562 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



amined ; then the Darwinian doctrine of 

 progress by natiu-al selection among sponta- 

 neous variations is shown to be a case of 

 " natural law," which is true also of the 

 " spiritual world." The question of the fate 

 of those rejected in God's selective judg- 

 ment and the subject of freedom are next 

 considered; and the final chapter contains 

 an argument against both gnosticism and 

 agnosticism, and in favor of " religious com- 

 mon sense." (Macmillan & Co. Price, $1.75.) 



Mrs. Schuyler Van Rensselaer believes 

 that landscape gardening is a real art, and in 

 Art Out of Doors asks that it be recognized 

 as on a par with architecture, sculpture, and 

 painting. " The mere statement of its pur- 

 Ijoses," she says, " should show that it is 

 truly an art. The effort to produce organic 

 beaty is what makes a man an artist " ; and 

 this is done by the man who uses ground and 

 plants, roads and paths, and water and acces- 

 sory buildings, with an eye to organic beauty 

 of effect. Then, having shown what are or 

 should be the aims and methods of landscape 

 gardening, she goes on to describe its particu- 

 lar features and accessories the home ground 

 and " close to the house," roads and paths, 

 piazzas, formal flower beds and formal gar- 

 dening when they are in place, architecture, 

 outdoor monuments, and trees. In the chap- 

 ter entitled " A Word for the Axe " she ad- 

 vocates the removal of trees that interfere 

 with the artistic plan, no matter how dear 

 they may be to the individual owner. Other 

 chapters deal with cemeteries, the love of 

 Nature, books as an aid to the love of Nature, 

 and the artist. (New York : Charles Scrib- 

 ner's Sons. Price, $1.50.) 



The Niagara Book is designed to rem- 

 edy what its projectors regard as a lack 

 of a good souvenir of Niagara Falls. They 

 have tried, " by securing the co-operation of 

 the most prominent literary men in Amer- 

 ica, to supply such a need. By following an 

 idea of their own they have persuaded repre- 

 sentative men in their lines to write for the 

 book original stories, sketches, and essays 

 descriptive, humorous, historical, and scien 

 tific dealing directly with Niagara Falls." 

 The articles are of unequal merit. They 

 are : Niagara, First and Last, by W. D. 

 Howells ; What to See, by Frederick Almy ; 

 The Geology of Niagara Falls, by Prof. N. 

 S. Shaler ; The First Authentic Mention of 



Niagara Falls, by Mark Twain ; Famous Vis- 

 itors at Niagara Falls, by Thomas R. Slicer ; 

 Historic Niagara, by Peter A. Porter ; The 

 Flora and Fauna of Niagara Falls, by David 

 F. Day ; As it Rushes by, by Edward S. Mar- 

 tin ; The Utilization of Niagara's Power, by 

 Coleman Sellers ; and The Hydraulic Canal. 

 These are illustrated by photo-copies from 

 water colors and drawings by Harry Fenn. 

 (Underbill & Nichol, Buffalo. Price, $1.50.) 



The Revolt of the Brutes (C. T. Dilling- 

 ham, 50 cents) is unique among the books of 

 the year. It describes a convention consist- 

 ing of an " upper house " of air-breathers, 

 which is supposed to meet on the shore of 

 Lake Michigan, and a " lower house " of 

 water-dwellers assembling in the lake itself. 

 After a lively debate, in which the wrongs 

 done by man to the brutes are set forth, the 

 extermination of the human race is resolved 

 upon, and means are chosen for putting this 

 purpose in execution. The proceedings of 

 the convention are humorously recounted 

 and the officers of both " houses " are de- 

 scribed in the same vein. Throughout the 

 text is kept up a running fire of allusions 

 and witticisms, and one must be widely read 

 to appreciate them all. The author is Mr. 

 Hxjland C. Kirk, who has published Heavy 

 Guns and Light, The Possibihty of not Dying, 

 etc. A word must be said for his illustra- 

 tions, which are many and display great in- 

 genuity in the posing of the creatures repre- 

 sented. 



The merits of William Sviinton's School 

 History of the United States are too well 

 known to need elaboration at this day. It 

 was prepared to meet the views of teachers 

 who are aiming at definite results in the 

 study. A revised and readjusted edition of 

 the book is now offered by the American 

 Book Company, in which are added an intro- 

 ductory chapter on Prehistoric America, and 

 a chapter giving some account of the settle- 

 ment of the three colonial centers Boston, 

 New York, and Philadelphia. Price, 90 

 cents. 



The American Book Company publishes, 

 as additional volumes in its series of English 

 classics for schools, Matthew Arnold\^ poem, 

 Sohrab and Rustum, and Ralph Waldo Em- 

 erson^s essays on The American Scholar. 

 To tlie former volume are prefixed an ac- 

 count of the life and the critical and educa- 



