850 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



course by Porphyry is preceded by a notice 

 of that writer, 



Mr. Andrew J. Rid-off^ in preparing the 

 First Lessons in Arithmetic (American Book 

 Company, price, 36 cents), has endeavored 

 to promote clear, accurate, and thorough 

 worii in the four fundamental rules and the 

 training of the judgment in the proper ap- 

 plication of those powers. It is divided 

 into three parts, of which the first is de- 

 voted to exercises — each number being stud- 

 ied in all combinations — in numbers not 

 greater than ten. All the processes are 

 graphically illustrated with diagrams ar- 

 ranged so as to resemble the dots on domi- 

 noes. Part II deals with units and tens, 

 with the graphic method continued. After 

 the study of the number fifty, equal parts — 

 halves, fourths, and eighths — are considered. 

 Pamiliar measures are introduced. In Part 

 III the treatment of numbers up to one 

 hundred is completed, the pupil is carried 

 through the four fundamental rules in the 

 higher orders, and is familiarized with their 

 application to simple business transactions. 

 No abstract reasoning or intricate problems 

 are introduced. Training to reckon rapidly 

 and accurately is mainly sought, and the 

 book is intended to systematize and facilitate 

 rather than to supersede oral instruction. 



A useful manual of Cookery for the Dia- 

 betic has been prepared by W. TI. and Mrs. 

 Foole, and is published by Longmans, Green 

 & Co. (price, $1). In explanation of its 

 purpose Dr. F. W. Pavy says, in a preface 

 which he has written for it, that it is neces- 

 sary to frame the dietary in diabetes so as 

 to exclude as far as practicable certain prin- 

 ciples of food which enter considerably into 

 the dietary of ordinary persons. The basis 

 or material part of a dish placed upon the 

 table may be permissible, but accessories in- 

 troduced in the cooking of it may render it 

 objectionable. Diabetics are often in this 

 way deprived of many of the properties 

 which render food palatable and attractive, 

 and reduced to a monotony of a few dishes 

 of the plainest character, Mr. and Mrs, 

 Poole seek to relieve them from this incon- 

 venience by furnishing them with recipes 

 by which their food may be given pleasant 

 seasoning and at the same time harmless to 

 them, and its variety may be increased. 



The distinctive features of the Inductive 



Latin Frimer (American Book Company) of 

 William R. Harper and Isaac B. Burgess are 

 that the lessons are shorter than those of 

 the Inductive Method of the same authors} 

 formal grammar is reduced to a minimum, 

 and is introduced more slowly ; no reference 

 is made to the grammar during the early les- 

 sons ; the exercises are easy and copious ; 

 prominence is given to conversation upon 

 the text ; maps, plans, and pictures are in- 

 troduced ; and a treatment of English gram- 

 mar, inductive in character and adapted to 

 these who never studied English grammar 

 before and to the needs of those studying 

 Latin, is bound with the Latin lessons. The 

 work is based upon the connected text ol 

 Cffisar. 



Russian Traits and Terrors are vividly 

 portrayed in a book of that name, which 

 professes to be a faithful picture of the 

 Russia of to-day ; published by B. R. Tucker, 

 Boston (85 cents). The author's name, if it 

 can be called that, is E. B. Lanin, which we 

 are told, however, is the collective signature 

 of several writers in the Fortnightly Re- 

 view. An unpleasant picture enough is given 

 of lying, fatalism, sloth, and dishonesty as 

 Russian characteristics ; of the condition of 

 Russian prisons; of a low stage of sexual 

 morality ; of the miserable situation of the 

 Jews; of Russian finance, which is repre- 

 sented as a " racking of the peasantry." To 

 all this is added an ode by Swinburne, writ- 

 ten after reading the account of the prisons. 



Homilies of Science (Open Court Com- 

 pany, Chicago) is a collection of papers on 

 subjects related to religion, which were first 

 contributed by the author, Dr. Paul Carus, 

 as editorial articles in The Open Court. The 

 principle that pervades the papers is to 

 preach an ethics that is based upon truth 

 and upon truth alone. The homilies are de- 

 clared not hostile toward the established 

 religions of traditional growth, but toward 

 the dogmatic conception only of those re. 

 ligions. They are also not hostile toward 

 free thought, but, standing upon the princi- 

 ple of avowing such truths alone as can be 

 proved by science, they reject that kind of 

 free thought only which refuses to recognize 

 the authority of the moral law. The author 

 accounts for his position on these matters 

 by relating that in childhood he was a devout 

 and pious Christian ; on growing up, he re- 



