530 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXVII. No. 953 



Science " ; and to students of society by sev- 

 eral publications on heredity and eugenics. 

 In other words, they have proven their right 

 to the present undertaking by substantial con- 

 tributions to at least two distinct fields of re- 

 search. 



It is obvious, of course, that a field so vast 

 can not be covered satisfactorily in a single- 

 volume of moderate size. Accepting this limi- 

 tation as inevitable, and setting aside criti- 

 cisms which, unmindful of it, one might pass 

 readily, it may be said at once that the effort 

 is remarkably successful. Indeed, I am un- 

 acquainted with a better book, particularly in 

 the matter of unexpected suggestiveness 

 (towards the close notably), of equal or briefer 

 compass. I would commend the spirited, 

 sometimes eloquent picture of the medieval 

 mind (pp. 64 f.), the lucid account of Newton 

 (pp. 128 f.), the absorbing tale of the rise of 

 electrical science (pp. 181 f.), the generous 

 tribute to Darwin (pp. 209 f.), and the last 

 chapter (pp. 233 f .) , which is, in itself, enough 

 to justify the book. It is a pleasure to meet 

 devotees of " natural knowledge " who not only 

 can write, but evince sane appreciation of hu- 

 manistic knowledge. 



The blots are few. Here and there, espe- 

 cially in the Introduction and on the last 

 page, the authors permit themselves to be be- 

 trayed into what I take the liberty to call silly 

 remarks about philosophy and metaphysics. 

 Plainly, their Wissenschaft knows not these 

 subjects as Wissenschaft. This is the more 

 striking that, in other contexts, they make 

 most ample amends. I mention this, because 

 it punctuates the contrast between themselves 

 and Dr. Th. Merz, with whom they are likely 

 to be compared. They may feel his catholic- 

 ity, they do not always observe it. 



The race-theory, a result of their sociolog- 

 ical inquiries, which Mr. and Mrs. Whetham 

 apply to their subject, is one of the fascinating 

 features of the book. " Natural knowledge " 

 has been formulated and developed by the 

 races of northwestern Europe. " It is pos- 

 sible that danger to science, as to society, lies 

 ahead. . . . The dominance of the universal 

 proletariat, which some dread and others ac- 



claim — a proletariat not dissimilar in race to 

 the southern rulers of the Roman Church — 

 may threaten in the future the freedom of en- 

 quiry, the fearless exercise of reason, the full 

 development of personality, that form the life- 

 blood of the northern race and its scientific 

 achievement. ... If the same race once more 

 gains ascendancy in northern lands, as, by the 

 differential birth-rate and the downward shift 

 of political power, it seems destined to do, it 

 is difficult to believe that scientific results 

 which threaten its prejudices or are not in ac- 

 cord with its ideals will be respected " (pp. 

 279-80). Darwin was a conspicuous product 

 of the Anglo-Danish and East Anglian folk, 

 who have done most for the progress of sci- 

 ence. And so, Mr. Whetham is able to con- 

 struct a great brief for his own, the East 

 Anglian, university. Nevertheless, I do not 

 see why he should have omitted Macquorn 

 Rankine in reference to the foundation of 

 thermodynamics (p. 179). Nor does his 

 theory, of the mysticism of the northern race, 

 supply the reason why Kelvin " is said to have 

 begun his lectures on physics with the Collect 

 for the day" (p. 158). As a pupil, I may say 

 that Kelvin did so, but because it was the uni- 

 versal custom at Glasgow to open the morn- 

 ing classes with prayer. Nevertheless, I ac- 

 cept the theory, as indeed I must — my pa- 

 ternal ancestors for generations are East 

 Anglians ! And yet, I am in doubt ; for I still 

 traffic in " speculative philosophy, tossed 

 about by every wind of doctrine " (p. 7). But, 

 it were too hard a test to ask an author to 

 prove his theory on the corpus vile of a re- 

 viewer of whom he never heard tell. So, once 

 more, I say the book is thoroughly worth 

 while. 



R. M. Wenley 

 Ann Arbor 



NOTES ON ENTOMOLOGY 

 The eleventh volume of the Hampson cata- 

 logue of moths has been issued by the British 

 Museum.' It deals with four groups— Ente- 

 ' ' ' Catalogue of the Lepidoptera Phaltense in the 

 British Museum," Vol. XI., pp. 689, text figs. 175, 

 pis. CLXXIV.-CXCI., 1912. 



