LITERARY NOTICES. 



375 



sciences which had a vital bearing upon the 

 course of his large discussion. If Lord 

 Amberly had concentrated himself upon 

 some minor branch of his broad inquiry, 

 and worked it out with deliberation, his 

 cliances of recognition in the future would 

 probably have been much more promising 

 than they will be with his more ambitious 

 undertaking. 



The Radical Review. Issued quarterly. 

 Edited by Benjamin R. Tucker. Pp. 

 204. Price, $5 per year. New Bedford, 

 Mass. 



The first number of this periodical vin- 

 dicates its radical and independent charac- 

 ter. Its object is stated to be " the thor- 

 ough, fearless, and impartial discussion of 

 all sides of all subjects pertaining to human 

 welfare, whether social, economic, scien- 

 tific, literary, esthetic, or religious." It will 

 show no partiality to any particular school 

 or special system of belief, but the labor 

 question and the organization of industry 

 will receive a prominent share of attention. 

 It opens with an able paper, by W. J. Pot- 

 ter, on "The Two Traditions, Ecclesiasti- 

 cal and Scientific," of which the following 

 passage is a good example : 



" But this scientific view of tradition now 

 commonly styled the doctrine of evolution 

 starts questions that concern religious and moral 

 faith more vitally than any we have yet consid- 

 ered. The objection that the dignity of the hu- 

 man race is assailed, if man be thus linked in 

 natural kinship with the brute animals, is be- 

 coming antiquated, and needs no consideration. 

 To ridicule the theory, and oppose those who 

 hold it with theological abuse, neither intimi- 

 dates scientific men nor abolishes the facts upon 

 which they claim that the theory rests. To ask 

 if you want a monkey for an ancestor may raise a 

 laugh among the bystanders ; but Science is not 

 answered by a laugh, and does not consult the 

 caprice of human wishes so much as the pur- 

 port of Nature's facts. But even if it were a 

 question of the dignity of the human race, it 

 might be replied that it is better to have risen 

 from an ape than, according to the popular the- 

 ological theory, to have fallen from an angel. 

 It is more honorable to be climbing up than 

 slipping down. And there are species of ani- 

 mals with whom we might more proudly claim 

 cousinship than with some specimens of man- 

 kind. But this concern lest human dignity is to 

 8ufi"er from any earnestly advocated theory of 

 scieDce is puerile." 



Lysander Spooner furnishes a very in- 

 cisive and unsparing article entitled " Our 



Financiers: their Ignorance, Usurpations, 

 and Frauds," which cleaves the question 

 through to first principles. A fine poem is 

 contributed by Mr. E. C. Stedman ; and the 

 department of current literature is ably 

 treated. It contains a discriminating re- 

 view of Mr. J. N. Larned's " Talks about 

 Labor, and concerning the Evolution of 

 Justice between the Laborers and the Cap- 

 italists." We like this periodical, all ex- 

 cept its dismal pall of a cover. 



Dynamics. By J. T. Bottomley. Pp. 140. 

 New York : Putnaras. Price, 75 cents. 



The fundamental principles of " Dynam- 

 ics," or theoretical mechanics, are here set 

 forth and demonstrated as satisfactorily 

 as it is possible to do so for the tyro in 

 mathematical science. In cases where the 

 subject-matter requires a higher degree of 

 mathematical knowledge, the author con- 

 tents himself with giving clear statements 

 of propositions and of the meanings of 

 formulas, reserving demonstrations for a 

 time when the pupil will be better able to 

 appi'eciate them. 



Smithsonian Report. 1875. Pp. 422. 

 Washington : Government Printing-of- 

 fice. 



Besides the special annual report of the 

 Secretary, Prof. Joseph Henry, this volume 

 contains a number of memoirs and treatises 

 on scientific subjects, both original and 

 selected. Among the translated pieces are 

 a "Eulogy on Alexander Volta," and De 

 Candolle's " Report on the Transactions of 

 the Geneva Physical and Natural History 

 Society." Among the original contribu- 

 tions is a paper by Mr. Henry Oilman on 

 "Ancient Man in Michigan;" and one by 

 Dr. C. C. Abbott, on " The Stone Age in 

 New Jersey." Both of these memoirs, and 

 more especially the latter, are illustrated 

 with numerous woodcuts. 



Vegetable and Animal Cellitlose. By 

 Thomas Taylor. Pp. 8. From Field 

 and Forest. 



The author describes the method by 

 which he detects the presence of cellulose 

 in its various forms. This substance is, 

 according to him, a constant ingredient in 

 the organs and blood even of the higher 

 animals, man included. 



