



A new educational journal, devoted to 

 " manu-mental " training, has appeared under 

 the title Art Education (J. C. Witter & Co., 

 853 Broadway, New York ; 75 cents a year). 



It is to be issued bimonthly for the present. 

 Its field is the training of the mind through 

 the use of the hand, and hence comprises 

 drawing, manual training (so called), and 

 writing. In the first number are articles by 

 Francis W. Parker, on Acquiring Forms of 

 Thought Expression; Stella Skinner, on 

 Color Study ; Henry T. Bailey, on the Super- 

 visor of Drawing; besides quite a number 

 of biographical notices, with portraits of in- 

 structors in drawing, manual training, etc. 

 There is a colored supplement, which it is 

 small praise to say is worth the price of the 

 number. It consists of two lithographic fig- 

 ures printed in several shades of brown, and 

 " illustrates the fact that artistic effect does 

 not depend so much upon an elaborate design 

 as upon correct combination of color." The 

 editors are James C. Witter, Charles P. 

 Zaner, and Rose N. Yawger. 



A Stable Money Standard is the title of 

 the address by Henry Farquhar, Sectional 

 Vice President, before the Section of Econom- 

 ic Science and Statistics, of the recent Brook- 

 lyn meeting of the American Association. 

 The author concludes that while gold has 

 been proved by the experience of the ages 

 to be the best-fitted medium to meet the re- 

 quirements of such a standard, all interfer- 

 ence by Government in defining legal tender 

 is needless and mischievous. Perfect free- 

 dom in contracts for methods of payment 

 and for the kind of money should be allowed, 

 the terms of the contract to be interpreted 

 and enforced according to prevalent usage ; 

 the Government's part being only to certify 

 to the weight and fineness of its coin. 



The Twelfth Annual Report of the Board 

 of Control of the New York Agricultural 

 Experiment Station includes the report of 

 the treasurer, showing the receipts and ex- 

 penditures on the several accounts, and the 

 reports of the director describing the addi- 

 tions and improvements that have been made 

 to the station and its appurtenances and the 

 work done. Fifteen bulletins were published, 

 containing six hundred and ninety-five pages 

 in all, of each of which fifteen thousand 

 copies were distributed ; besides circulars on 

 the Leaf Spot of Chrysanthemums, Preserv- 

 ing Eggs, and the Fertilizer Law of the 

 State. The new experiments undertaken in- 

 clude investigations with a view to determine 

 the relative value of the different breeds of 



