844 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



as there would be at any rate, whatever 

 the excellence of its plan or the thor- 

 oughness of its execution ; but its saga- 

 cious editors and enterprising managers 

 may be best trusted to detect its deficien- 

 cies, and to repair them by self-correct- 

 ing experience. The first number, of 

 course, exemplifies the plan of the week- 

 ly. Besides its prospectus, and the open- 

 ing introductory article, there are inter- 

 esting communications from Professor 

 Langley, Samuel Kneeland, Captain 

 Dutton, and E. H. Hall, together with 

 an admirable notice, by Professor Asa 

 Gray, of Alphonse de Candolle's work 

 on "The Origin of Cultivated Plants," 

 contributed to the " International Sci- 

 entific Series," and soon to appear in 

 English. After a brief review of the 

 "Natural History of Minnesota," we 

 come to perhaps the most distinctive 

 feature of the journal, in the " Weekly 

 Summary of the Progress of Science " 

 which is given in the first number, 

 under the successive headings of Mathe- 

 matics, Physics, Chemistry, Metallurgy, 

 Geology, Meteorology, Physical Geog- 

 raphy, Geography, Botany, Zoology, 

 Vertebrates, Physiological Psychology, 

 and Early Institutions. Several of these 

 have subdivisions, as Acoustics, Optics, 

 Photometry, and Photography, under 

 Physics; and Fish, Reptiles, Birds, and 

 Mammals, under the title of Vertebrates. 

 The information is of the most varied 

 kind, but all refers to recent observa- 

 tions, experiments, or inquiries. Each 

 distinct statement or item is numbered, 

 for convenience of future reference; 

 and, in the ten pages here devoted to 

 the weekly progress of science, we have 

 seventy-nine of these brief articles, each 

 signed with the initials of a responsible 

 editor in his own branch. We know 

 something of the immense care and la- 

 bor which such a department involves. 

 Following this is "Intelligence from 

 American Scientific Stations," with 

 " Notes and News," general and person- 

 al, and a copious list of " Recent Books 

 and Pamphlets on Scientific Subjects." 



Our new journal is thus packed with 

 the concentrated nutriment of science, 

 and will have value wherever the sub- 

 stantial data of inquiry are appreciated. 

 "Science "is sure to contain a great 

 deal of information that is of general 

 importance, and we cordially recom- 

 mend it to the patronage of all classes 

 who care anything for the positive ad- 

 vance of knowledge in this country. 



It is proper to add that we are 

 ourselves interested in the success of 

 "Science," with special reference to 

 our own line of work. The law of 

 progress is ever through division of 

 labor, which in this field takes the 

 shape of specialty of publication. We 

 have felt the need of such a periodical 

 as " Science," because we have been 

 pressed to do the work which it now 

 undertakes, but which it has been im- 

 possible for us to perform. A monthly 

 can never compete with a weekly or 

 with the daily press in giving scien- 

 tific news ; as to do that work well re- 

 quires a definite and comprehensive 

 organization for the purpose, and a 

 frequency of publication that shall se- 

 cure the prompt diffusion of scientific 

 intelligence. " Science " will do this 

 work effectually, and, by becoming an 

 organ of accredited discovery and au- 

 thorized opinion, will leave us free to 

 devote ourselves to popularizing and 

 diffusing the approved results of scien- 

 tific inquiry. 



INCENTIVES TO THE PURSUIT OF SCI- 

 ENCE. 



But while welcoming our new coad- 

 jutor with unqualified approbation as 

 to its purpose and method, we confess 

 to some misgiving about its first formal 

 utterance on " The Future of Ameri- 

 can Science," which it is declared almost 

 in a tone of jubilation is to be distinct- 

 ively and supereminently utilitarian. 

 The utilitarian passion of the American 

 people, it is here maintained, must also 

 become the animating impulse of Amer- 

 ican science. Criticism may seem un- 



