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THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



results of modem science, in bo far as they 

 have given rise to new views of nature and 

 the universe. The first chapter, under the 

 title of " Space," states the striking facts 

 that have been disclosed in later times con- 

 cerning the magnitude and order of celestial 

 phenomena. It tells of the revolution of hu- 

 man ideas, on a great scale, which has been 

 wrought by astronomy. Chapter II takes 

 up the conception of " Time," as disclosed 

 in the revelations of modern geology, and 

 the grand course of changes that have been 

 brought about in vast periods, with a sum- 

 mary of its vital bearings on man's concep- 

 tion of the world. In the next chapter, un- 

 der the title " Matter," an account is given 

 of the constitution of nature in its physical 

 and chemical elements, as shown by the 

 spectroscope and illustrated by the universal 

 law of the conservation of energy and the 

 views that have been arrived at concerning 

 the birth and death of worlds. Mr. Laing 

 then gives a chapter to the subject of 

 "Life," which is descriptive of the views 

 now entertained of its course of develop- 

 ment upon earth, and the biological laws 

 which have been estabUshed in recent times. 

 He next takes up the subject of the " An- 

 tiquity of Man," and gives a very clear state- 

 ment of the evidence, from which it is in- 

 ferred that the human race is far older 

 than was formerly supposed. This^ subject 

 is pursued still further in Chapter VII, on 

 " Man's Place in Nature." The doctrine of 

 evolution is broadly assumed, and man and 

 civilization are treated as its products. In 

 this first portion of his work Mr. Laing un- 

 dertakes no more than to give a popular 

 statement of the great facts and theories 

 on these several subjects, which we owe to 

 science, with no attempt to propound views 

 of his own. His work is excellently done. 

 The presentation is kept in due proportion, 

 is trustworthy, and is very clearly and in- 

 structively written. We know of no other 

 so valuable a summary of what science has 

 accomplished in subverting old opinions, 

 and substituting a new and higher order of 

 knowledge. 



Part II is devoted to " Modem Thought," 

 and here the author takes independent 

 ground, and, ceasing to follow authority, be- 

 comes responsible for his own opinions. His 

 object now is to trace the consequences of 



those great revolutions of ideas which we 

 owe to science, as they affect philosophical 

 and religious opinion and current concep- 

 tions of common and practical life. He main- 

 tains that the great body of traditional 

 thought has been variously but profoundly 

 disturbed by modern scientific enlighten- 

 ment. Especially are old creeds and philoso- 

 phies undermined and shattered by scientific 

 progress, and " the endeavor to show how 

 much of religion can be saved from the ship- 

 wreck of theology has been the main object 

 of the second part " of this work. Supemat- 

 uralism is rejected without reservation, and 

 it is elaborately argued that Christian mira- 

 cles have no better support than the alleged 

 miracles of other religious systems. It is 

 the view of the author that, only as the 

 deeply implanted errors of superstition are 

 eradicated, will it be possible to gain the 

 great advantages to mankind which must 

 ultimately come from the immense modem 

 extensions of scientific truth. Mr. Laing 

 handles these topics with entire freedom, 

 but with great sincerity, and closes his pref- 

 ace by remarking, " I can only say that I 

 have endeavored to treat these subjects in a 

 reverential spirit, and that the conclusions 

 arrived at are the result of a conscientious 

 and dispassionate endeavor to arrive at ' the 

 truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the 

 truth.' " 



Prehistoric Fishing in Europe and North 

 America. By Charles Rau. Washing- 

 ton : The Smithsonian Institution. Pp. 

 342. 



In the debris left by the cave-men of 

 Europe are found small bone implements, 

 pointed at both ends, whose use can not be 

 definitely stated. The Indians of Washing- 

 ton Territory use similar implements for 

 catching fish and birds by tying a line round 

 the middle and baiting them, and this fact 

 suggests that the European implements may 

 have been used as bait-holders in like man- 

 ner. Other relics of the paleolithic fisher- 

 men described by Dr. Rau are barbed har- 

 poon-heads of reindeer-horn and pieces of 

 horn and bone, bearing scratches which, 

 with more or less effort, can be accepted as 

 designed to represent fish and fishing scenes. 

 To the neolithic period belong the relics of 

 the Swiss lake-villages. Among them are 



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