EDITOR'S TABLE. 



619 



dation of fundamental problems in this 

 branch of study, and first give to it its 

 recognition and status in the scientific 

 world, but by the skill of bis pen, his 

 power of exposition and untiring indus- 

 try, he aroused a popular interest in 

 tbe subject which was felt through all 

 the nations of civilization. Though a 

 chemist, his name became as familiar 

 in the households of this country as 

 those of Newton and Shakespeare, while 

 his work was recognized as having a 

 practical beneficence that involved alike 

 the prosperity of individuals, communi- 

 ties, and states. For, to give an impulse 

 to agriculture, and to arouse the thought 

 and quicken the intelligence of the 

 agricultural classes, was to contribute 

 essentially to the advancement of civ- 

 ilization itself. Whoever thinks that 

 this is an exaggerated estimate of the 

 claims and character of Prof. Liebig, 

 may read with profit the admirable dis- 

 course of Dr. A. W. Hoffman, of the 

 University of Berlin, on " The Life- 

 Work of Liebig," delivered last year in 

 London, and just published by Macmil- 

 lan. It is not only a worthy tribute of 

 a grateful pupil to his illustrious teach- 

 er, but it is a most admirable and dis- 

 criminating estimate of the man in his 

 relations to the progressive science of 

 the age. We say, then, let all who be- 

 lieve in honoring the achievements of 

 great men by erecting statues to their 

 memories contribute toward the erec- 

 tion of this statue to Liebig. We ought 

 to have one erected in the Central 

 Park ; but, if that be impracticable, let 

 it be done in Munich. At the recent 

 dinner given by the American Chemical 

 Society to the foreign chemists con- 

 nected with the Centennial Exhibition 

 in Philadelphia, it was announced that 

 Dr. Hoffman asks from this country a 

 contribution of $2,500 to complete the 

 work. Chemists, as a class, do not 

 abound in this world's goods, but $1,000 

 was pledged for the purpose on the 

 spot. Our enterprising and successful 

 agricultural friends should have a hand 



in this work ; and, if any are disposed 

 to help it on, their contributions may 

 be forwarded to Prof. E. N. Horsford, 

 of Cambridge, or to Prof. C. F. Chan- 

 dler, of New York, who will forward 

 any funds that may be intrusted to them 

 to the foreign committee who have the 

 work in charge. 



HAMILTON OX "SOCIAL SCIEXCEr 



Me. E. S. Hamilton, considering 

 himself very badly treated in our notice 

 of his book, made some time ago, pays 

 us off in an article which appears in our 

 pages this month. He lays it on to the 

 editorial back without mercy, and noth- 

 ing remains for us but to kiss the rod 

 and resume the subject. Perhaps we 

 are obtuse, but, having again looked 

 over his volume, and our remarks upon 

 it, in the light of what he now says, we 

 are still unable to see that we have 

 done him the injustice of which he com- 

 plains. 



Mr. Hamilton admits that our main 

 accusation and almost the only one 

 was, that his book is "old." Let us 

 see, then, what ground he has for pro- 

 testing against this position. Had he 

 designated his volume by its secondary 

 title, " A Eeview, Historical and Criti- 

 cal, of the Progress of Thought in Social 

 Philosophy," which would have better 

 described it, our criticism would have 

 been uncalled for; but by putting it 

 forth under the name of " The Present 

 Status of Social Science " he invited 

 attention to it as a report, up to date, 

 on a highly-important and rapidly-de- 

 veloping subject. The Popular Sci- 

 ence Monthly had but little interest 

 in the historical and critical features of 

 his work ; but it was interested in its 

 claim to inform its readers of the pres- 

 ent attitude of a great science. Taking 

 it up from this point of view the view 

 challenged by the author in the adop- 

 tion of his title we said it was " old." 

 Not that we have the slightest objec- 

 tion to old books if they are good, or 



