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THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



cient thought, and often obscured by thick 

 layers of dust and rubbish, formed of the 

 detritus in the historical conflicts between 

 truth and error." The materials for the 

 study are language, myths, customs and 

 laws, and sacred books. In pursuing it, 

 the subject is divided into three branches, 

 according as what is here called the Beyond 

 or the Infinite was perceived, in nature 

 Physical religion, which was to be the sub- 

 ject of the next course of lectures ; in man 

 Anthropological religion, which meets us 

 again and again in different ages and in 

 widely distant parts of the world ; or in the 

 self Psychological religion, filled with in- 

 tellectual endeavors after that which lies be- 

 yond man, as a self-conscious subject. The 

 last statement corresponds in the Christian 

 religion with the doctrine of the Holy Ghost, 

 by which was meant in the beginning " the 

 Spirit which unites all that is holy within 

 man with the Holy of Holies, or the Infinite 

 beyond the veil of the Ego, or of the merely 

 phenomenal Self." 



A Manual of Machine Construction for 

 Engineers, Draughtsmen, and Mechan- 

 ics, EMBRACING EXAMPLES, RULES, TA- 

 BLES, and References. By John Rich- 

 ards. Philadelphia : J. B. Lippincott 

 Company. Pp. 306. Price, $5. 



The author of this book enjoys the ad- 

 vantage of an experience of thirty-five years 

 in constructive engineering work, at home 

 and abroad. He is a practical mechanic in 

 metal and wood work, and a designer and 

 constructor of machine-work of all kinds. 

 He has prepared original designs for more 

 than a thousand machines now in common 

 use in America and Europe, and is the au- 

 thor of many papers and a number of valu- 

 able treatises on various mechanical subjects. 

 The present work is practical ; is not for in- 

 struction so much as for direct application, 

 and is intended to meet the every-day wants 

 of the engineer, draughtsman, and mechanic 

 in his workshop. The tables are the result 

 of actual practice, and are worked out from 

 complete drawings. The references arc such 

 as are constantly required in real work, and 

 the selection is made by noting for a number 

 of years the relative frequency of references 

 to the different subjects. In points of mate- 

 rial content and arrangement, each alternate 

 page is left blank, so as to leave a place for 



receiving the owner's notes and original mat- 

 ter, the constant accumulation of which will, 

 it is believed, make the work a valuable vadc 

 mecum. There are other conveniences in ar- 

 rangement, designed to facilitate the use of 

 the book and the finding of the page, besides 

 helps to the reduction of values. In the gen- 

 eral introductory observations, the possibil- 

 ity of determining between what is comput- 

 able and what not, is considered. Among 

 the particular subjects of the chapters are : 

 " Machine Design," " Bearings for Shafts and 

 Spindles," "Sliding Bearings," "The Trans- 

 mission of Power," etc., " Steam Machinery" 

 with its details ; " Hydraulics," " Mechanical 

 Draughting," " Heat," " Dynamics," " Prop- 

 erties of Materials"; and "Weights, Meas- 

 ures," etc. . 



The Federal Government of Switzerland. 

 By Bernard Moses, Ph. D. Oakland, Cal. : 

 Pacific Press Publishing Company. Pp. 

 256. Price, $1.50. 



This volume, by the Professor of Histo- 

 ry and Political Economy in the University 

 of California, comprises a carefully prepared 

 essay on the Constitution of the principal 

 established European republic ; one that 

 may give lessons to American citizens, and 

 which is in every way worthy of their study. 

 Prof. Moses approaches the subject with the 

 manner of one who understands it, and treats 

 it philosophically and judiciously, not only 

 describing the provisions of the Swiss Con- 

 stitution, but investigating their evolution, 

 and finding how they came to be there. In 

 the introduction, having considered the phys- 

 ical conditions of Switzerland and observed 

 the composite character of its population, 

 he draws a contrast between it and the 

 American republics the United States and 

 those of Spanish origin. The population of 

 Switzerland, various as it is, has grown from 

 prehistoric stock without serious disturbing 

 influences. The populations of the Ameri- 

 can republics have been formed from ele- 

 ments whose later environment has had little 

 in common with their earlier surroundings, 

 and under conditions where the force of an- 

 cient traditions has been weakened by long 

 migrations. Switzerland and the British 

 colonies were predetermined to federation 

 by their geographical positions. Switzerland 

 is the only existing republic that has lived 



