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THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



which he published some thirty years ago, 

 and the substance of which he presented be- 

 fore the American Association, to have its 

 principle found inadequate by the commit- 

 tee to whom the subject was referred. Tor 

 this treatment and for other evidences of 

 lack of appreciation which he has received 

 at the hands of men of science, he is still 

 grieved. He continues to press his theory, 

 and now expands it and extends it to solar 

 storms and their influence. It presupposes 

 vortexes in the ethereal medium in connec- 

 tion with the motions of the earth and the 

 planets, and the exertion by the moon of dis- 

 turbing influences upon the terrestrial vor- 

 texes, producing electrical action and storms. 

 The author believes that he has ascertained 

 the law of the disturbances, and can accu- 

 rately predict the occurrence of storms in 

 any part of the earth. A common origin in 

 similar phenomena is hypothecated for solar 

 spots and the corona and for atmospheric 

 changes and cyclones. Those may test the 

 theory who are able to master it and wish 

 to try the experiment ; four tables are given 

 for computiug the maximum and minimum 

 epochs of solar activity and " the passage in 

 time and place of the chief disturbances 

 from the equator to the poles in both hemi- 

 spheres." 



The Consolatioxs of Science ; or, Contri- 

 butions from Science to the Hope of Im- 

 mortality, and Kindred Themes. By 

 Jacod Straub. With an Introduction 

 by Hiram W. Thomas, D. I). Chicago : 

 The Colcgrove Book Company. Pp. 

 435. Price, $2. 



This work comes to us very highly com- 

 mended for its admirable spirit, its master- 

 ly criticism, and its exalting views, by such 

 men of thought as President Porter, Rev. 

 Robert Collyer, and Professor Swing, and 

 we have no doubt that many people will en- 

 joy it, and find themselves helped and en- 

 couraged in their religious aspirations by 

 the views it presents. The author has mas- 

 tered the tendencies of modern science, and 

 finds that the profoundest lesson to be 

 drawn from them is that the most real, last- 

 ing, and powerful things are invisible, and on 

 the basis of all that science has revealed he 

 claims to gain strong confirmation of the 

 belief in a future state of existence, and the 

 immortality of conscious being. But while 



it is no doubt possible to appeal in this way 

 to science for consoling encouragements in 

 regard to the future and everlasting life, it 

 can only be by great freedom and boldness 

 of speculation that reassuring responses 

 can be returned. It is not in the power of 

 science to prove the truth of immortality. 

 Science can only deal with the phenomena 

 of time and experience, and whatever tran- 

 scends these must be left to the sphere of 

 faith. 



Government Revenue, especially the Amer- 

 ican System : an Argument for Indus- 

 trial Freedom against the Fallacies 

 OF Free Trade. By Ellis H. Roberts. 

 Boston: Houghton, Mifflin & Co. Pp. 

 389. Price, $1.50. 



This volume has a claim to the atten- 

 tion of readers, first, because of the infor- 

 mation which it contains on the subject of 

 government revenue ; next, because it is a 

 hot polemic in behalf of protection, and 

 against free trade, full of ingenious argu- 

 ments ; and, lastly, because its contents have 

 been delivered as lectures before the stu- 

 dents of Cornell University and of Hamilton 

 College. 



The book abounds with facts upon finan- 

 cial and economical subjects, indicating the 

 author's wide and critical reading. But 

 facts with him are valuable only as tribu- 

 tary to theories. Accordingly, he argues 

 broadly on the basis of his multitudinous 

 data against the freedom of commerce, and 

 in favor of the protective system, and the 

 political regulation of the industries of the 

 country. 



The delivery of his views before college 

 classes was by no means a bad idea. Some- 

 thing is, indeed, to be said in favor of limit- 

 ing collegiate study to subjects which are 

 settled in their principles ; and political 

 economy has long been recognized as fitted 

 for college study because it involved estab- 

 lished truths of great public importance. 

 But among these have been the principles 

 of free trade, so that these institutions have 

 become centers of propagandism of this 

 doctrine. That the advocates of protection 

 should not be satisfied with this, is only 

 natural ; but, instead of trying to suppress 

 the objectionable teachings, they have more 

 wisely attempted, as in this case, to correct 

 the evil by presenting the claims of the op- 



