LITERARY NOTICES. 



373 



exemplifies the close interdependence 

 of the liigher and more complex sci- 

 ences. Those who have been slow to 

 comprehend the alleged important bear- 

 ing that psychology has upon sociology 

 will see that the two subjects are so in- 

 extricably involved the mental organ- 

 ism and the social organism having 

 been developed together by intimate 

 interaction that neither can be eluci- 

 dated in a really scientific way without 

 working out its relations to the other. 

 The article atFords an excellent illus- 

 tration of the fruitfulness of investiga- 

 tion from the genetic point of view. 



LITERARY NOTICES. 



CURRENCr AND BANKING. By BONAMT PrICE, 



Professor of Political Economy in the 



University of Oxford. Pp.176. Price, 



$1.50. D. Appleton & Co. 



The author of this book is not a stranger 

 to the American people. He made a tour 

 of the country a year or two since, and was 

 called upon at various points to express his 

 views on currency and finance, which he 

 did with a bluntness and pungency that 

 made a deep impression upon his hearers, 

 and upon all who read his well-reported ad- 

 dresses. It was felt by many that bis views 

 were sound and important, and that it 

 would be an advantage to the country if he 

 would give us a season of lecturing upon 

 the subject. But, as he could not remain, 

 he agreed to do the next best thing, which 

 was, to prepare a little volume, to be pub- 

 lished in this country, giving a condensed 

 exposition of his views. This volume is 

 now issued and will be widely read, as well 

 for its vivid and racy controversialism as 

 for its sound and instructive teachings upon 

 the topics discussed. Besides the Appen- 

 dix, it is divided into three parts: first, 

 " Metallic Currency ; " second, " Paper Cur- 

 rency;" and third, "What is a Bank?" 

 Prof Price insists that there is really very 

 little mystery about this subject that is gen- 

 erally regarded as so mysterious ; while he 

 admits that there is more error and absurd- 

 ity and stupid nonsense put forth regarding 

 it than upon almost any other subject of 

 current speculation. A main cause of this, 

 he states to be, the credulous confidence 



with which the public listens to the outgiv- 

 ings of men whose authority comes not from 

 any intelligent or scientific understanding 

 of the subject, but from the circumstance 

 that they deal in money and have a great 

 deal of it, and much to do with it. But 

 practical familiarity with business opera- 

 tions, he maintains, is very far from con- 

 ferring insight into the philosophy of such 

 operations. A blockhead may make money, 

 and make a parade of all the technical terms 

 of finance, but know no more of the princi- 

 ples of the subject than the veriest beggar 

 who hardly sees a dollar from one year's end 

 to another. Yet the public pricks up its 

 long ears to listen to the oracular twaddle 

 of brokers, bankers, merchants, and treas- 

 ury officials, who only confuse and confound 

 the subject with their discordant utterances. 

 Such books as those of Price and Jevons 

 will do much to clear away the fog that has 

 gathered around monetary questions in this 

 country, and they should be widely circu- 

 lated and carefully read, especially by young 

 men who would prepare themselves to take 

 a useful part in public affairs. 



Elements of Meteorology. Part II., Me- 



TEOROLOGICAL CVCLSS. By JoHN H. TiCS. 



St. Louis, 1875. Pp. 208. Price, $2:50, 



We have in Mr. Tice's book another wild 

 and fruitless attempt to explain all phenom- 

 ena by electricity. As, in former times, 

 unexplained phenomena were ascribed to 

 magic or supernatural power, so in modern 

 days the unscientific look to electricity as 

 the efficient cause of all physical mysteries. 

 The author of this book admits no force but 

 electricity. Mechanics is a nightmare, cen- 

 trifugal force is electric repulsion, the per- 

 turbing force of a planet is only electric at- 

 traction, and all the phenomena of our at- 

 mosphere arise from electrical causes. 



The volume before us is Part 11., and 

 from the preface we learn that Part I. has 

 never been published ; we are, however, not 

 left in doubt as to its contents. We are 

 told on the first page that in Part I. we can 

 learn " all about the nature and constitu- 

 tion of rain and snow storms ; all about 

 cold and hot, wet and dry, seasons; and all 

 about winds, gales, tornadoes, and hurri- 

 canes." If Mr. Tice has done half of what 

 he claims, he has done enough to secure 

 immortal fame. Nevertheless, after an ex- 



