244- 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



ties exist more self- poised and self-di- 

 rected, more independent of the rest of the 

 character, than Ave find them in women, 

 with whom talent, however predominant, 

 is in much greater degree modified by the 

 sympathies and by moral causes." The 

 Governor evades the question of suffrage 

 for woman, but is adverse to her participa- 

 tion in public affairs. He cites Franklin as 

 saying that " women should not meddle 

 with party politics, except in the endeav- 

 or to reconcile their husbands, brothers, 

 and friends, who happen to be of contrary 

 sides ; " and he reminds the listening la- 

 dies of the pleasantry of Addison, who re- 

 marked : " There is nothing so bad for the 

 face as party zeal. It gives an ill-natured 

 cast to the eye, and a disagreeable sourness 

 to the look ; besides that, it makes the lines 

 too strong, and flushes them more than 

 brandy." 



The Kinematics of Machinery : Outlines 

 of a Theory of Machines. By F. Reu- 

 leacx, Member of the Royal Trade 

 Commission. Translated and edited by 

 Alexander B. W. Kennedy, C. E., Pro- 

 fessor of Civil and Mechanical Engi- 

 neering in University College, London. 

 With numerous Illustrations. London : 

 Macmillan & Co. Pp.622. Price, $7. 50. 



The number of inventions during re- 

 cent years has been so great that it is 

 almost impossible to classify the different 

 machines, or to observe any regular sys- 

 tem connecting them. This country pos- 

 sesses no systematized instruction or ex- 

 tended literature in regard to machin- 

 ery, and, although it has been peculiarly 

 rich in inventions, the' results would un- 

 doubtedly have been more satisfactory if 

 they had been effected according to an ar- 

 ranged method. In this book the theoreti- 

 cal part of machinery alone is treated. The 

 author attempts to give a thorough under- 

 standing of its essential nature, by which 

 problems previously unsolvable may be made 

 clear, and by which greater practical results 

 may be reached. In his own words, his 

 purpose is " to determine the conditions 

 which are common to all machines in order 

 to decide what it is, among its great variety 

 of forms, that essentially constitutes a ma- 

 chine. . . . The book is intended, not so 

 much to add to the positive knowledge of 



the mechanician, as to increase his under- 

 standing of what he already knows, so that 

 it may become more ' thoroughly his own 

 property.' " In the old books, each ma- 

 chine was taken up as a whole, and treated 

 by itself. But, as it was discovered that 

 similar parts occur in different machines, 

 the method continually grew more simple. 

 Prof. Reuleaux endeavors to place the sci- 

 ence in a position in which it may become 

 deductive, and in which the study may de- 

 pend upon a few fundamental truths. With 

 him, motion is but a change of position, 

 and the changes are conditioned simply by 

 the geometric form of the moving bodies. 



In this volume fluids also take their 

 place as forming a part of machinery, and 

 instances are given in what forms engineers 

 may use them to the greatest advantage. 

 The work, which was written in German, 

 has been published in Italian, and is now 

 being translated into French. 



The Ethics of Benedict de Spinoza. From 

 the Latin, with an Introductory Sketch 

 of his Life and Writings. New York : 

 Van Nostrand. Pp. 375. Price, $3.00. 



This volume has a peculiar interest in 

 being the first American translation of the 

 " Ethics " offered to the public. As it has 

 been preceded by only one English transla- 

 tion, the book will supply a want in this 

 country, and meet the demand of those who 

 desire to obtain a clear idea of Spinoza's 

 philosophy. The object which Spinoza had, 

 in developing his system, was to discover 

 certain rules by which be might govern his 

 own actions. To accomplish this, he be- 

 gins with a number of definitions and axioms 

 from which his principles are evolved in 

 regular geometrical order. The work is 

 divided into five parts. In the first part is 

 set forth his conception of God an ab- 

 solutely Infinite Being or substance, without 

 beginning or end, and causa sui. Nothing 

 can be thought of outside of God, and 

 everything which exists does so through 

 God. In the second part are treated the 

 origin and nature of the human mind and 

 soul. In the third, fourth, and fifth parts, 

 an investigation is made of the passions, 

 their causes and effects, their force and the 

 manner in which they should be governed. 

 The end arrived at is, that the pleasures of 



