186 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. IX. No. 214. 



all other authors combined. Whether this is 

 vanity, or simply because he does not read the 

 works of others, may be left an open question. 

 An author who omits references to what his 

 predecessors have accomplished should be read 

 with constant suspicion and distrust. 



THE MANGYANS OF MINDOEO. 



Those who have read Professor D. C. Wor- 

 cester's account of the Mangyans of the Island 

 of Mindoro, in the Philippines, which he con- 

 tributed to the National OeograpMc Magazine 

 (1898, No. 6), must have finished his article 

 with the impression that these were about the 

 lowest savages belonging to the human species. 



Professor Worcester, however, does not men- 

 tion the remarkable and redeeming fact that 

 these people are literary ; that they have and 

 have had, so long as they have been known, a 

 phonetic alj^habet and written records. I have 

 a copy of a document in this alphabet before me, 

 given in the appendix to Paterno's work, 'Los 

 Itas ' (Madrid, 1890) ; and in 1895 Dr. Foy pub- 

 lished a study of it, with numerous examples, 

 in the ' Abhaudlungen ' of the Ethnographic 

 Museum of Dresden. A brief article on the 

 subject, by the eminent specialist, Professor 

 Blumentritt, may be found in Globus, March, 

 1896 (No. 11). We cannot place such a people 

 in the status of savagery. 



THE JEW AND THE GYPSY. 



Under the above promising title, Mr. W. H. 

 Wilkins edits a volume of the literary remains 

 of Sir Richard F. Burton (H. F. Stone & Co., 

 Chicago). Nearly 300 pages are devoted to 

 these two wandering peoples. The reader who 

 expects new and entertaining facts from Bur- 

 ton's wide experience will be disappointed. The 

 essay on the Jew contains nothing that has not 

 appeared elsewhere, and that on the Gypsy is 

 largely taken up with an ancient and barren 

 controversy. The only portion of the former 

 article which contained original observations 

 the editor thought fit to suppress. 



Burton's work in ethnology, though varied 

 and abundant, was superficial and prejudiced. 

 He was not thorough, and his enthusiasm, for 

 and against, led him repeatedly to adopt and 

 defend untenable opinions. Probably the most 



carefully studied work of his life was that which 

 his widow burned immediately after his death. 

 D. G. Brinton. 

 University of Pennsylvania. 



AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION IN RUSSIA. 



The forthcoming number of the Experiment 

 Station Record describes the plans of the gov- 

 ernment of Russia for the establishment of a 

 system of agricultural education. At a recent 

 meeting of the Agricultural Council, an ad- 

 visory body, of which the Minister of Agricul- 

 ture is Chairman, an outline presented by the 

 Minister was considered at length and a general 

 plan of agricultural education was elaborated. 

 The introductory to this document states that 

 notwithstanding the fundamental importance of 

 agriculture to Russia and the great fertility of 

 some of the Russian soils, " the crops obtained 

 even on the black soil are only one- third to 

 one-half as large as those harvested from the 

 incomparably inferior soils of western Europe. 

 Almost everywhere in Russia the primitive 

 processes of farming are persistently followed 

 by the farmers, while the number of persons 

 who are fitted by education and training to dis- 

 seminate information on the rational methods 

 of agriculture is comparatively insignificant." 

 The scheme is outlined for (1) higher education, 

 furnished by independent agricultural institutes 

 located in the chief agricultural zones of Russia, 

 and by chairs of agriculture and allied sciences 

 in the universities; (2) agricultural high schools, 

 which are in the nature of technical schools 

 and schools with courses in agriculture ; (3) 

 lower agricultural schools ; and (4) the diffusion 

 of general agricultural information. The schools 

 for the so-called lower education include (a) 

 secondary agricultural schools, (&) primary 

 agricultural schools, (c) agricultural classes, and 

 (d) practical agricultural courses. These lower 

 .schools are to be under the jurisdiction of the 

 Minister of Agricultural and Impei-ial Domains. 

 They are to be maintained at the expense of 

 municipalities, local communities, associations, 

 etc., but may receive a part of their support 

 from the government. They are to have the 

 franking privilege for ofiicial mail matter and 

 packages not exceeding 36 pounds in weight. 

 The secondary schools are to be established on 



