LITERARY NOTICES. 



133 



will be to put it within the power of field 

 artillery to demolish permanent fortifications 

 in all their forms ; and even field defenses, 

 earthworks, and the like, are destined to 

 lose much of their value from this new de- 

 velopment. But there are inconveniences 

 in the use of these agents that will to a cer- 

 tain degree compensate for the advantages 

 their possessors will enjoy. Strategy will 

 be affected by the application, because it will 

 be possible to carry out great movements 

 with less regard to the influence of for- 

 tresses than was formerly necessary. But 

 the difficulties involved in the constant re- 

 placement of material will also seriously af- 

 fect the system of supply of armies in the 

 field. The change in tactics will tend to 

 favor offense rather than defense. To the 

 amended original article of the Britannica 

 are added an essay on Military Literature — 

 a subject which is declared to occupy a field 

 almost unknown to most English readers — 

 and a list of books " of which it may be 

 useful to know the correct titles." 



The little book, Stumhllng-stones removed 

 from the Word of God (Baker k Taylor Co.), 

 is addressed by its author, the Rev. Arthur 

 T. Pierson, not so much to those who accuse 

 and assault the Scriptures as to believers. 

 It is acknowledged that " even the most 

 candid and reverent believer finds in the 

 English Bible some difficulties or hindrances 

 in the way of his understanding, if not of 

 his faith." But, assuming that the error in 

 this case lies in what he mistakes for the 

 truth, as a mirage is mistaken for reality, 

 or in his own vision, the true believer is 

 advised that he " runs no risk in calmly and 

 resolutely examining into any alleged diffi- 

 culty or discrepancy in the Bible. If one 

 encounters a supposed ghost on a dark 

 night, the best way is to walk up to it and 

 look it squarely in the face. To flee from a 

 supposed apparition may leave a lingering 

 doubt whether the ghostly illusion was a 

 reality or not : a bold touch would have dis- 

 pelled both the illusion and the doubt." 



An edition of Eight Books of CcEsar''s 

 Gallic War is published by the American 

 Book Company, undgr the editorial care of 

 Dr. William Ravaey Harper and Dr. Herbert 

 Curling Tolman. Regarding Cesar's Latin 

 as not excelled by that of any Roman 

 writer in richness and purity, and therefore 



as of that which most deserves to be studied, 

 the editors have endeavored in this edition 

 to present the facts of the language and 

 illustrate the subject in a manner different 

 from the traditional method. Among the 

 new features of the edition are the indica- 

 tion of the first occurrence of every word 

 by putting it in full-faced type ; the inser- 

 tion of " topics for study," based upon the 

 portion read, after the several chapters ; 

 examples of inductive studies and list of 

 topics for investigation ; and others touch- 

 ing points of less prominent importance. A 

 life of Caesar, history of Gaul, Germany, 

 and Britain, and a sketch of the method of 

 Roman warfare, are given in the introduc- 

 tion in continuous narrative. 



TJie Quarterly Register of Current His- 

 tory is a new pubUcation, the purpose of 

 which is to collect, arrange, and preserve 

 notices of all current events of importance, 

 as they are given in the newspapers, for fu- 

 ture reference and information. Such mat- 

 ter is of the very kind that every one who 

 would keep himself informed of current 

 events would desire most to have at hand ; 

 and yet it is just this kind of knowledge 

 that, immediately its day is over and the 

 newspaper containing it is thrown away, is 

 soonest and most irrecoverably lost. The 

 Quarterly Register is intended to remedy 

 this evil and supply the want. The first 

 number contains a review of the whole year 

 1890. The succeeding numbers will give 

 simply quarterly records. Evening News 

 Association, Detroit, Mich. Price, $1 a year. 



Geografia per Tutti (Geography for All) 

 is the name of a fortnightly journal for 

 the diffusion of geographical knowledge, 

 published at Bergamo, Italy, by the Brothers 

 Cattaneo, under the editorial direction of 

 Prof. A. Ghisleri. It is a popular journal, 

 intended to reach the entire reading public 

 and keep them abreast of the latest discov- 

 eries. Among the articles in the opening 

 number are some bearing on the interests of 

 Italians in America, as that on New Orleans 

 and the Italian Emigration, and one by Elisee 

 Reclus on the Delta of the Mississippi. 

 Sketches and portraits are also given of the 

 famous Italian travelers, Gaetano Casati and 

 Romolo Gessi. 



A Journal of Amei-ican Archeeology and 

 Ethnology^ edited by J. Walter Fewkes, and 



