190 



♦ KNOWLEDGE ♦ 



[Sept. 21, 1883. 



planets in producing earthquakes. The latter, Captain 

 Delaunay, made a happy hit in j)redicting a great terres- 

 trial disturbance within two days of the time of the Javan 

 earthquake. But a dozen such coincidences would not 

 establish a theory so preposterous. As M. Faye said, 

 commenting on Captain Delaunay's ideas, nothing is more 

 certain in science than that the influence of the planets on 

 terrestrial phenomena is iiiL 



OUR AMERICAN COUSINS.* 



WE have read many books about America, books 

 meant to be brilliant, witty, humorous, profound, 

 entertaining, and so forth ; some meant to exhibit 

 Americans as they are, others written to teach the 

 Americans what they should be ; books laudatory, and 

 books scathing in denunciation. Here is a book which 

 treats a subject one might suppose to be well worn, yet 

 as full of freshness as though no one had ever yet written 

 about America. There is no effort at effect, yet the 

 account is thoroughly effective. We find here what a 

 thoughtful Englishman, kindly but honest and just, 

 has to say of that great nation which has grown on 

 the other side of the Atlantic from European and 

 chiefly from British blood. Mr. Adams has done 

 thoroughly well what he sought to do, he has " presented a 

 fair and accurate picture of so much of American life 

 and American manners as came within his own observa- 

 tion." That there is much more of praise than of dis- 

 approval in this book proves the fairness of the writer ; 

 for no honest and intelligent Englishman can visit the 

 United States without being impressed by the fact 

 that in many most important matters, and espe- 

 cially in those which touch the dignity of manhood, 

 the conditions there are more favourable than on this 

 side of the Atlantic. But in his admiration for what is 

 good Mr. Adams does not lose siglit of less favourable con- 

 ditions. He speaks plainly of what undoubtedly is the 

 " rock ahead " for America, the readiness of Americans to 

 suffer the control of aflkirs, — national government, state 

 legislature, and civic administration, alike, — to be in the 

 hands not of the best men, but of men who often are among 

 the worst in the land. Because greedy and unprincipled 

 men have grasped at power and wealth, the best men 

 in America withdraw from politics, showing not true 

 disinterestedness (though they are disinterested) but want 

 of due interest in the welfare of city, State, and nation. 

 Mr. Adams notes justly too one important cause of this — 

 to wit, the unmeasured abuse poured by party papers in 

 America (and what papers in America are not party 

 papers 1) on every candidate for ofiice. With the certainty 

 that however pure his motives, honest his zeal, and earnest 

 his labours for his country's good, he will be abused by 

 some if not most of the organs of public opinion as a 

 scoundrel and a villain, the most patriotic American is 

 apt to be deterred from the thought of giving his services 

 to his country. The evil is deep-seated and affects the 

 very life-blood of the nation. 



We can say emphatically and truthfully of Mr. Adams's 

 book that it is by far the best work of its kind we have yet 

 seen. Reading it will correct many false impressions 

 which Englishmen entertain respecting the great nation 



* " Otit American Cousins " : being Personal Impressions of the 

 People and Institutions of the United States. By W. E. Adams. 

 (Walter Scott : London). 



which their cousins have formed on the other side of the 

 Atlantic. We do not agree with all that Mr. Adams says. 

 (For instance, liis love of freedom which we fully share, 

 leads him to overlook, as it seems to us, the wrongdoings 

 of those through whose action but against whose original 

 intention, slavery was done away with.) But even his 

 mistakes, or what appear to us as such, approve his fairness 

 and justice. He presents throughout the facts as he sees 

 them, and his insight is keen and true. 



From this small and cheap work more may be learned 

 about the real character of America and the Americans 

 than from any book we have seen. We may add that the 

 substance of Mr. Adams's book appeared originally in a 

 series of articles contributed to that excellent weekly paper, 

 the Newcastle Weekly Chronicle. 



r^z.~.:r 





" Let Knowledge gi'ow from more to more." — Alfred Tennyson. 



Only a small proportion of Letters received can possibly he in- 

 serted. Corresponde'its must not be offended, therefore, should their 

 letters not appear. 



All Editorial commtmications should be addressed to the Editor of 

 Knowledge; all Bnsiness cormnunications to the Pcblishers, at the 

 Office, 74, Great Queen-street, W.C. If Tras is not attended to 



DELAYS ARISE FOR WHICH THE EDITOR IS NOT RESPONSIBLE. 



All Remittances, Cheques, and Post Office Orders should be made 

 payable to Messrs. Wyman & Sons. 



The Editor is not responsible for the opinions of correspondents. 



No COMMUNICATIONS ARE ANSWERED BY POST, EVEN THOUGH STAMPED 

 AND DIRECTED ENVELOPE BE ENCLOSED. 



VISUAL PHENOMENON; COLOUES OF FLOWERS; 

 ERRATUM. 



[934] — The phenomenon seen by ilr. Leonard Brown (letter 906) 

 has been investigated by Mr. John Aitken, of Darroch, Falkirk. 

 An account of his experiments will be found in the Journal of 

 Anatomy and Physiology, for 1S78 I believe; but as I have mislaid 

 the author's copy which he kindly sent me, I am not sure as to 

 date. No doubt, however, a letter on this subject sent by Mr. 

 Brown to the above address would be courteously replied to. 



For an experimental investigation of the colours of flowers, Mr. 

 G. G. Hardingham may be referred to Dr. Sorby's paper on " Com- 

 parative (Vegetable Chromatology " ("Proceedings of the Royal 

 Society," No. 14G, Vol. XXL, 1873). The paper is 41 pp. long, and 

 cannot, therefore, be condensed into a paragi-aph. He confines his 

 observations for the most part to colouring matters obtained from 

 the leaves of the higher or the fronds of the lower classes of plants. 

 I think, however, that Dr. Sorby would not undertake to say 

 hoi" colour is formed in flowers, inasmuch as he winds up his 

 paper with this remark, "The stoi-ing up of the energy of the sun's 

 rays in the various compounds formed by plants is probably so 

 intimately connected with the optical and chemical properties of 

 some of their coloured constituents, that the further extension of 

 such inquiries as I have described may possibly assist in clearing 

 up this very difficult and yet most important problem." 



(On page 155, second column, line 5, for " ires" read " irises.") 



William Ackroyd. 



W^\JtT-CHARMING. 



[935] — Apart from any superstitious credulity, I beg I may be 

 allowed to entirely upset the " simple explanation" of "Mephisto" 

 regarding Wart-Charming. An old gardener lived many years 

 in our family. He was unlettered, but might be called " one of 

 Nature's gentlemen." He was gifted with great imagination, and 

 often, as children, we would listen with intense delight to him. He 

 possessed the power of wart-charming. [Would one not rather say 

 the power of impressing the minds of the warty ones ? — R. P.] 

 Brothers from school often applied to him for help in the cure of 



