136 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY, 



II is on "Conversation,^' and, besides di- 

 rections for attaining the purposes of con- 

 versation, includes chapters which treat of 

 elocution, etiquette, and the minor morali- 

 ties of the subject. Under "Letter-Writ- 

 ing " letters are treated in the classes " of 

 Friendship, of Courtesy, of Business, to 

 Newspapers"; bad penmanship and allied 

 sins are touched upon, and chapters on 

 " Narration," " Description," and " Punctua- 

 tion" are added. Then follow three forms 

 of discourse, which, as the author remarks, 

 need not be practiced by all persons. The 

 chapters under " The Essay " treat of the 

 subjects to which rhetorics generally are 

 mainly devoted. Under " Oratory " are dis- 

 cussed " Eloquence, Argument, Extempo- 

 raneous Speaking, and Delivery." The 

 treatment of " Figurative Language " is 

 placed under " Poetry," together with a dis- 

 cussion of " What constitutes Poetry ? " and 

 a chapter on " Rhythm." 



Energy in Nature. By Wilxiam Lant Car- 

 penter, B. A., B. Sc, F. C. S., etc. Illus- 

 trated. London, Paris, and New York : 

 Cassell & Co., limited. Pp. 212. Price, 

 $1.25. 



There is a large and growing class of 

 persons, who, while they do not care to 

 make a close study of any special branch 

 of physical science, yet desire to know what 

 additions are being made to the knowledge 

 of those general principles which underlie 

 the phenomena of nature, and who desire 

 also to understand how these principles are 

 applied in the wonderful mechanical con- 

 trivances which they see multiplying about 

 them. To this constituency Professor Car- 

 penter has addressed the present volume, 

 which contains, with some additions, the 

 substance of a course of six lectures upon 

 the "Forces of Nature and their Mutual 

 Relations," delivered under the auspices of 

 the Gilchrist Educational Trust, in the au- 

 tumn of 1881. "The book maybe short- 

 ly described," says the author, " as an en- 

 deavor to expound in popular yet accurate 

 language the meaning and consequences of 

 that important principle known as the con- 

 servation of energy. Considerable pains, 

 however, have been taken, especially in 

 dealing with electricity, to illustrate and ex- 

 plain the very latest developments of the 

 subjects treated in the text, since the trans- 



formation of mechanical into electrical en- 

 nergy by the dynamo-machine is a remarka- 

 bly good example of the general principle." 

 The illustrations used in presenting the sub- 

 ject are generally " matters of common ex- 

 perience," and hence many interesting ex- 

 planations have found their way into the 

 volume. 



A Defense of Modern Thought : In Reply 

 to a Recent Pamphlet by the Bishop of 

 Ontario on "Agnosticism." By Will- 

 iam D. Le Sueur, B. A. Toronto : Hun- 

 ter, Rose & Co. Pp. 40. Price, 15 cents. 



We printed a portion of this masterly 

 pamphlet last month, and the interest it 

 has excited on the part of many to see the 

 whole of the argument makes desirable this 

 further reference to it. Everybody should 

 be obliged to the lord bishop for having 

 printed his discourse, not because of any 

 value it had in itself, but because of the 

 ability of the reply it elicited. Mr. Le 

 Sueur's exposition needs no praise, but we 

 applaud his fidelity to duty in so effectually 

 exposing the weakness of the bishop's case, 

 and then in printing the criticism at his own 

 expense, as probably the publishers thought 

 it would be no speculation for them. Let 

 every one who was gratified with the frag- 

 ment we furnished, and interested to see the 

 remainder, send a dollar to the publishers to 

 get as many of the pamphlet as it will bring. 

 Extra copies will be excellent to give away. 



A Plea for the Cure of Rupture. By Jo- 

 seph H. Warren, A, M., M. D. Boston : 

 James R. Osgood & Co. Pp. 117, with 

 Plates. Price, parchment, $1. 



The essay which gives the title to this 

 book — " A Plea for Operative Measures for 

 the Relief and Cure of Hernia " — was a pa- 

 per read before the meeting at Liverpool of 

 the British Medical Association, and is pub- 

 lished, with very slight alterations, as it ori- 

 ginally appeared in the Association's jour- 

 nal. A chapter is given on tissue-repair, 

 with a brief summary of the application and 

 operation of the method of subcutaneous 

 injection. An account of the new conform.' 

 ateur for showing the contour of hernia, etc., 

 a paper on the causation of hernia, and a 

 paper on the proper fitting and wearing of 

 trusses, etc., have been contributed by fel- 

 low-physicians of the author. 



