270 
NATURE 
[JuLy 20, 1899 
reader than long descriptions and strings of technical 
terms. 
In the main the book may be regarded as the best 
introduction yet available for the beginner who wishes to 
gain a general knowledge of anthropology and its results 
as applied to the study of the barbarous and more prim- 
itive races of the world. The book is not intended as 
a guide to the literature of the subject, nor as a work of 
reference for every specialist in his own department of 
the science, but is throughout addressed to the general 
reader. With this aim in view, Prof. Ratzel has dis- 
encumbered his pages of all foot notes and references to 
authorities, and ‘has applied himself to giving, as far as 
possible, a sketch of results without overloading any 
portion of his work with the discussion of technical or 
unnecessary detail. In so doing, the author has been 
well advised, for not otherwise could his outline have 
approached completeness within the limits to which it was 
necessarily restricted. 
Prof. Ratzel has treated his subject in five sections 
or books, the first of which is introductory, while the 
others roughly correspond to the principal ethnological 
divisions of the human race. In Book i. he has givena 
very clear sketch of the principles of ethnography, de- 
scribing the distribution and general aspects of mankind, 
the rise of civilisation, and the development of language, 
religion, science and art, and family and social customs. 
The next three books describe the more important un- 
developed races of the present day. Thus Book i. deals 
with the American Pacific group of races, under which 
heading are included the races of Oceania, the Aus- 
tralians, the Malays and Malagasies, the American 
tribes, including the ancient civilised races of America, 
and the Arctic races of the Old World. Book iii. is de- 
voted to the light stocks of South and Central Africa, 
such as the Bushmen, the Hottentots and dwarf races, 
while Book iv. deals with the Negro races found 
throughout Africa. Book v., the last section of the 
volume, gives a general sketch of the cultured races of 
the Old World. This brief summary of the contents of 
the volumes will serve to indicate the very comprehensive 
character of this history of mankind. The treatment of 
some of the sections of the book might perhaps have 
been a little fuller with advantage, but, even in sixteen 
‘hundred pages, considerable condensation was obviously 
necessary ; and with so trustworthy a guide as Prof. 
Ratzel the reader need not fear that any essential facts 
have been inadvertently overlooked. A special word of 
praise should be given to Mr. Butler, not only for the 
excellence of his translation, but also for the care with 
which he has verified and corrected the descriptions of 
the numerous illustrations in the text. 
OUR BOOK SHELF. 
A. Theory of Reality. By Prof. George Trumbull Ladd. 
Pp. xv + 556. (London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 
1899.) 
PROF. TRUMBULL Lapp’s “ Theory of Reality,” though 
intelligible in isolation, is a sequel to his “ Philosophy of 
Knowledge” published in 1897, and a link in a chain of 
development beginning so far back as 1887. The Yale 
professor makes severe demands upon his public. His 
voluminous and discursive activity has now produced its 
NO. 1551, VOL. 60| 
fifth harvest, and we take it that there is at least a sixth 
to come. A certain condensation, therefore, and the 
taking of some things, e.g. the propriety of metaphysics, 
for granted, would not be out of place. Whatever be 
the case with the category of time, the reader’s time is 
not unlimited. As compared, howev er, with its imme- 
diate forerunner, the irrelevance and repetition in the 
present work are only relative. And the review of his 
intellectual progress, with which the book closes, accounts 
in a not uninteresting way for his tiresome method of 
exposition, 
Prof. Ladd’s theory, which is avowedly speculative, 
may be described as a Realism of Spirit. It takes its 
starting-point from self-felt activity, finds “trans-sub- 
jective” elements involved in every cognition, and pro- 
jects upon these by way of analogy the notion that they, 
too, are real centres of self-activity. ‘‘ Things are known 
as imperfect and inferior selves.” ‘‘ The inner reality of 
all beings is spirit.” “The transcendental reality of 
time is the all-comprehending life of an absolute self.” 
“Viewed in its ontological aspect, all the growth of man’s 
cognitive experience reveals the being of the world asa 
unity of force, that is constantly distributing itself 
amongst the different beings of the world so as to bestow 
on them a temporary gwasz-independence, while always 
keeping them in dependent inter-relations, for the real- 
isation of its own immanent ideas.” This is not idealism, 
though in its affirmation of spiritual unity it steals the 
idealist’s thunder. The nature of our knowledge of self 
and of the dynamical character of its agency necessitates 
realism ; though, on the other hand, because connection 
according to some law must be predicable of reality, we 
are able, in the most satisfactory chapter of the book, to 
consider reality as an actual harmony of categories. 
The interdependence, and neither independence nor 
dependence, of the categories is admirably treated, and 
Prof. Ladd discusses each in turn. He has in general 
(Pref., p. ix.) submitted the chapters which come into 
closest relations with the physical sciences to expert 
friends and colleagues. The treatment, however, of 
matter and ether as separate kinds of entity, though 
it may follow from his scientific definition of matter, 
presents difficulty to the metaphysical reader. Is ether 
then immaterial? The explanations of pp. 447-448 
only partially solve the knot. Nor is it possible to agree 
with the symbolisation of time as a continuous flow of 7 
infinites, and of space as in each moment an infinite 
content which equals and is known to equal 2 terms 
(p. 250). Prof. Ladd’s point is, of course, to express the 
infinite simultaneous, but his symbols are misapplied. 
H. W. B: 
Great and Small Game of Africa; an Account of the 
Distribution, Habits, and Natural History of the 
Sporting Mammals, with Personal Hunting Expert- 
ences. Edited by H. A. Bryden. “Pp. xx + 612; 
illustrated. (London: Rowland Ward, Ltd., 1899.) 
THIS magnificent volume is a unique work on the subject 
of which it treats; the greater part of the text being 
written by well-known African sportsmen (among whom 
Mr. F. C. Selous occupies a prominent position), while 
a naturalist is responsible for the classification, nomen- 
clature, and the leading distinctive features of the main 
groups. It is thus written throughout as the result of 
actual experience, and accordingly possesses a value far 
above the ordinary type of natural histories. Although 
mainly written for sportsmen, the professional zoologist 
cannot fail to find much matter bearing upon his own 
studies ; and the African sportsman should no longer 
have any difficulty in identifying any of the species 
(unless they be new) which may fall to his rifle. The 
coloured illustrations, which for the most part are re- 
stricted to figures of the heads of the various species, are 
all that can be desired, both from an artistic and a zoo- 
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