LITERARY NOTICES. 



491 



plicated in the universal transformations 

 of matter. It turned out that hydrogen 

 not oxygen is the great acidifying prin- 

 ciple, and not only so, but it is the base- 

 producing principle, while the old and 

 antagonizing classes of acids and bases 

 disappeared as separate groups and 

 were merged in one great division of 

 hydrates. Hydrogen, moreover, by its 

 remarkable properties and position has 

 become the unit and standard of tiie 

 modern chemical system, and, though 

 less abundant upon earth than oxygen, 

 it is the grand element of the sun, has 

 been detected in the remotest stellar 

 luminaries, in the mysterious nebulae, 

 and blazed out in a mighty conflagra- 

 tion of one of the most distant stars. 

 Such is the part played by that form of 

 matter which is the most attenuated, 

 ethereal, and "nearest to nothing," of 

 any we knovy. 



LITERARY NOTICES. 



The Principles of Sociology. By Her- 

 bert Spencer. A Quarterly Serial. 

 Part III. D. Appleton & Co. Price, 

 $2.00 a year. 



It is an essential part of Mr. Spencer's 

 method of treating sociological science to 

 trace the genesis of the fundamental ideas 

 which have become embodied in social in- 

 stitutions. The installment of his work 

 now before us is devoted to the origin and 

 development of religious ideas. These have 

 been powerful in all ages, in all places, and 

 in all grades of society, in influencing hu- 

 man conduct, and in determining the con- 

 stitution of the social state. In this coun- 

 try religion is largely differentiated from 

 government ; but it remains at the basis of 

 extensive and important institutions. In 

 European nations, and in most countries in 

 fact all over the world, religious establish- 

 ments are still part of the state organiza- 

 tion and potent factors in determining the 

 structure of society. An element of the 

 social state, so universal and pertaining to 

 humanity itself, is certainly a fit subject 

 for scientific elucidation. For, although it 

 is claimed in special cases that religious 

 ideas are not of natural but of supeniatu- 



ral origin, and therefore not amenable to 

 the scientific method of investigation, yet 

 those who entertain this view always hmit 

 it to a particular case. The believers in the 

 supernatural origin of religious conceptions 

 generally restrict their view to the one re- 

 ligion which they hold to be true. But, al- 

 though the implication is that all other re- 

 ligions are false, they still remain to be ac- 

 counted for, so that, admitting the super- 

 natural character and origin of a single 

 system of faith, there yet remain hundreds 

 of other systems of all complexions and 

 gradations which are the legitimate sub- 

 jects of study from the scientific point of 

 view. A Cliristian may hold his system to 

 be preternaturally given, and its origin to 

 be not open to scientific scrutiny or criti- 

 cism ; but he cannot object to the employ- 

 ment of science in tracing out the develop- 

 ment of religious notions among heathen 

 and savages. There is, therefore, plenty of 

 legitimate room to carry on the inquiry. 



In this number of his work Mr. Spencer 

 devotes himself to tracing the origin and 

 growth of religious ideas, that in their vari- 

 ous forms may be regarded as universal. 

 His aim is to show that they are natural 

 and necessary outgrowths of the intercourse 

 with Nature of the human mind before it has 

 learned any thing of the true order of Na- 

 ture. In his successive chapters he treats 

 of " The Ideas of Death and Resurrection," 

 " The Ideas of Souls, Ghosts, Spirits, De- 

 mons, etc.," " The Ideas of another Life," 

 "^ The Ideas of another World," " The Ideas 

 of Supernatural Agents." The argument, a3 

 is usual with Mr. Spencer, is able, the analy- 

 sis clear, and the presentation forcible. 

 The work is full of fresh and interesting in- 

 formation regarding the mental states and 

 habits of the lower races of mankind, and 

 the accompanying psychological discussion 

 gives an impressive interest to the facts. 



Transits op Venits. A Popular Account 

 of Past and Coming Transits from the 

 first observed by Horrocks, 1639, to the 

 Transits of 2012. By Richard A. Proc- 

 tor. 232 pp., 12mo. New York: E. 

 Worthington & Co. 



This last book from Mr. Proctor's pen 

 is written in his usual charming style, and, 

 as the author says, is intended to be part- 

 ly historical and partly explanatory. The 



