84 SCIENCE. 
ordinary, but outdone a little later, when we 
learn that the modern movement ‘back to 
Kant’ was one of religious compromise! On 
the other hand, Mr. Robertson has some excel- 
lent things. His view of the English deistic 
movement, as against Mr. Leslie Stephen, is 
thoroughly sound; similarly his summary of 
the defects of ‘higher criticism’ (407) is full of 
point; while here and there we meet with il- 
luminating remarks, such as that it is ‘the 
tendency of every warlike period to develop 
emotional rather than reflective life’ (409) ; 
and that ‘the abstention of later specialists 
from all direct application of their knowledge 
to religious and ethical issues is simply the 
condition of their economic existence as mem- 
bers of university staffs’ (408). As one looks 
around upon professorial philosophy, is not this 
all too true ? 
Taking the author at his own word, and re- 
membering the limits distinctly laid down in 
the preface, the book is an excellent one, and 
it ought to find its way into many hands. It 
will startle the smug obscurantist, and will af- 
ford the free man—who is much more common 
than Mr. Robertson thinks—many cues to fol- 
low up in further reflection. If the author 
would put his eighteenth century rationalism 
behind his back, he might produce a definitive 
history, not of free thought—for all thinking is 
free by the nature of the case—but of man’s 
gradual rise to a more fully reasonable explana- 
tion of himself and his environment. 
R. M. WENLEY. 
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN. 
SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS AND ARTICLES. 
THE American Journal of Science for July con- 
tains the following articles: 
Velocity of Electric Waves in Air; by G. V. MAc- 
LEAN. 
Spiral Fulgurite from Wisconsin ; by W. H. Hopes. 
Chemical Composition of Parasite and a new oc- 
currence of it in Ravalli Co., Montana ; by S. L. PEN- 
FIELD and C. H. WARREN. 
Estimation of Iron in the Ferric State by Reduction 
with Sodium Thiosulphateand Titration with Iodine ; 
by J. T. Norton, JR. 
Mouth of Grand River ; by E. H. MupGE. 
Electrical Measurements ; by H. A. ROWLAND and 
T. D. PENNIMAN. 
[N. S. Von. X. No. 238. 
Reflection of Hertzian Waves at the Ends of Parallel 
Wires ; by LEE DEFOREST. 
In a thesis entitled ‘ An Experimental Study 
of the Corrosion of Iron under various Condi- 
tions’ accepted for the degree of Bachelor of 
Science in Electrical Engineering, in the Uni- 
versity of Wisconsin, Mr. Carl Hambuechen 
shows that whether an iron surface which has 
been subjected to corrosive influences has a 
uniform corrosion, local pittings or corrosion 
along definite lines or curves is dependent upon 
the physical and chemical character of the iron. 
The conclusion is drawn that a study of such 
corroded surfaces, which may be produced 
quickly by electrolytic means, may give con- 
siderable insight into the properties of iron- 
The main part of the thesis deals with an in- 
vestigation of the energy expended when iron 
is subjected to strain, part of the energy being 
expended in heating the iron, but the greater 
part being stored in the metal and manifesting 
itself in an increased tendency to corrosion and 
a higher electromotive force of contact between 
the iron and an electrolyte. Measurement of 
this increase of electromotive force while the 
iron was subjected to increasing stresses showed 
that a curve giving relation between stress and 
electromotive force is obtainable; this curve 
being similar to the stress-strain diagram, and 
each curve showing clearly the point of elastic 
limit. The fact that a metal under stress has a 
greater chemical activity will afford an expla- 
nation of many peculiar cases of corrosion, 
such, for example, as the peculiar appearance 
of hardened steel which has been subjected to 
electrolytic corrosion. 
In an article on Russian Museums, Mr. F. 
A. Bather thus discusses the question as to 
whether or not museums should send out col- 
lections for study: ‘‘The occasional loss of a 
specimen is nothing as compared with the in- 
creased value of a properly worked-out collec- 
tion. If a museum is unable for any reason to 
send out collections to specialists, then it must 
have a large and properly paid staff. It is the 
business of a museum to encourage culture 
and to be a headquarters of intellectual activity 
in its various departments. A slight experience 
serves to show that the museums which prosper 
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