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THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



istry. Instead of presenting a large number 

 of facts, and thus overburdening the stu- 

 dent's mind, I have presented a smaller 

 number than is usual in elementary courses 

 in chemistry ; but I have been careful to 

 select for treatment such substances and 

 such phenomena as seemed to me best suited 

 to give an insight into the nature of chemi- 

 cal action. Usually the mind is not allowed 

 to dwell for any length of time upon any 

 one thing, and thus to become really ac- 

 quainted with it, but is hurried on and is 

 soon bewildered in the effort to comprehend 

 what is presented. I can not but believe 

 that it is much better to dwell longer on a 

 few subjects, provided these subjects are 

 properly selected. 



" The charge is frequently made that 

 our elementary text-books on chemistry are 

 not scieniijic, that is to say, that not enough 

 stress is laid upon the relations which exist 

 between the phenomena considered — the 

 treatment is not systematic. The student 

 is taught a little about oxygen, a little about 

 hydrogen, a little about nitrogen, etc. ; and 

 then a little about potassium, a little about 

 C'llcium, etc., and he is left simply to won- 

 der whether there is any connection between 

 the numerous facts offered for study. It 

 must be acknowledged that there are serious 

 dilRcuIties in the way of a purely scientific 

 treatment of chemistry, but I think that it 

 is quite possible to treat the subject more 

 scientifically than is customary, and thus to 

 make it easier of comprehension to the stu- 

 dent. I have made an cfTort in this direc- 

 tion in the book here offered to the public." 



Professor llemsen's remark about the 

 difiiculty in the way of a purely scientific 

 treatment of chemistry here applies, as we 

 suppose, to the difficulty of presenting it to 

 beginners in the study, and is, of course, 

 true; but we have considerable doubt 

 whether the difficulty is to be met by any 

 attempt to make the work of the beginner 

 more scientific. From the quality of his 

 book we must infer that Professor Remsen's 

 " beginner " is a pupil advanced to consid- 

 erable maturity of mind, sufficient to deal 

 with conceptions of some complexity and 

 comprehensiveness. It is assumed that he 

 enters the laboratory, goes to work himself, 

 and has such strength of thought that a few 

 examples would be sufl[icicnt to familiarize 



him with the established interpretations and 

 principles of the science. But the real 

 " difficulty " in the case, we think, is, that a 

 stage of mental growth has been jumped 

 when more elementary conceptions of the 

 subject could have been assimilated, and 

 some preparation afforded for that scientific 

 treatment upon which the professor pro- 

 poses to enter. The child is, in reality, 

 already familiar with many chemical phe- 

 nomena, as facts of observation and experi- 

 ence, although he does not know that they 

 are chemistry. The more rational method 

 seems to us to begin considerally further 

 back, and occupy the pupil at first with a 

 range of simpler observations and experi- 

 ments that shall acquaint him to a certain 

 degree with the properties of substances 

 and their simpler reactions, without attempt- 

 ing to grasp principles that can be better 

 handled at a later stage. This would imply, 

 of course, a grading of the subject, and an 

 introduction to it as a part of primary edu- 

 cation. 



Class-Interests: Their Relations to Each 

 Other and to Government. A Study of 

 Wrongs and Remedies to ascertain what 

 the People should do for Themselves. 

 By the author of " Conflict in Nature 

 and Life " and " Reforms : their Difficul- 

 ties and Possibilities." New York : D. 

 Appleton & Co. Pp. 172. Price, $1. 



However we may regard the conclusions 

 of the anonymous author of the present 

 book, one thing is to be said in his favor — 

 his views have only been reached by deliber- 

 ate and comprehensive study. His volume 

 is, at any rate, not to be classed with those 

 products of hasty speculation on social sub- 

 jects which are now so abundant. He be- 

 gan well at the beginning of philosophical 

 inquiry, by writing an original volume on 

 those necessary conflicts and antagonisms 

 in nature and life which put limits to what 

 can be accomplished in the various spheres 

 of action in which men are engaged. It 

 was a most wholesome and needed investi- 

 gation, and that it excited so little atten- 

 tion and interest is painful evidence of that 

 shallowness of thought and foolish extrava- 

 gance of expectation with which political 

 and social subjects are treated in Legisla- 

 tures and by the press. The author's book 

 on " Reforms : their DilBcultics and Possi- 



