January 23, 1891.] 



SCIENCE. 



53 



about history and philology, the importance of criticism, and the 

 need of educating the masses, lie says much that is interesting 

 and valuable. The necessity of examining and criticising traditional 

 views is strongly emphasized, and the great value of philology as 

 an instrument of such criticism is clearly shown. The history of 

 religions is mentioned as one of the most important subjects of 

 investigation; and it appears that the author had, even at that 

 early age, projected his work on the origins of Chi-istianity. 

 Plutocracy is declared to be the main cause of our slow intellectual 

 development; yet wealth is recognized as essential to culture, and 

 endowments for investigators are advocated. The finest passage 

 in the book is that in which the author pleads for the intellectual 

 culture and elevation of the masses, which he deems perfectly 

 feasible; but in his preface, which was written quite recently, he 

 intimates that on this point, as on some others, he had been too 

 optimistic. On the whole, though the book contains some excel- 

 lent passages and useful suggestions, it will not add to the world's 

 knowledge nor to the author's reputation. 



AMONG THE PUBLISHEES. 



Another proof that American scientific work is appreciated 

 abroad is shown by the translation, by Dr. Victor von Richter of 

 the University of Breslau, of a handbook of electro-chemical 

 analysis, recently issued in Philadelphia by Professor Edgar F. 

 Smith of tbe University of Pennsylvania. 



— Mr. F. G. Barry has sold his monthly magazine. College and 

 School, to Louis Lombard of Utica, N.Y. The next number will 

 appear Feb. 15, entitled The Louis Lombard. 



— P. Blakiston, Son, & Co., Philadeljihia, have just issued a 

 second edition of " Diseases of the Digestive Organs in Children," 

 by Louis Starr, M.D., and of "Water Analysis for Sanitary Pur- 

 poses," by Drs. Leff mann and Beam, both containing new material 

 and many additional illustrations. They have also just ready 

 "Gynaecology," being No. 7 of their compend for medical stu- 

 dents. 



— J. Scott Keltie, librarian of the Royal Geographical Society, 

 London, will have an article, " About Africa," in the February 

 Scribner, with the London African Exhibition for a text. A rare 

 poi'trait of Livingstone, taken in 1860, will be the frontispiece of 

 that issue, and the article will contain several portraits (never be 



fore engraved) of African explorers, from the private collection of 

 John Murray, Esq., the London publisher. 



— Sir Edwin Arnold, describing a Japanese dinner, says, in the 

 February Scribner, ''You are at last surrounded by twenty or 

 thirty dishes, like a ship in harbor by a fleet of boats; and the 

 best of a Japanese dinner is, that, after flitting like a butterfly 

 from flower to flower of the culinary parterre, you cannot only 

 come back to any thing that has originally pleased, but leave off 

 to smoke and chat, and then commence again, if you like, at the 

 very beginning. When everybody has had enough, particularly 

 of sake, the substantial part of the repast has still to arrive, for 

 the Japanese. The last sake bottle is removed and gohan is 

 brought, the honorable, great white tub with hot, boiled rice. 

 Along with it re-appears fresh tea ; and each native guest will 

 consume two bowls of rice, and then another, amply saturated 

 with tea." 



— The February Chautauquan wi\l contain, among other articles, 

 "British India," by R. S. Dix; " England after the Norman Con- 

 quest," Part II., by Sarah Orne Jewett ; '■ The English Towns," II., 

 by Augustus I. Jessopp, D.D. ; "A Peasant Striker of the Fourteenth 

 Century," by Charles M. Andrews; " The Constitution of Japan," 

 by William Elliot GrifHs; " Studies in Astronomy," V., by Garrett 

 P. Serviss ; " The National Academy of Sciences," by Marcus Ben- 

 jamin; "The Relation of the Family to Social Science," bj' John 

 Habberton; "France in Tunis," by Edmond Plauohut; and 

 "New England and Emigration," by Edward Everett Hale. 



— The Westminster Review for January (Leonard Scott Publi- 

 cation Company, New York) opens with a paper on " Patriotism 

 and Chastity,'' by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, for which recent events 

 in Irish politics furnish a text. A paper on "A Privileged Pro- 



fession ■' points out the advantage nursing offers to women. An 

 exhaustive article on " The Decline of Marriage" deals with the 

 relations between marriage and culture, and presents some con- 

 clusions that will attract wide attention. R. Seymour Long 

 writes on the "Continuity of Parties in English History," and 

 Frederick Dolman on "Hereditary Peers and Practical Politics." 

 An essay on " The Social and Political Life of the Empire in the 

 Fourth and Fifth Century," recalls the early days of this ancient 

 though ever young review. In the department of "Contemporary 

 Literature." books are reviewed in science, philosophy and theol- 

 ogy, sociology, history and biography, and belles lettres. The 

 number closes with its usual review of current English politics. 



— Mr. Theodore Roosevelt has written for the Historic Towns 

 Series, which Professor Freeman edits, and which the Longmans 

 publish, the volume on "New York," to appear at once. Mr. 

 Roosevelt shows incidentally that the admixture of races now to 

 be seen in the city is no new thing, as the population was quite as 

 heterogeneous in the beginning, and has been much the same at 

 every stage of New York's growth. 



— In The Atlantic Monthly for February, 1891, Professor Royce's 

 second " Philosopher of the Paradoxical " is Schopenhauer. He 

 treats Schopenhauer's place in the world of thought. Mr. Percival 

 Lowell's " Noto" is continued, and the traveller at last arrives at 

 the turning-point, but not the end, of bis journey. Alice Morse 

 Earle has a paper on " The New England Meeting-House," which 

 is full of curious bits of information. W. Alpheus Hyatt writes 

 on "The Next Stage in the Development of Public Parks," in 

 which he advocates the allowance of space for a collection of liv- 

 ing animals grouped for the uses of the student. William Everett 

 has an article. on "The French SpoHation Claims;" and Theodore 

 Roosevelt, in "An Object-Lesson in Civil-Service Reform," tells 

 about the work of the National Civil Service Commission for the 

 last year, and its success in gaining a large number of applicants 

 from the Southern States to enter the civil-service examinations. 



— Messrs, E. & F. N. Spon (New York) announce ^n illustrated 

 descriptive catalogue of their scientific publications relating to 

 civil and mechanical engineering, arts, trades, and manufactures, 

 which they will send on application; also a " Handbook for Me- 

 chanical Engineers," by Henry Adams; "The Municipal Build- 

 ings, Glasgow," by William Young, architect, with twenty collo- 

 type illustrations by Bedford, Lemere, & Co. ; "Practical Electrical 

 Notes and Definitions," for the use of engineering students and 

 practical men, by W. Perren Maycock, together with the rules and 

 regulations to be observed in electrical installation work, as issued 

 by the Phoenix Fire Office and the Institution of Electrical En- 

 gineers (second edition, revised and enlarged) ; "Tables to find the 

 Working Speed of Cables; comprising also Data as to Diameter, 

 Capacity, and Copper Resistance of all Cores," by Arthur Dear- 

 love (these tables have been computed from formulEe which have 

 for some time been used by Messrs. Clark, Forde, and Taylor, and 

 are based on the mean results recently obtained in the commercial 

 working of long cables); "Light Railways as a Practical Means of 

 Exploration," by E. R. Salvvey, in which the author's desire is to 

 bring prominently forward the suitability of narrow-gauge rail- 

 ways as an inexpensive and economical means by which countries 

 already explored may be rapidly civilized, and their known re- 

 sources developed; and "Surveying and Levelling Instruments 

 Theoretically and Practically Described," by William F. Stanley. 



— In the Fortnightly Review for January (Leonard Scott Publi- 

 cation Company, New York) A. Mounteney Jephson makes a new 

 contribution to African literature in an article on " The Truth 

 about Stanley and Emin Pacha,'' in which he refutes some 

 charges brought against Mr. Stanley. Ernest M. Bowden writes on 

 "Scientific Sins." E. B. Lanin, whose papers on Russia have 

 been a strong feature in the Fortnightly in the past year, describes 

 the country and people of Finland. Edwai-d Delille presents 

 some reminiscences of literary evenings in Paris, entitled " ' Chez 

 Pousset:' a Literary Evening." James D. Bourchier describes a 

 voyage on the Black Sea with Prince Ferdinand, with accounts of 

 Bulgarians and strange sights. Sir George Baden Powell writes 

 on ' ' The Canadian People," and considers the possibility of Can- 



