30 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXV. No. 627 



tunity is given for his very essential physical 

 development. 



The first years of the American college are 

 still in the nature of preparation for his spe- 

 cial line of study; thus the transition from a 

 condition of dependence in the preparatory 

 school to one of independence in the higher 

 school is a gradual one. Much stress is laid 

 by the author upon the American system of 

 supervision of the students' work as compared 

 with the German system of complete freedom. 

 The advantages of the American method are 

 evident — that many students are guarded 

 against mistakes which would entail serious 

 consequences. Contrasted to this, the Ger- 

 man system suddenly throws the student 

 wholly upon his own responsibility — upon 

 entrance into the university his choice of 

 studies is unrestricted, and he takes no exam- 

 ination until his final one, when he deems 

 himself prepared to try for the degree of 

 ' doctor ' from the university. The German 

 contends that his system possesses the advan- 

 tage that those who do not make the proper 

 use of the freedom accorded to them will 

 sooner or later fall out, so that only those 

 will reach the goal who properly understand 

 the privileges and duties of the students' free- 

 dom. This argument, however, presupposes 

 that the student already has that which he 

 must first acquire. In America, the same 

 goal is striven for, but with fewer losses, in 

 that the transition to the condition of inde- 

 pendence is made gradual. 



The difference in the ideals of education in 

 the two countries may be summed up in the 

 following: In America the aim of the higher 

 education is to increase the efficiency of the 

 average man; while in Germany the stress is 

 laid upon bringing the best to the highest 

 development. The author seems to reach the 

 conclusion that due precaution is exercised in 

 America to prevent the invasion of the less 

 diligent into the ranks of the learned profes- 

 sions, while, at the same time, pains are taken 

 to develop the less gifted, who are, on this 

 account, the more in need of education. 



The author discusses at some length the 

 matters of state and private schools, the or- 

 ganization of instruction, the cost of instruc- 



tion and scholarships, athletics and the love 

 and loyalty of the alumni of a school for their 

 alma mater. Many matters of interest are 

 treated which can not be touched upon in this 

 review. The author has dealt very lightly 

 with our failings and has devoted himself 

 chiefly to pointing out to his countrymen, 

 with whom education is an established sci- 

 ence, that which has been attained in a coun- 

 try where education is still in the state of 

 development. It is a matter of interest to 

 learn those points in our system which are 

 deemed commendable, or worthy of study, by 

 a student trained in the old world educational 

 ideals. This work is of additional interest as 

 treating the subject especially from the view- 

 point of education in the exact natural sci- 

 ences; previous writers in the main having 

 treated the subject in its relation to general 

 culture. Arthur A. Blanchaed 



SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS AND ARTICLES 

 The Journal of Geology for November- 

 December has for its frontispiece a reproduc- 

 tion of a photograph of the late Professor 

 Israel 0. Eussel. The first article is a sketch 

 of his life by G. K. Gilbert. Following this 

 is an article by James Geikie, " On the so- 

 called ' Postglacial Formations ' of Scotland." 

 In this are discussed geographical and climatic 

 changes, from evidence gathered in the Scot- 

 tish mountains. As the most representative 

 deposits known as ' postglacial,' he speaks of 

 ' raised beaches, estuarine and fluviatile ter- 

 races, lacustrine alluvia and peat mosses.' 

 He considers the term ' postglacial ' mislead- 

 ing, because glacial conditions disappeared 

 from different regions at widely different 

 times. The following succession of events is 

 given: (1) after the disappearance of district 

 ice-sheets and mountain-valley glaciers, the 

 sea retreated considerably, and the climate 

 became milder; (2) subsidence and return to 

 cold climate; (3) retreat of sea beyond present 

 coast line and return to dry genial conditions; 

 (4) partial subsidence with change of climate 

 to cold and wet; (5) final retreat of sea to 

 present level. The next article is on ' The 

 Three Paleozoic Ice Ages of South Africa,' 

 by Ernest H. L. Schwarz. Evidence is offered 



