424 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



glover's three-cornered needles. Fix the 

 tail nicely. Put a little aqua ammonia in 

 the eye-sockets, and let it remain for an 

 hour. Then clear away all sorts of matter 

 and put putty in. Then take a glass eye and 

 imbed it in the putty, not letting the latter 

 show. 



Scientific Novels. — These would serve a 

 better purpose if the exigencies of plot and 

 thrilling situation did not require the incul- 

 cation of so much pscudo science. The stu- 

 dent in college has to unlearn many things 

 he learned at home from his Jules Verne. 

 A lately published "Romance of Evolu- 

 tion"* is a striking example of the scien- 

 tific misrepresentation needed to make what 

 is known as a good story. The hero of this 

 unique novel is evolved from ordinary man- 

 kind, as^ Maud S. was evolved from ordinary 

 horse-kind, by artificial selection, and his 

 wonderful development is supposed to have 

 been achieved in seven generations. Ilis 

 development is not in certain directions at 

 the expense of others — the usual result of 

 artificial selection — but it is in all directions 

 at one and the same time ! In the short 

 space of two hundred years the selected 

 family advances from mediocrity, not in 

 straight lines, but in an expanding circle, 

 to the ideal of human perfection — the hero. 

 He is a " demigod " — physically and intel- 

 lectually, morally and spiritually. In this 

 universal development are displayed, of 

 course, the most incongruous combinations : 

 savage valor, for instance, in overcoming 

 single-handed a horde of mountain brig- 

 ands armed with rifles, and "Christ-like 

 goodness " in forgiving their chief, who has 

 subjected him to long hours of torture ; the 

 rude simplicity of a wild man of the mount- 

 ains 'and the esthetic tastes of a Parisian. 

 It wa3 necessary to the plot that, though 

 subjected to tortures which would have de- 

 stroyed an ordinary man, the "demigod" 

 should escape and immediately perform 

 prodigies of prowess ; hence the explana- 

 tion is given : " That his skull was not fract- 

 ured by the terrible blows it had received 

 was due, under Providence, to the un- 

 cqualcd texture and elasticity of that hel- 

 met of Nature ; that his cord3 and sinews 

 were not broken or permanently injured, 



♦ " A Demigod." Harper & Brothers. 



and his nervous system shattered, in the 

 excruciating ordeal which followed, was be- 

 cause they were of Nature's best handiwork, 

 compacted to endure the severest tests that 

 mortality can sustain " (p. 294). How much 

 longer could Maud S. endure blows of an 

 axe upon her dainty forehead than a horse 

 of humble pedigree ? As a mere story, the 

 book possesses a certain power and fascina- 

 tion ; but as a contribtion to the literature 

 of evolution, it is, like most scientific nov- 

 els, a failure. 



Balance among the Physical Functions. 



— Dr. II. C. Wood, of Philadelphia, main- 

 tains that, to make it possible to live to a 

 good old age, the several vital organs must 

 be approximately equal in strength. The 

 man of ordinary physique, who possesses 

 this fortunate balance of power, will in all 

 probability outlive an athlete whose develop- 

 ment has been unequal. Excessive strength 

 in one part is, in fact, a source of danger. 

 An over-developed muscular system invites 

 dissolution, because it is a constant strain 

 upon the less powerful organs, and finally 

 wears them out. Death, in the majority of 

 cases, is the result of local weakness. It 

 often happens that a vital organ has been 

 endowed with an original longevity less than 

 that of the rest of the organism, and its fail- 

 ure to act brings death to other portions of 

 the system, which in themselves possessed 

 the capabilities of long life. The fact of 

 having succeeded in life, with the satisfac- 

 tion and comfort it brings, contributes to 

 the prolongation of existence, while failure, 

 with its resultant regrets, tends to shorten 

 it. In old age, the organs possess less elas- 

 ticity to meet and overcome such strains 

 as can be invited with impunity in youth. 

 Hence the old should be spared the strains. 

 It is also desirable that, as their years ad- 

 vance, they should make their personal hab- 

 its the subject of careful study, and, with 

 the help of some wise counselor, regulate 

 their daily life in accordance with the 

 changed conditions of their animal econo- 

 my. This is particularly the case with 

 reference to diet. 



Artificial Precious Stones. — The trade 

 in artificial precious stones has become quite 

 important, and the manufacture of them has 

 reached a considerable degree of perfection. 



