REVIEWS — DR LANKESTEr's LECTURES. 359 



the present system of working by the rule of thumb, an enormous 

 waste of energy and labour is daily taking place, which, if properly 

 economised according to natural laws, would produce an exuberance of 

 comfort, and even luxury, where now only squalor and suffering pre- 

 sent themselves. The knowledge of natural laws is the first great 

 condition of man's existence and advancement. It is in vain for him 

 to cultivate the dead literature of the past if he is negligent of the 

 overflowing life of the present. He lives in the presence of forces 

 which, if he does not master them and make them his servants, will 

 master him, and he will be their slave. Nor is it the culture of art 

 that will save him from the terrible presence of the powers that every 

 where threaten his existence. His palace, however beautiful, must be 

 built in accordance with the laws of gravitation ; the material of his 

 most cherished forms of beauty must be constructed in accordance 

 with chemical laws ; his actions, however graceful, must be made in 

 accordance with physiological laws, or the whole must perish. It is 

 for us in these times to cherish, as the most precious gifts of Provi- 

 dence, those discoveries of genius in the domain of natural science 

 which distinguish the civilization of our age. In those discoveries 

 we have the key to unlock the great secrets by which our existence is 

 bound up with the laws of the universe. It is just as we study these 

 laws and apply them to the varied purposes of our life, that we shall 

 be able to lead that existence which is the highest dignity of man, and 

 realize those blessings which a knowledge of that which is true can 

 alone confer." 



We might make many extracts from this volume, but as it is a 

 readable book which ought to be generally read, we abstain, desiring 

 to send many to the work itself. We allow ourselves, however, to 

 copy one passage, the merriment of which forcibly brings back to our 

 minds pleasant hours passed with the author and the distinguished 

 friend, prematurely, alas ! called away from us, to whom he refers ; 

 and none knew better than these men how to unite merriment with 

 wisdom and knowledge : — 



" Another bivalve sometimes eaten by the inhabitants of our coast 

 is the Razor-fish (Solen maximus.) This creature would be interest- 

 ing enough to us if it were not eaten, on account of its long, slightly- 

 curved and truncated shells, which resemble the blade of a razor. It 

 is not uncommon on our sandy shores, where it lives buried in the 

 sand. It is not difficult to find, as above the spot into which it has 



