Hollick: An Interesting Old Publication ioi 



Of immediate interest to the Association is a half column 

 review of Durant's Algology, on page 88 of the issue of Feb- 

 ruary 1 85 1, of which unique work we are the fortunate pos- 

 sessors of a copy.^ The reviewer comments on "the immense 

 application required to produce such a work in perfection " and 

 concludes that this " necessarily limits the edition to a very small 

 number, most of which will, doubtless, be absorbed by the scien- 

 tific institutions of the country." 



At this period in our national life political and religious feel- 

 ings were intense and the resulting discussions and controversies 

 were exceedingly bitter. Every issue of the magazine contains 

 something of this character, dealing with secession, slavery, the 

 restriction or extension of suffrage, the " free soil " issue, the 

 influence of the Roman Catholic Church in political and school 

 affairs, Avomen's rights, spiritualism, etc., and anyone who may 

 wish to obtain interesting sidelights on the events, the passions 

 and the tendencies of those turbulent times can find them in 

 abundance in both the magazine articles and the editorial columns. 



In discussing New York City politics mention is made of " the 

 Society of Saint Tammany, a society formed originally, upon 

 principles similar to those of the Order of United Americans. 

 The old Constitution of the Tammany Society forbade the admis- 

 sion of foreigners to its council fires. . . . Foreigners have not 

 only entered the wigwam, but they have been made sachems, and 

 presided over its councils. . . . There are strange faces in the 

 Lodge and the brethren are scattered afar. The glory of the old 

 wigwam is departed." 



In the issue of March 185 1, is an editorial on Free Schools 

 from which the following is abstracted : " It is well known that, 

 by a law of the Legislature of New York, the People of the 

 State were called upon, at the last Election, to declare, through 

 the ballot-box, whether or not they wished to continue the system 

 of Free Education then existing ... a triumphant majority of 



3 See A Quaint Old Work on Seaweeds, Proc. Staten Is. Assoc. 5 : 

 85-91. Oct. 1914-May 1915. 



