272 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



and were seen no more. A few worked a 

 whole day and then disappeared. In short, 

 out of the whole seven hundred and twenty- 

 seven, only eighteen were found at work at the 

 end of the third day. As a result of this ex- 

 periment M. Monod concludes that not more 

 than one alile-bodied beggar in forty is in- 

 clined to worlv even if he is oflfered a fair re- 

 muneration for his services. 



The idea of forming a community 

 with such material for its citizens is ab- 

 surd in the extreme. The tramp will 

 not work so long as he can find soft 

 hearted and softer headed people who 

 will give him a subsistence in idleness. 

 These self-satisfied charitable persons, 

 who give indiscriminately to save them- 

 selves the trouble of helping judiciously, 

 really entice more unfortunates into beg- 

 gary than tliey raise out of it. 



LITERARY NOTICES. 



Etolution in Science and Akt. Lectures 

 and Discussions before the Brooklyn 

 Ethical Association. Now York : D. 

 Appleton h Co. 



The topics considered in these lectures 

 include not only the special unfolding of 

 each branch of science, but also sketches 

 of the leading evolutionists and outlines of 

 their methods. The first of the series is a 

 concise and excellent review of A. R. Wal- 

 lace and his work, by Prof. E. D. Cope. The 

 co-author with Darwin of the theory of nat- 

 ural selection is honored as a biologist, not 

 for researches in anatomy or paleontology, 

 but for his mastery of hexicology — the study 

 of the mutual relations of living objects. 

 Extensive travel tor twelve years in the 

 tropics furnished him with a storehouse of 

 zoological facts. From these resulted va- 

 rious papers on birds' nests, protective col- 

 oration, and mimicry ; while the theory of 

 natural selection was drawn from his obser- 

 vation of the variations of species. Besides 

 his works on evolution, he has written books 

 of travel and essays on political economy. 

 Prof. Cope regards Dr. Wallace as a fine 

 example of his own doctrine, that all force 

 is will-force, and pays another tribute to 

 him as typical of the intelligent spirit of 

 this century, determined to know and to use 

 the knowledge for the benefit of mankind. 



His explanation of force and intelligence, as 

 caused by an influx of spirit, is deemed, 

 however, " an unnecessary interjection in an 

 otherwise continuous operation of known 

 and unknown causes." 



As Dr. Wallace is so stanch a supporter 

 of the theory that variations are congenital 

 and environment a secondary feature, while 

 Prof. Cope holds as firmly to the opposite 

 view, several mooted points are discussed 

 oi passant, and in conclusion a synopsis is 

 given of the respective tenets of the Neo- 

 Lamarckian and Neo-Darwinian schools. 



The famous zoologist and author of mon- 

 ism. Prof. Ernst Haeckcl, is the theme of the 

 second lecture, by Thaddeus B. Wakeman. 

 The life and enthusiastic labors of the great 

 naturalist are fascinating subjects. Whether 

 studying at " dear Jena," or diving in the 

 Indian Ocean, or waging war with Prof. 

 Vircbow, his zest for knowledge is unap- 

 peasable and magnetizes his followers. His 

 wonderful industry has given to the world 

 nearly a dozen valuable zoological works 

 and several charming books of travel. It is 

 his philosophy or religion, however, that es- 

 pecially attracts his biographer. Mr. Wake- 

 man is consumed by a monistic fervor ; and 

 it is questionable whether, in his anxiety to 

 rid the universe of " spooks," he does not 

 create some for iconoclastic purposes. The 

 " unknowable " of Herbert Spencer, or Prof. 

 Huxley's limitations of knowledge, need some 

 endowment of objectivity before they can be 

 properly exorcised as wraiths. 



The Scientific Method is expounded by 

 Dr. Francis E. Abbot in the third lecture. 

 This, when tersely stated, consists of obser- 

 vation, hypothesis, and verification. A con- 

 firmed transcendentalist might oppose the 

 first step by questioning whether one could 

 observe an external world. So the lecturer 

 gives an imaginary controversy between the 

 realist and consistent idealist, and finally 

 drives the latter logically into the comer of 

 solipsism, where he is made to declare that 

 the universe is within himself. The actual 

 idealist always escapes this fate by allowing 

 an inference of the objective which we can 

 not know per se. As the idealistic individ- 

 ual shut up with himself can not know, so 

 he can not add to human knowledge. The 



