LITERARY NOTICES. 



419 



among them, for the reason that he is wholly 

 wrong in what he says of the propriety of 

 grounding children in a knowledge of the 

 astronomical relations of the earth to the 

 universe. The reason of this is that the 

 immature mind can not grasp that order of 

 ideas, and ideas that can not be clearly 

 seized arc not suitable for educational pur- 

 poses. A child sees the sun, moon, and 

 stars, and may be curious to ask questions 

 about them, but that is no evidence that 

 it can comprehend those truths about them 

 that it took thousands of years to discover, 

 and which it still tasks the adult mind to 

 understand. A child sees also that fire 

 converts water into steam, but it is not, 

 therefore, competent to take in, even in its 

 rudiments, the science of thermo-dynamies. 

 The child can learn words, and astronomical 

 words just as well as any, because the pow- 

 er of verbal acquisition is quite independent 

 of any meaning that may be attached to 

 words. This learning of mere words and 

 the passing off verbal statements for knowl- 

 edge is the bane of education ; and nowhere 

 will this mischievous result be more certain 

 than in the attempt to teach children as- 

 tronomy. Nevertheless, parents will be 

 flattered to see their wonderful little pro- 

 digies at the same time in breeches and as- 

 tronomy, and so Mr. Champlin's neat little 

 book will no doubt be a " success." 



The Total Solar Eclipse of July 29, 

 1878. Observations at Pike's Peak, 

 Colorado. Keport of Professor S. P. 

 Langlet. Pp. 15, with Plate. 



The most interesting features of Profess- 

 or Langley's observations were the narrow, 

 structureless ring of vivid light around the 

 sun, which faded suddenly into a nebulous 

 luminosity, extending for two and a half 

 solar diameters all around ; and a stream of 

 light with parallel borders extending to three 

 and a half diameters on one side and six 

 diameters on the opposite side, in a direc- 

 tion nearly corresponding with that of the 

 ecliptic, which were seen with the naked 

 eye ; and a coarse, sharply defined filament- 

 ary structure in the corona seen through 

 the telescope. Some of Professor Lang- 

 ley's assistants observed very peculiar and 

 striking color-phenomena in the clouds dur- 

 ing the moment of the coming on of totality. 



Papers of the Arch.eological Institute 

 of America. American Skhies, I. 1. 

 Historical Introduction to Studies 

 among the Sedentary Indians of Mex- 

 ico. 2. Report on the Ruins of the 

 Pieblo of Pecos. By A. . Bando- 

 lier. Boston: A. Williams & Co. Pp. 

 135, with Plates. 



This handsomely printed and finished 

 volume gives a favorable introduction to 

 the society under whose auspices it is put 

 forth and of which it is the first publication. 

 The first part gives the history of the Pue- 

 blos from the time they are first mentioned 

 by the Spaniards, and the theories that have 

 been urged and inquiries made respecting 

 them. The second part gives the results 

 of the author's examinations, surveys, and 

 measurements of the ruins of the Pueblo 

 in the valley of the Rio Pecos, with views, 

 plans, sections, and estimates, and obser- 

 vations such as the information at hand 

 makes appropriate concerning the character, 

 customs, and arts of the Indians who con- 

 structed the buildings. 



Materialism Ancient and Modern. By a 

 late Fellow of Trinity College, Cam- 

 bridge. New York : Macmillan & Co. 



This essay of forty-three pages, in large 

 type, is a very commonplace argument in- 

 tended to be opposed to materialism, and 

 its quality is as slight as its form. It can 

 help nobody. 



Sea-Mosses: a Collector's Guide and an 

 Introduction to the Study of Marine 

 ALGiE. By A. B. Hervey, A. M. Bos- 

 ton: S. E. Cassino. 1831. Pp. 281. 

 Price, $2. 



Those who live by the sea, and those 

 who frequent the seaside for recreation and 

 health during summer vacations, if they 

 have any desire to improve their opportuni- 

 ties for improving their minds, are placed 

 under obligations to Mr. Hervey for the prep- 

 aration of this volume. The author thus 

 indicates his object : "I have attempted to 

 make a book which should be a real and 

 helpful guide to those who, though not ex- 

 pert botanists, and not having or using any 

 aids to a good pair of eyes other than a 

 simple pocket magnifier, desire to begin 

 the collection and study of marine plants." 

 The author has been freely assisted by many 



