S 4 8 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 





which is exerted so as to modify the en- 

 vironment, and is modified by it. The lo- 

 cation of this energy, to produce the change 

 of evolution, is due to an influence called 

 "grade-influence," which is, further, an ex- 

 pression of the intelligence of the animal, 

 adapting its possessor to the environment 

 by an " intelligent selection." Inheritance 

 is a transmission of this form of energy. 

 The part performed by intelligence in evo- 

 lution is correlated with the fact deduced 

 from the observation of the birds and mam- 

 mals, that all animals are educated by " the 

 logic of events," that their intelligence, im- 

 pressed by changed circumstances, can ac- 

 commodate itself more or less to them, and 

 that there is nothing in this part of their 

 being opposed to the principle of " descent 

 with modification." The genus homo, ac- 

 cording to the author's conclusions, " has 

 been developed by the modification of some 

 pre-existent genus. All his traits which are 

 merely functional have, as a consequence, 

 been produced during the process. Those 

 traits which are not functional, but spirit- 

 ual, are of course amenable to a different 

 class of laws, which belong to the province 

 of religion." The evolution of moral quali- 

 ties may be related with the reproductive 

 instinct, from which the social affections 

 are developed. The struggle for existence 

 among men ranges all the way from a ri- 

 valry of physical force to a rivalry for the 

 possession of human esteem and affection. 

 "The ultimate prosperity of the just, as- 

 sured and foretold by prophets and poets, 

 is but a forecast of the doctrine of the sur- 

 vival of the fittest. The unjust are sooner 

 or later eliminated by men from their so- 

 ciety, either by death, seclusion, or ostra- 

 cism." But lines of men in whom the sym- 

 pathetic and generous finalities predominate 

 over the self-preservative, are doomed to 

 extinction. Hence, evolution can produce 

 no higher development of the race than 

 an equivalency of these two classes of 

 forces. 



The matter of the volume is arranged in 

 four parts, or series of essays : First, ap- 

 pear the papers on " General Evolution," in 

 which the general principles of the author's 

 theory arc aid down or foreshadowed. Fol- 

 lowing this part come, s cccssively, papers 

 on the " Structural Evidences of Evolution," 



on " Mechanical Evolution," and on " Meta- 

 physical Evolution." In the concluding pa- 

 per, the " Origin of the Will " is discussed. 



Our Arctic Province. Alaska, and the 

 Seal Islands. By Henry W. Elliott. 

 New York: Charles Suribner's Sons. Pp. 

 465. Price, $4.50. 



Mr. Elliott has given a most attractive 

 volume, full of general and of scientific in- 

 terest. The scientific matters are presented 

 so as to be popular reading, and that which 

 may be classed as of general interest is very 

 far from not being of scientific merit and 

 value. It is impossible to give, in an ordi- 

 nary book notice, a summary of a work em- 

 bodying so great a variety of matter ; and 

 we can not, perhaps, make a more compre- 

 hensive characterization of its contents than 

 to say that it is devoted to the description 

 and illustration of Alaska and all that per- 

 tains to it. First we have the history of 

 the discovery of the country, its occupation 

 by the Russians, and its transfer to the 

 United States. This is followed by an ac- 

 count of the features of the Sitkan region, 

 and a description of the aboriginal life of 

 the Sitkans. Accounts are given of "The 

 Alpine Zone of Mount St. Elias," with its 

 superb and lofty peaks seen one hundred 

 and thirty-five miles away, and including 

 Mount Wrangel, the highest mountain in 

 North America ; of the warm springs near 

 Sitka, of the forbidding character of the 

 coast of the mountain-region, and the grand 

 but gloomy scenery of Prince William 

 Sound. Succeeding chapters are devoted 

 to "Cook's Inlet and its People," "The 

 Great Island of Kodiak," and " The Great 

 Aleutian Chain," which stretches so far to 

 the west as to make San Francisco a half- 

 way city in crossing our country. Chapters 

 arc devoted to " The Quest of the Otter," 

 " The Wonderful Seal Islands," and the man- 

 agement and methods of the seal industry. 

 Other peculiar animals to receive due no- 

 tice are the Alaska sea-lion, the moose, wal- 

 rus, and polar bear. Far removed in space 

 and character from the Sitka region and the 

 Aleutian Islands are the Innuits, or people 

 of the Esquimo race, who furnish mate- 

 rial for a chapter of distinct interest ; and 

 the valley of the great Yukon River, and 

 " The Great Northern Wastes," are the sub- 



