848 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



dim awareness of their psychic acts." At- 

 tention and the unchaining of mental states 

 are given as the two functions of conscious- 

 ness. 



The author revels, however, in the realm 

 of subconsciousness. Sleep, dreaming, som- 

 nambulism, hypnosis, thought-transference, 

 lucidity, and hallucinations are so many 

 doors by which knowledge may enter un- 

 hampered by sense. The consideration of 

 criminality is given in the psychology of dis- 

 ease. Newspapers and novelists are justly 

 arraigned for their responsibility in spread- 

 ing the contagion of vice, and wholesome 

 suggestions in regard to education are given. 



Mind in detail is taken up in part second 

 and begun by an outline of the evolution and 

 action of the sensory and motor end organs. 

 In the thirty first chapter an analysis of the 

 cognitive powers is first reached. The old- 

 time division of the mental processes is re- 

 tained as useful, though the mind is not en- 

 dowed with any faculties, these being only 

 different phases of psychic action. 



It is a little to be wondered at that the 

 author of this work merely enumerates the 

 name of Comte in a list of materialistic phi- 

 losophers whose theories are annihilated, yet 

 employs the well-known Comtian law to de- 

 scribe the progress of the sciences, including 

 psychology. Blank ignorance is made to 

 precede the theological, metaphysical, and 

 positive stages, which are euphoniously called 

 periods of superstition, speculation, and ex- 

 actness. 



The spirit of the book is claimed to be 

 " strictly scientific " and its purpose " to em- 

 body the trustworthy results of safe thought." 

 This aim appears to have suffered an eclipse 

 in the following statements: "When mind 

 and life depart in death, the matter remains, 

 so far as science can discover, chemically and 

 physically the same." What about the co 

 agulation of the blood and the whole process 

 of disintegration ? Is organized and un- 

 organized matter identical ? Thought-trans- 

 ference is also declared to be "a subcon- 

 scious gift" whose demonstration '\& recent; 

 " coiTclated " with this is " the no less amaz- 

 m^fact of lucidity or second-sight" due to 

 a supersensuous vision which discerns be- 

 yond the reach of any known organ. The 

 clew to this rash advocacy seems to be that 

 " this discovery removes from the theological 



doctrine of a divine inspiration the stigma 

 of violating probabilities." 



Accuracy is pronounced impossible ; " all 

 sciences have to be regularly readjusted 

 every few years." 



Barring the questionable science of these 

 passages, the book is brimful of information 

 and good advice. It is well arranged, clearly 

 written, and can hardly fail to benefit as well 

 as to attain popularity. 



Practical Work in General Physics. By 

 W. G. WooLLcoMBE, M. A., B. Sc. New 

 York : Macmillan & Co. Pp. 83. Price, 



'75 cents. 



A COURSE of fifty experiments is provided 

 in this little manual, comprising measure- 

 ments of lengths, areas, and volumes, deter- 

 minations of the density of solids, liquids, 

 and a gas, the use of hydrometers and ba- 

 rometers, and a few relating to the pendu- 

 lum and capillarity. Considerable attention 

 is given to careful measurement, the sliding 

 callipers, micrometer screw-gauge, the chem- 

 ical balance, and the opisometer being used, 

 with a vernier attachment wherever it is ap- 

 plicable. 



Lectures on the Darwinian Theory. De- 

 livered by the late Arthur Milnes Mar- 

 shall. Edited by C. F. Marshall. 

 New York: Macmillan & Co. Pp. 236. 

 Price, $2.25. 



This volume consists of a series of lec- 

 tures delivered by the late Prof. Marshall in 

 connection with the extension lectures of 

 Victoria University during 1893. The au- 

 thor having failed to elaborate them and 

 prepare them for publication himself, not all 

 the parts are written out in detail, and there 

 is a consequent variability in the fullness of 

 the text ; nevertheless, having been delivered 

 by one of Darwin's most earnest disciples, 

 they are believed to form a useful introduc- 

 tion to the literature of Darwinism. They 

 present the History of the Theory of Evolu- 

 tion ; Artificial and Natural Selection ; The 

 Argument from Palaoontology ; The Argu- 

 ment from Embryology; The Colors of Ani- 

 mals and Plants ; a review of the objections 

 to the Darwinian theory ; the origin of ver- 

 tebrate animals and the descent of man ; 

 and a summary of the life and work of Dar- 

 win. The author, summarizing his own 

 work, defines as the position which he has 



