SCIENCE. 



[Vol. XIII. No. 316 



contains the quantity of lime wliich characterizes the better class 

 of Kentucky soils, it is supposed, that, even if soluble phosphatic 

 manures are applied, the superphosphate becomes again insoluble 

 by taking up a molecule of lime. It is therefore an interesting 

 question as to the means by which the lime phosphate enters the 

 plants. It may be that the solution is effected through the action 

 of the various humic acids of the soil, or it may arise from some 

 specific change which takes place at the contact of the soil with the 

 roots. It is evident that this point requires precise determination, 

 for on it will depend further experiments as to the methods of ap- 

 plying phosphatic manures. 



There is yet another point on which we need experiments. Many 

 of our rock phosphates, especially those which are distinctly bedded, 

 contain low percentages of phosphatic matter. Many of our lime 

 phosphates contain crystals of apatite and calcite so intermingled 

 that it is not possible to separate them ; yet from these deposits it 

 will be easy to produce a mixture of lime carbonate and lime phos- 

 phate containing from lo to 20 per cent of phosphoric acid. The 

 value of such material for manure has never been determined. If 

 it can be used in a way which will give to the fields the full value 

 for both the lime and the phosphorus, it will open a way for an ex- 

 tensive production of cheap fertilizers. 



The foregoing considerations give the general results of the pre- 

 liminary inquiry into phosphatic manures, of which Dr. Penrose's 

 work forms a part. Before we go further into these studies, I 

 much desire to have the criticism and advice of others who have 

 considered this subject. It is with this view that I have ventured 

 to give in the foregoing pages an account of the aim of the inqui- 

 ries I have in hand. The questions are at once chemical and geo- 

 logical, and demand much co-operation for their solution. Much 

 of the work of searching for the unknown phosphatic deposits of 

 this country will necessarily have to be undertaken by local stu- 

 dents of geology or by commercial explorers in search of such de- 

 posits. Unfortunately, the unfamiliar aspect of the various forms 

 of phosphatic deposits will make this task under any circumstances 

 difficult. There is no substance of equally wide diffusion among 

 those of considerable commercial importance, which, in the present 

 state of popular knowledge, so readily escapes detection as lime 

 phosphate. 



BOOK-REVIEWS. 

 Social Progress. By DANIEL Greenleaf THOMPSON. London 

 and New York, Longmans, Green, & Co. 8°. $2. 



This work is an inquiry into the foundations of social life and 

 the means and methods of progress. The first part deals with ;he 

 conditions of social progress ; the second, with the means of pro- 

 moting it. The work contains nothing that is specially new or 

 striking, but is rather a restatement of the general principles of free 

 government and social improvement as viewed from the standpoint 

 of an evolutionist. The author's style is clear and flowing, so that 

 the book is easy and agreeable to read ; and there is much in it 

 that thinkers of all schools will agree with. Mr. Thompson begins 

 with a discussion of liberty and law, which he declares to be insep- 

 arable. All men, he maintains, must have equal rights and equal 

 protection under the law ; but as men and classes differ in power, 

 the maintenance of equal rights has always been difficult. In for- 

 mer times the difficulty arose chiefly from military ambition and 

 priestcraft, while in our time the danger that threatens us is that of 

 a plutocracy. The main defect in this portion of Mr. Thompson's 

 work is its inadequate recognition of the moral element in society. 

 He does indeed recognize it, but he gives an altogether insufficient 

 account of it. He bases society on self-interest alone, and reduces 

 even benevolence itself to selfish prudence. He inquires why it is 

 that we take pleasure in promoting the good of others, and answers 

 the question thus ; " Upon investigation we cannot fail to be led to 

 the conclusion that the foundation for this is the selfish considera- 

 tion of how delightful it would be if everybody else besides our- 

 selves were animated by the desire and purpose of helping instead 

 of hurting his neighbor " (pp. 63, 64) : in other words, we do good 

 to others in order that they may do good to us. The second part 

 of Mr. Thompson's treatise treats of radicalism and conservatism, 

 of the need of frequent change in order that society may progress. 



and of the best way of effecting such changes. It offers many in- 

 teresting remarks on the need of care in the formation of opinion, 

 on the folly of attempting political changes before the public is 

 ready for them, and on other matters incidental to the subject. On 

 the whole, this part of the work, though dealing with less funda- 

 mental questions than the first part, is more satisfactory. 



Scientific Religion. By Laurence Oliphant. Buffalo, Charles 

 A. Wenborne. 8°. $2.50. 



Why the doctrine taught in this book should be called scientific 

 we do not know, for its characteristics are all of the opposite kind. 

 Mr. Oliphant sees, as most other men do, that the old religious 

 views will no longer suffice, and he undertakes in these pages to 

 furnish a substitute. He believes in communication with departed 

 spirits, who will teach us many important truths and render us in- 

 valuable aid if we will but listen to them. He holds that " the unseen 

 world teems with intelligences, whose action upon this one is very 

 direct, and is governed by laws." "This," he declares, " is a fact 

 of my own personal experience." Spirit, he maintains, is only a 

 higher form of matter, and the spirits in the unseen world com- 

 municate with us by the " interlocking of atoms." It is sad to 

 learn, however, that the unseen spirits are not all good, and that 

 the bad ones exert a baneful influence upon us, some of our worst 

 impulses being due to their " infestation." Insanity, also, is due to 

 them ; and " when, therefore, we read in the Gospels of the cures 

 by Christ of men possessed by devils, the expression is literally 

 accurate." It depends on us, however, whether we will be influ- 

 enced by the good spirits or the bad ones ; and, in order to obtain 

 the highest favors from the spirit world, we must become " bisex- 

 ual." Adam, we learn, before the fall, was bisexual, and though 

 his feminine part was separable from the masculine, the two were 

 still one, this being possible in the case of Adam and Eve because 

 their atomic structure was " four-dimensional." Christ, also, was 

 bisexual, and, in fact, came into the world to restore the bisexual 

 principle. Such is the stuff that Mr. Oliphant offers us as a new 

 religion, and he expects men to abandon the Christianity of the 

 churches for this ! A large part of his book is devoted to a mys- 

 tical interpretation of the Bible, and the rest is mainly occupied 

 with the doctrine of spirits. We regard the appearance of this 

 work and others of a similar character as one of the strangest signs 

 of the times, and as indicative of a mental aberration that is truly 

 amazing. 



Germaji Commercial Correspondence. By Joseph T. Dann. 

 London and New York, Longmans, Green, & Co. 16''. 80 

 cents. 



This book is of the viultuin in parvo kind, containing a great 

 deal in a small compass. Its author was at one time assistant 

 master in University College School in London, and it is intended 

 not only for the use of schools and classes, but also for self-tuition. 

 Specimens of letters are given for translation from German into 

 English and from English into German. Copious notes, sufficient 

 to enable the student to underst"and and render every idiom, are 

 supplied, being placed at the end of the book, so that students may 

 learn them by heart before translation is attempted. At the end 

 of each section, subjects for writing letters similar to those con- 

 tained therein are given, by way of exercises, so as to enable stu- 

 dents to turn the study of the section itself to account. Copious 

 vocabularies, German-English and English-German, are appended,, 

 embodying all the words which the student cannot be expected to 

 have acquired in an elementary training. The idioms and peculiar- 

 ities of the language have received special attention, so that the 

 student may know not only what to do, but what to avoid. 



French Commercial Correspondence. By Elfhege Janau. 

 London and New York, Longmans, Green, & Co. 16°. 80 

 cents. 



This and its companion, the " German Commercial Correspond- 

 ence," mentioned above, are constructed on such a plan that they 

 may be used separately or together. The substance of the letters, 

 in French or German, forming the first part of each section, is the 

 same, and the English letters forming the second part are identical 

 in the two volumes. In the third part are subjects for letters,. 



