LITERARY NOTICES. 



707 



essential to the carrying on of vital organic 1 

 changes. Dr. Magnin says, in his introduc- 

 tion : " It is known that organic matter once 

 produced, and become solid, so to speak, can 

 not again enter into the general current un- 

 til it has undergone new transformations 

 metamorphosis produced according to some, 

 favored^ according to others, but without 

 contradiction accompanied by the develop- 

 ment of bacteria. And without wishing to 

 attribute to these organisms a finality which 

 is repugnant to our monistic conception of 

 the universe, it may be said that it is, thanks 

 to them, that the continuance of life is pos- 

 sible on the surface of the globe." 



But the interest of these organisms is 

 still more marked in practical directions. 

 Their germs are in the air ; they -are dis- 

 tributed in the waters ; and they swarm and 

 propagate with astonishing profusion in or- 

 ganic liquids and infusions. They are in- 

 volved in the processes of fermentation and 

 putrefaction, and they have a role in the 

 operation of violent diseases, such as vario- 

 la, scarlatina, measles, diphtheria, typhoid 

 fever, etc. ; while their agency in connec- 

 tion with wounds gives them the highest 

 interest to the surgeon. 



It was therefore a capital service to sci- 

 ence that was performed by Dr. Magnin in 

 the preparation of this careful and complete 

 book on the general subject at the present 

 time. His volume is an ample report on 

 the present state of what may be called bac- 

 terial knowledge. It is accompanied by 

 faithfully executed plates and photographs, 

 and contains, furthermore, an elaborate and 

 exhaustive bibliography of the subject. 



As a further illustration of the practi- 

 cal interest of the investigation here digest- 

 ed, it may be stated that Dr. Sternberg was 

 led to translate it in consequence of its val- 

 ue in carrying on the work of the National 

 Board of Health, the phenomena being vi- 

 tally connected with various problems of 

 public hygiene. The work has claims upon 

 the scientific naturalist, the physician, and 

 the non-professional man of general culture. 



Life of Voltaire. By James Parton. In 

 two volumes. Boston: Houghton, MifiBin 

 & Co. Pp. 1,292. Price, $6.00. 



Mr. Parton has been for many years a 



critical and deeply interested student of 



Voltaire and his times, and he has now 



given us the fruit of his studies in these two 

 most entertaining and instructive volumes. 

 Of Mr. Parton's large experience as a biog- 

 rapher, and his proficiency in the art, it is 

 unnecessary to speak. He has had a life- 

 long preparation in this branch of literature, 

 and now, in the maturity of his powers, he 

 has produced a comprehensive work, that 

 will enhance his reputation, and undoubted- 

 ly prove a valuable and prominent acquisi- 

 tion to our biographical literature. There 

 was greatly needed a good life of Voltaire, 

 both on account of the great historic inter- 

 est of his personality, his profound influ- 

 ence upon his age, and the mass of prejudice 

 and misrepresentation that has been piled 

 upon his memory during the last hundred 

 years. The task of clearing away the er- 

 rors, and arriving at such truth as the cir- 

 cumstances allow, has been performed con- 

 scientiously by Mr. Parton with unsparing 

 labor, and, so far as we can judge, with 

 eminent success. He has made exactly such 

 a book as we wanted ourselves, and we be- 

 lieve it will adequately meet an extensive 

 need among American readers. 



We note that some exceptions have been 

 taken to the work by English critics, who 

 write about it in a somewhat disparaging 

 tone ; and, perhaps, some reference to their 

 treatment of it may be helpful in judging 

 of its real merits. But it is necessary to 

 bear in mind the nature and difficulties of 

 the task which Mr. Parton had before him, 

 and these can not be better stated than in 

 his own prefatory words. He says : 



I attempt in these volumes to exhibit to the 

 American people the most extraordinary of 

 Frenchmen, and one of the most extraordinary 

 of human beings. 



When first I ventured, many years ago, to 

 think of this task, I soon ceased to wonder wliy 

 a subject so alluring had not been undertaken 

 before by any one employing the whole of the 

 existing material. Voltaire was then buried 

 under a mountain of heterogeneous record. The 

 attempts of essayists, even those of the first 

 rank, to characierize him truly, were in pome 

 degree frustrated by an abundance of unsorted 

 information that defied all ordinary research. 

 Smce that time the Voltairean material has con- 

 tinued to accumulate, and never so rapidly as 

 during the last three years. 



At this moment, if I lift my eyes from the 

 desk on which I write, 1 see before me volumes 

 containing fifty thousand printed pages of his 

 composition, including more than two hundred 

 and sixty separate publications. The published 



