52 



SCIENCE 



[Vol. XVII. No. 416 



especially on the subject of spirits, and then proceeds to relate a 

 large number of the tales, grouping them so far as possible, and 

 aiming particularly to show how similar they are all the world 

 over. The first class of stories dealt with are those that relate how 

 human midwives are often snatched away and talsen to fairyland 

 to assist at the birth of fairy children. Then come the stories of 

 changelings and babies stolen by the fairies, followed by tales of 

 other robberies by the fairy-foils, as well as of robberies perpe- 

 trated or attempted by mortals against the fairies. Stories of men 

 being put to sleep for years and even centuries, as in the case of 

 Rip Van Winkle, occupy a considerable space, and the list is com- 

 pleted by two chapters on the swan maidens. 



Thus the greater part of the book is taken up with the tales 

 themselves, and we are rather disappointed at the meagre at- 

 tempts to explain them. A few discussions appear here and there, 

 and a brief concluding chapter sums up the author's theories, so 

 far as he has any theories to offer ; but one cannot help feeling as 

 he closes the book that the '• science of fairy-tales " is as yet 

 hardly entitled to that name. Mr. Hartland has indeed mar- 

 shalled a great body of facts on his chosen theme, and his book is 

 written in a style that will make it attractive to all that are in- 

 terested in its subject. But it must be remembered that facts are 

 not science, — they are only the materials of science, — and that 

 the real aim of the scientist is to explain the facts. Mr. Hartland 

 shows rery clearly that folk-tales bear a similar character every- 

 where, and that they must therefore be attributed to certain in- 

 tellectual and moral characteristics common to all tribes of men ; 

 but what those characteristics are he does not even inquire. He 

 ascribes the origin of the tales to the primitive belief in spirits, — 

 but that is merely using the genus to account for the species, — 

 and gives no real explanation at all. It is evident that the most 

 difficult work connected witli the subject is yet to be done; but 

 meanwhile those who wish for a large and well-arranged collec- 

 tion of the facts will find it in the book before us. 



Educational Review. Vol. I. No. 1. January, 1891. Ed. by 



Nicholas Mueeat Butlek. m. New York, Henry Holt & 



Co. 8°. $3 a year; 35 cents a number. 

 The Pedagogical Seminary. Vol. I. No. 1. January, 1891. Ed. 



by G. Stanley Hall. Worcester, Mass., J. H. Orpha. 8°. 



$4 a year; $1.50 a number. 

 We have had in this country for many years a number of edu- 

 cational periodicals, but they have been of 'inferior character, and 

 some of them practically worthless. There is room, therefore, for 

 a new and better one ; and the general interest now manifesfred in 

 educational matters makes the present an opportune time for 

 starting such a work. Two journals of the kind have now appeared 

 in magazine form, one from a private publishing-house, the other 

 from Clark University ; and even a slight examination will show 

 that they are superior to any thing of the sort that we have had in 

 America hitherto. Whether and how far they will supply the 

 existing need cannot be determined from the contents of the first 

 numbers; but these give evidence of thought as well as of reading, 

 and show that the editors of both are in earnest in their new un- 

 dertakings. They are, however, quite different in character, and 

 we shall therefore consider them separately. 



The Educational Review opens with a number of essays; then 

 follow brief discussions, editorial and otherwise; next comes a 

 series of book-notices; and, last of all, a few extracts from foreign 

 periodicals. Most of the articles are fairly well written, though 

 none have any special merit of style, and some contain suggestions 

 and criticisms of real interest. The book-reviews are similar to 

 those that appear in the best newspapers, and will doubtless prove 

 an attractive feature of the magazine. The notes and discussions 

 present some good points, but one or two of those in the editorial 

 department are marred by too much dogmatism. The least suc- 

 cessful papers are the essays, not one of which is really satisfac- 

 tory, their brevity being inconsistent with a proper treatment of 

 their respective subjects, while most of them have the air of having 

 been written to order. President Oilman writes on ''The Shorten- 

 ing of the College Curriculum," intimating his opinion that it can 

 perfectly well be shortened, but without suggesting any thing very 

 definite. William T. Harris contributes a strangely narrow and 



shallow article on " Fruitful Lines of Investigation in Psychology," 

 and also a book-review of similar tenor. We hope that these arti- 

 cles are not a sample of the way the Review will treat philosophical 

 themes '• Isi there a Science of Education?" by Josiah Eoyce, is 

 the first of a series of articles, and contains little besides vague 

 generalities ; but the author promises in future numbers to treat 

 some more definite aspects of his subject. Superintendent Andrew 

 8. Draper discusses " The limits of State Control in Education," 

 and makes some suggestive remarks; but his paper is far too brief 

 for a proper treatment of its theme. The last of the essays is by 

 Charles de Garmo, on "The Herbartian School of Pedagogics," 

 and bids fair, when completed, to give a good synopsis of Her- 

 bart's views ; though whether these views are of much value ad- 

 mits of question. On the whole, the Educational Review bids fair 

 to be useful ; but we hope to find the essays in future numbers 

 more elaborate and thorough. 



The Pedagogical Seminwry consists in the main of notes on the 

 educational systems and theories of other countries. It opens 

 with an editorial on the aim and purpose of the Seminary, fol- 

 lowed by a paper, also from the editor, on " Educational Reforms ; " 

 while the rest of the number is mainly devoted to the study of 

 recent changes in the schools and universities of foreign countries, 

 and of foreign discussions on educational topics. The editor and 

 his associates seem to desire and anticipate great changes and 

 I'eforms in our own educational system, especially in its higher 

 departments; but they leave us in great uncertainty as to what 

 specific changes they wish for. However, they have here collected 

 a mass of information which can hardly fail to be useful to edu- 

 cators, and which may suggest beneficial reforms in our schools. 

 One cannot help asking, though, why President Hall and his 

 associates have started this little publication of their ovvn, when 

 the Educational Review would have served them well as a medium 

 for addressing the public. As the Seminary is to be published 

 only three times a year, it will not contain a great deal of matter, 

 and its fusion with the Review would seem to be easy as well as 

 desirable. But however published, and from whatever source 

 they may come, real contributions to our educational literature 

 are certain to be welcome. 



The Future of Science. By Ernest Renan. Boston, Roberts. 

 8°. $2.50. 



This book is not just what its title would lead us to expect. It 

 contains very little about physical science, and nothing whatever 

 about its future: on the contrary it relates almost exclusively to 

 the sciences of mind and society, and the future of religion. M. 

 Renan takes the ground that the highest degree of intellectual 

 culture is to understaod humanity, and this work is written from 

 that point of view. It is not a new work, however, but was 

 composed forty years ago, when the author was young; and it has 

 many of the characteristics that we should expect to find in a 

 work coming from such a source. It is written in the author's 

 usual diffuse and rambling style, and with rather more than his 

 usual flippancy ; and the views it expresses are those with which 

 readers of his other books are familiar. 



M. Renan starts with the assumption that "there is no such 

 thing as the siJ^ernatural," and consequently that every thing that 

 has hitherto been called religion is destined to pass away. "The 

 rehgion of the future," he says, " will be pure humanism." 

 God is "the category of the ideal." "In the future the word 

 'morality' will not be the proper word. . . . I prefer to substi- 

 tute the word ' sestheticism."" In short, to lead an intellectual 

 life and pursue the soientitic and artistic ideals is the only religion 

 that is now left to us. Such is the opinion of M. Renan, which he 

 reiterates without the least suspicion that he may be mistaken. 

 Moreover, it appears that he himself, even at the age of twenty- 

 five, had already reached perfection; for he says. " I, as a man of 

 culture, do not find any evil in myself, and I am impelled spon- 

 taneously towards what seems to me the most noble. If all 

 others bad as much culture as myself, they would all, like myself, 

 be incapable of doing an evQ act" (p. 833). 



But our readers must not suppose that the book contains nothing 

 better than the above-quoted passages. On the contrary, when 

 the author leaves the question of the future religion, and talks 



