342 SCIENCE PROGRESS 



be representative of our age. We may think that his philosophy is half-fledged 

 and immature ; unless it were, it would not be representative. If Mr. Wells' 

 book is read in the future, it certainly will not be for any positive contribution to 

 knowledge, or with any reference to the conclusions arrived at, but as a concrete 

 and lively example of a dominant mode of thought in the early twentieth century. 

 It is, therefore, hardly worth while to criticise the substance of this book. As 

 regards the form, Mr Wells is somewhat inclined to be the slave of words and 

 phrases. This tendency to obsession by language is by no means decreasing in 

 his later wo*ks. 



Hugh Elliot. 



Some Questions of Phonetic Theory. Part I. By Wilfrid Perrett, B.A., 

 Ph.D. [Pp. viii + no.] (London: The University of London Press, 

 191 6. Price 2s. 6d. net.) 



This little book forms the first instalment of a work planned to appear in three 

 parts. This part is divided into four chapters : The Position of Rest, Willis on 

 Vowel Sounds, the Wheatstone Test, and the Compass of the Mouth. 



The first chapter deals with the resting positions of the vocal organs, much 

 fun being made of the views of other writers on this topic. In the second chapter 

 the vowel sounds are touched upon. Here the criticism breaks out again. Thus, 

 referring to what is called the standard work by Helmholtz On the Sensations of 

 Tone, the author writes : 



" I consider it to be a very poor standard and a most wasteful and misleading 

 work. I shall endeavour to show that wherever it bears upon phonetics Helm- 

 holtz's book has no right to be considered authoritative, and that his influence has 

 been and is constantly bad. The reader must be warned : our path lies across a 

 veritable quagmire of sham science or Wissenschaft. It will be heavy going, and 

 we must pick our way. Here and there we shall flounder, but we shall reach firm 

 ground at last." 



This is only one of half a dozen similar tirades against one who at any rate 

 thought and investigated, and so justly won for himself an eminent position in the 

 world of science of his day. Some of his views may be open to question and 

 modification after further research. But it may well be doubted whether they can 

 be successfully attacked by the flippant use of strong language unsupported by 

 anything worth calling a scientific basis. 



It is unnecessary to proceed in detail. The titles of the chapters give a 

 sufficient idea of the scope of the book. The treatment is throughout of a dis- 

 cursive, descriptive, and utterly unconvincing nature. Much of it is written in a 

 light or sarcastic vein, and though it may possibly prove amusing to some readers, 

 can scarcely be called science, or be mistaken for an aid to its Progress. 



E. H. B. 



