LITERARY NOTICES. 



275 



more philosophical character, and deal prin- 

 cipally with the nature and methods of sci- 

 entific inquiry. The subjects are The Forms 

 of Liquids, The Fibers of Corti, The Causes 

 of Harmony, The Velocity of Light, Why 

 has Man Two Eyes ? Symmetry, The Funda- 

 mental Concepts of Electrostatics, The Prin- 

 ciple of the Conservation of Energy, The 

 Economical Nature of Physical Inquiry, 

 Transformation and Adaptation in Scientific 

 Thought, The Principle of Comparison in 

 Physics, and Instruction in the Classics and 

 the Mathematical Physical Sciences. 



A discussion of much literary interest 

 and scientific, too, so far as it relates to the 

 evolution, growth, and variations of popular 

 tales is given by Prof. Richard Jones, of 

 Swarthmore College, in his book on TJie 

 Growth of the Idyls of the King (J. B. Lippin- 

 cott Company, Philadelphia). The effect of 

 the study especially of the Arthurian legends 

 in their different versions " is a disregard 

 of the criticism that Lord Tennyson's ideal 

 knight and blameless king is not the Arthur 

 whom we know through Malory." Sir John 

 Malory's Morte d'Arthur is a compilation 

 from numerous legends in various languages. 

 It does not form a consistent whole, and 

 does not always present the most significant 

 stories or the best versions. That Tennyson 

 does not always agree with him means sim- 

 ply that he selected some other version than 

 the one given by him, or exercised the poet's 

 license of modifying the version to make it 

 conform to his purpose. These views are 

 brought out in the preliminary chapters of 

 the book ; and after this follows a minute 

 criticism of the structure of Tennyson's 

 group of poems, and a comparison of the 

 editions from the earliest, showing by the 

 successive changes in the text the gradual 

 unfolding of his ideal. 



The List of the Publications of the Bu- 

 reau of Ethnology, compiled by Frederick 

 Webb Hodge, with its index to authors and 

 subjects, will be a valuable aid to students in 

 this department. The Bureau has done most 

 excellent work in a field where it was much 

 needed, and at a time when it could be done 

 more efficiently than ever afterward. 



The Index to St. Nicholas, Vols. I to XXI, 

 was composed by Mr. W. M. Griswold, an 

 indexer well known by his other similar 

 works, for the use of his children, aged 



eight and nine years. Any one who glances 

 at it, the compiler says, " will see that few 

 branches of knowledge suitable for children 

 are umnentioned," while in some cases works 

 are given which are models of what such 

 should be. 



In placing the book Central Station 

 Bookkeeping and Suggested Forms before the 

 electrical public, the author, Horatio A. Fos- 

 ter, has endeavored to show a classification 

 of accounts and a system of reports for cen- 

 tral light and power stations, such that the 

 management may by their use know the full 

 details of the business of distributing the elec- 

 tric current. It appears that the means of 

 securing these data are very deficient, or neg- 

 lected, at many of the smaller stations. The 

 book contains diagrams for the organization 

 of the staff of electrical central stations, the 

 classification of accounts and reports, and 

 includes sample forms for every department. 

 It is devoted mainly to accounting depart- 

 ments of central stations, and outlines a 

 scheme for their organization and routine 

 which will enable the management to deter- 

 mine at any moment the condition of busi- 

 ness and the unit cost of the generation and 

 distribution of current. The forms were de- 

 vised after an examination of several hun- 

 dreds in practical use in many stations, and 

 are intended to embody the best points of all. 

 In an appendix is furnished a classification 

 of accounts of electrical street railways, to- 

 gether with instructions, forms of books, 

 etc., necessary to carry it out. (Published by 

 the W. J. Johnston Company, limited, New 

 York.) 



The Ninth Annual Report of the Com- 

 missioner of Labor, Carroll D. Wright, re- 

 lates entirely to Building and Loan Associa- 

 tions in the United States, including under 

 that title all associations having the purpose 

 indicated by it. Such associations have ex- 

 isted in this country since about 1840. Their 

 growth has been very rapid since then, and 

 their accumulated assets have increased to 

 an enormous amount. As private corpora- 

 tions, doing a semi-banking business, con- 

 ducted by men not trained as bankers, they 

 offer a study in finance not afforded by any 

 other institutions. England, France, and 

 some other countries have kindred institu- 

 tions, but nowhere have they grown to such 

 vast proportions as in the United States. 



