118 
Germany during the past few years, and there 
are hardly any universities remaining which 
offer no facilities for the higher education of 
women, but these changes have been brought 
about by the courageous and energetic work of 
a few fair-minded professors, and in the face of 
the fanatical opposition of the great majority of 
them. ‘‘The boasted freedom of the univer- 
sities is again contradicted in their attitude 
towards the education of women. No one ex- 
pects the state to be liberal, but liberality is 
looked for in the highest educational centers of 
the country. But with what results? Deter- 
mined, almost fanatical, opposition to the exten- 
sion of university privileges to women * * * 
For those women who desire to secure a broader 
education than is afforded by the girls’ schools, 
and who can easily enough take up university 
work and profit from it, there can be no valid 
reason for keeping them out. It makes one lose 
faith in the ideals of university enlightenment ’’ 
(p. 416). Nevertheless, the first German woman 
has already taken the degree of Doctor of 
Philosophy at the University of Berlin, and in 
1896 six young ladies of high social position, 
who had been trained by the enthusiastic and 
devoted Helene Lange, took the final examina- 
tion set for the boys of a Berlin Gymnasium, and 
received high rank. ‘‘It will be seen,’’ says 
Professor Russell, ‘‘ that the woman question 
will soon supersede the Greek question.’’ The 
crying need for women at present is the founda- 
tion of public Gymnasia for girls. In spite of 
several recent setbacks, progress can be safely 
predicted in this line. The latest news from 
Germany is that a Gymnasium for girls has 
been started in Hannover, and that the one in 
Karlsruhe, which has hitherto been in private 
hands, has been taken over by the city. 
We have no space left for discussing German 
methods, of teaching. The most important 
general difference between them and those 
which we know in this country is that less is 
left to the initiative of the scholar; he does 
much less of his work out of school hours, and 
the teacher takes a much more active part in 
the work of instruction. The joy and refresh- 
ment which the American boy gets out of his 
athletics are unknown to the German, but 
(what we are less in the habit of remembering) 
SCIENCE. 
[N. S. Vou. X. No. 239. 
he has an immense resource in music, to which 
he gives a large part of his hours of recreation. 
As regards special studies, the account given of 
the new method in teaching modern languages 
is most illuminating, and gives record of mar- 
vellous results. But the whole book will be- 
come the useful companion of those who are 
interested in securing better and better systems 
in the education of the young. ; 
CHRISTINE LADD FRANKLIN. 
BALTIMORE. 
The Native Tribes of Central Australia. By 
SPENCER BALDWIN, M.A., and F. J. GIL- 
LEN. New York, Macmillan Co. 1899. 
This work is an important contribution to 
Australian anthropology, being a careful mon- 
ograph on the Arunta tribe, with observations 
on some neighboring tribes, giving an account 
of ceremonies, traditions, customs and myths, 
As Mr. Cushing identified himself with Zuni 
Indians so the authors became initiated mem- 
bers of the Arunta tribe, and thus came into 
intimate knowledge of many facts of great inter- 
est, especially as throwing light on Totemic 
organization. The Totemic myths and cere- 
monies are treated in great detail. The Totem 
groups at the time of the year when rain may be 
expected and food animals breed, conduct sim- 
ple ceremonies of chants of invitation, with rep- 
resentative plays which will insure the multiply- 
ing of the food. These ceremonies are essen- 
tially childish, are in the same spirit as the 
‘rain, rain, go away, come again another day’ 
of civilized children. While these ceremonies 
do not appeal to supernatural beings, that is 
beings who are over rain, kangaroos, etc., 
but to the Rain, Kangaroo, etc., as themselves 
animate beings, yet as conciliatory the acts 
must be called religious, as coercive, unrelig- 
ious, and the native mind continually vacil- 
lates from one to the other position. As to the 
origin of ‘Totemism the authors (p. 127) can 
pronounce no opinion, yet (p. 209) the origin 
is sufficiently indicated as derived from the 
dominant food of any section of a tribe. With 
regard to such a Totem as Rain we see that the 
whole tribe have a general Rain dance, and the 
specialization of function is only partial to the 
Rain group (p. 193). 
