16 THE MICKOSCOPE. [January, 



RECENT PUBLICATIONS. 



Domestic Science. — By James E. Talmage, Ph. D., Salt Lake 

 City, Utah. Pp. 331. 93 cuts. 



The perusal of this little hand-book, which the author says that he 

 has designed for a school textbook as well as for general reading, 

 has interested us very much. The author, who is a chemist, and 

 well posted in physiology and physics, has treated some practical 

 subjects of everv-day life in a way to interest and instruct the 

 young people of Utah. The policy of putting scientific truth into 

 plain and simple language has been adhered to by Dr. Talmage 

 without marring the dignity of science. The young people from 

 thirteen to seventeen years of age who are not fortunate enough 

 to go to college will derive very great and practical benefit for 

 the duties of life by the study of such a book. This will appear 

 from the following partial enumeration of topics : Air. ventilation, 

 heating, lighting, the character and uses of water, the nature of 

 food, and the chemistry of cooking, cleansing agents, poisons and 

 their antidotes. The author has not in all cases put forward the 

 latest claims of investigators on these topics, but has contented him- 

 self with setting forth the well-established facts. . 



The book was designed for strictly sectarian use. The author- 

 ities of the Church of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as the 

 Mormon Church, have endorsed the book as being ''imbued 

 throughout with the spirit of our religion." We are glad to say, 

 however, that the book is not very seriously tinctured with re- 

 ligion. The rainbow is declared to be "• the seal of the covenant 

 of the Creator with his children." The Great Creator, the All- 

 seeing One, God's laws, etc., are alluded to repeatedly, but with- 

 out sectarian bias. The book of Mormon is cited to substantiate 

 the author's declaration that animal food can be used to excess, 

 while strict vegetarianism is equally unphysiological. To our 

 mind the book would lose nothing and gain much by the omis- 

 sion of these few religious touches. A book of science should 

 not be used to inculcate incidentally views of government, sociol- 

 ogy, language or religion. If the author will issue another edi- 

 tion, free from this objection, we shall take greatpleasure in com- 

 mending the book for use in certain schools throughout the entire 

 country ; for the central idea, of bringing within the grasp of all 

 the people the practical and essential truths which science has 

 taught us regarding every-day affairs, cannot be too highly com- 

 mended. If a boy who is about to become a farmer, or a girl 

 who is about to become a mechanic's wife, must choose between 

 knowing grammar, arithmetic, or geography, and the scientific 

 truths of this little book, the latter would be of infinitely more 

 use in making life healthful and happy. If revised, as we have 

 suggested, the index should be made strictly alphabetical. 



