LITERARY NOTICES. 



415 



the present age was a tendency to idio- 

 cy, which he defined as a condition in 

 which mere sensations dominate and 

 suppress mental activity ; or, in other 

 words, a life of excessive objectivity and 

 defective subjectivity insanity, accord- 

 ing to him, being the exactly opposite 

 condition. If The Nation is right in 

 its diagnosis of present day tendencies, 

 Comte was not very far wrong ; and as 

 that journal is certainly right in part, 

 the question arises, What are we going 

 to do about it ? The first thing to do is 

 clearly to recognize the nature. and pro- 

 portions of the evil. Illustrations in 

 books and papers are useful when they 

 either serve an aesthetic purpose or con- 

 vey information of value which could 

 not otherwise be as effectively con- 

 veyed. In scientific works they are, of 

 course, indispensable. On the other 

 hand, they do harm and not good when 

 they minister to simple intellectual in- 

 dolence, or help to gratify an aimless 

 and idle curiosity. We are inclined to 

 think that in children's books, even 

 good illustrations (from an artistic point 

 of view) may have the specific disadvan- 

 tageous result of checking the exercise 

 of imagination. The mind in childhood 

 can make its own pictures, and will do so 

 if nobody steps in with a picture ready 

 made. With pictures illustrating every 

 phase and turn of a story, there is little 

 left for imagination to do and the fac- 

 ulty is apt to remain undeveloped for 

 want of exercise. And an undeveloped 

 imagination means an undeveloped, or 

 at least ill-developed, individuality. 

 There has been, we believe, a great 

 deal of misunderstanding on this point 

 in the past. It has been assumed that 

 the more pictures children could be 

 shown the more their minds would be 

 stimulated ; but, for the reason stated 

 we believe this to be a great mistake. 

 We can not further discuss the subject 

 to-day, but it is manifestly one of much 

 importance for old and young. Idiocy, or 

 anything approaching to it, is not a con- 

 dition of mind to be lightly cultivated. 



THE "SAVAGERY" OF BELIEVING IN 

 GHOSTS. 



IT is a good rule that a scientific 

 writer, before castigating the expres- 

 sions of another, should acquire a right 

 comprehension of what is meant by 

 them. The Popular Science News seems 

 to have forgotten this rule. Referring 

 to our article in the March number on 

 The Everlasting Ghost, that periodical 

 says that, just like "any superstitious 

 savage," we had assumed that the ap- 

 pearances described by the Rev. Mr. 

 Haweis as having developed themselves 

 on certain photographic plates were 

 "ghost photographs." If our contem- 

 porary had read the papers in the case 

 more carefully Mr. Haweis's article, 

 for instance, or even only the heading 

 of it, or had even read our article with 

 closer attention to its bearing it would 

 have observed that the precise thing we 

 were ridiculing was the assumption that 

 the appearances on the plate were 

 "ghost photographs," and would then 

 have been able to direct its shafts to- 

 ward the right quarter. We do not 

 underrate the value of research in this 

 domain, or in any part of the field of 

 unexplained phenomena styled psychi- 

 cal; but we do condemn the spirit that 

 enters upon the investigation occupied 

 with the idea that a certain thing as, 

 for example, the ghosts in this case is 

 to be found. The savagery in the pres- 

 ent instance, if there be any, appears to 

 be illustrated in the uncontrolled impul- 

 siveness that prompted an attack where 

 there was no offense. 



LITERARY NOTICES. 



EDUCATION FROM A NATIONAL STANDPOINT. 

 By ALFRED FOUILLEE. International Edu- 

 cation Series. Vol. XXIII. New York : 

 D. Appleton & Co. Pp. 332. Price, 

 $1.60. 



VIVE la r6publique ! the welfare of the 

 nation is the keynote of this book. Edu- 

 cators who would have a complete and well- 

 balanced understanding of their own field 

 should not omit to study the relation of edu- 



