LITERARY NOTICES. 



4'5 



The Catholic University Bulletin is a new 

 quarterly publication, conducted by profess- 

 ors of the Catholic University of America, 

 Washington, similar in scope to the reviews 

 and other periodicals which it is now becom- 

 ing customary for American institutions of 

 learning to issue. Its object is to convey to 

 those who are interested in the university a 

 knowledge of what is being done by its pro- 

 fessors and its students ; and it will make 

 known the work of the administration so far 

 as it is of public interest; its material prog- 

 ress, benefactions, gifts, etc. ; facts relative 

 to the systein of teaching and results ob- 

 tained ; descriptions of the special schools 

 and their operation, and the progress made 

 by professors and students in the sciences 

 for which the schools were opened ; methods 

 of teaching, educational discussions, and 

 comparative notices of the work of other 

 institutions ; articles on higher pedagogics ; 

 public official documents concerning the uni- 

 versity; literary and biographical notices, 

 necrologies of men of learning deceased, ac- 

 counts of learned congresses, etc. 



A History of Higher Education in Rhode 

 Island, prepared by William Howe Tolman, 

 Ph. D., is number eighteen of Herbert B. 

 Adams's series of contributions in the Bureau 

 of Education to American Educational His- 

 tory. The educational history of this State 

 is of particular interest because it raises the 

 question whether religious freedom reacted 

 favorably on the establishment of a system 

 of education in the early days of the New 

 England colonies and helps answer it. The 

 first part of the essay gives an account of 

 colonial and later education. The second 

 part tells the story of the academies and 

 preparatory schools, of which seven are de- 

 scribed. The third part is devoted to the 

 institutions for the education of women. 

 The story of Brown University the only uni- 

 versity in the State occupies the main part 

 of the history, and is told for the most part 

 in connection with the work of the institu- 

 tion's eight presidents. Lastly, the College 

 of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts is repre- 

 sented ; and two pages are given to a bibli- 

 ography. 



In the handsome Geological Map of Ala- 

 bama, by the State Geologist, Eugene A. 

 Smith, the formations are clearly shown in 

 distinct coloring, which is also harmonious 



and agreeable to the eye. In the accompany- 

 ing description and explanatory chart, which 

 corresponds with the map in size and form, 

 the formations, names, synonyms, classifica- 

 tion, and common fossils ; thickness, litho- 

 logical and topographical characters, area 

 and distribution ; useful products, soils, 

 characteristic timber growth and agricultural 

 features ; and the reports in which these 

 features are described, are conveniently 

 shown for ready reference in parallel col- 

 umns. Mr. Smith's reports, of which we 

 have had many, all bear the marks of good 

 work. 



The thirteenth volume of the Bulletin of 

 the United States Fish Commission, 1893, con- 

 tains the proceedings of the World's Fish- 

 eries Congress, which was held in Chicago in 

 October, 1893, and the papers that were read 

 there. These papers, represented by forty-nine 

 in the volume, touched various fishery topics, 

 and in many cases called out considerable 

 debate. The same subject gave rise to the 

 expression of divergent opinions, especially 

 on some phases of the commercial fisheries, 

 which demonstrated that a fair conclusion 

 on any of the subjects discussed can be 

 reached only after a careful consideration of 

 all the views presented. The papers given 

 in the volume, being the views of represent- 

 ative men upon the subjects treated, are 

 necessarily of great practical worth, and are 

 published by the Fish Commission with the 

 idea of furnishing the general public with 

 valuable information concerning the fishery 

 industry, and not with any view of approving 

 or disapproving the opinions expressed. 

 Some of the papers are handsomely illus- 

 trated, particularly that of Mr. G. F. Kunz, 

 on pearls. 



With 1895 the Journal of the American 

 Public Health Association takes the place of 

 the annual volume of the association's Trans- 

 actions. It is issued quarterly from Con- 

 cord, N. H., at $5 a year. The number for 

 January contains the addresses delivered and 

 part of the papers read at the meeting of 

 1894, in Montreal. Most of the papers in 

 this number deal with water supplies ; two 

 others treat of diphtheria epidemics ; and 

 there is one, in French, on the general sub- 

 ject of preventive inoculation. 



A plan for teaching science in public 

 schools drawn up by Dr. William T. Harris 



