October 13, 1893.] 



SCIENCE. 



201 



The Religion of Science. By De. Paul Caeus. Chicago, The 



Open Court Pub. Co. 12 mo. paper. 



In this work Dr. Carus has undertaken to exj)ound 

 what he believes is to be the religion of the future. He 

 disbelieves, as our readers doubtless know, in anything 

 supernatural, but holds fast to the ethical teachings of 

 Christianity and to the Christian ideal of character. It is 

 true that he uses the Divine name frequently; but he ex- 

 pressly teaches that Grod is not a person, but merely the 

 eternal and all-controlling power in nature. Sometimes 

 he uses the language of pantheism; yethe insists that his 

 doctrine is not pantheism but, as he terms it, entheism. 

 He denies the existence of the soul as a distinct entity, 

 and of course disbelieves in its immortality. Every- 

 thing in the old religions that savors of the supernatural 

 he regards as mythology, and maintains that it is destined 

 to pass away, leaving nothing but the moral teachings 

 and aspirations bequeathed to us by the prophets of old. 

 Ho holds his creed with unquestioning faith, and is rather 

 intolerant of those who still cling to the ancient creeds. 

 "What the Koman church claims to be," he says, "the re- 

 ligion of science is. The religion of science is the cath- 

 olic and orthodox religion." He is rather bitter against 

 the churches for their adherence to forms and ceremonies 

 and to what he deems erroneous doctrines, and declares 

 that their religion is radically different from that of 

 Christ himself. With much that he says we fully agree, 

 and we respect the moral earnestness with which he dis- 

 cusses the problems of life and duty; but we are not pre- 

 pared to follow him in rejecting theism, and we have 

 much less confidence than he seems to have in some of 

 the doctrines and criticisms that are put forth in the 

 name of science. Yet we have read his book with inter- 

 est, and we cordially echo the sentiment he expresses 

 that ''blessed is he who trusts in the truth, who hearkens 

 to its behests, and leads a life in which obedience to truth 

 is exemplified." 



The work here noticed is to be published with others 

 in a series entitled "The Keligion of ycience Library," 

 the volumes of which will be issued bi-monthly in paper 

 covers at 25 cents each or $1.50 a year. The first num- 

 ber in the series, which bears the date of Septem- 

 ber, 1893, is a reissue of Max Miiller's "Three Introduc- 

 tory Lectures on the Science of Thought," which was no- 

 ticed in these columns when it first appeared some years 

 ago; and other works new and old will follow in due sea- 

 son. 

 Hea'. By Maek R. Weight. Longmans, Green & Co., 



N. Y., 1893, 336 p. 12 mo. $1.50. 



This text-book of heat and thermodynamics is a well- 

 planned and well-executed work, suitable for the classes 

 of high schools and colleges in which an elementary 

 course has been given, as introductory to this subject, in 

 the usual first lessons in f)hysics. It is made uj) with a 

 view to use in connection with instruction in the labora- 

 tory, as well as in the lecture-room, and contains an excel- 

 lent outline of the thermal and thermodynamic principles 

 constituting the modern science of heat, illustrated by 

 experiment, and enforced by numerical examples, not nu- 

 merous but very carefully selected, and in every case appo- 

 site to the text. The book is, in physics, what Eemsen's 

 text-book is in chemistry, a well-prepared outline of the 

 theory and exj)erimental method of exposition of the 

 science. The units employed are both the British and 

 the metric, the C. Gr. S. systems. Students about to take 

 up the applications of such principles in the advanced 

 classes of colleges, and especially of the technical schools, 

 will find this an excellent preparatory course. In the in- 

 troduction to the chapters on thermodynamics, the work 

 of ilumford and of Davy is given proper place, and more 

 credit is given the former than is usual in earlier treat- 



ises. Eegnault's work is quite fully discussed, and the 

 algebraic treatment of the thermodynamics of gases and 

 vapors is unusually satisfactory. The book is printed on 

 heavy paper, in excellent type, is well illustrated, and 

 well bound. 



Outlines of Pedagogics. By Peofessoe W. Kein. Trans- 

 lated by C. C. and Ida J. Van Liew. London, Swan 

 Sonnenschein & Co.; Syracuse, N. Y., C. W. Bardeen. 

 12mo. $1.25. 



This work, by the director ef the pedagogical seminary 

 at the University of Jena, is written from the standpoint 

 of the Herbartian philosophy, and is designed to set forth 

 Herbart's theory of education as developed and modified 

 by his disciples. The work, like so many others that 

 come to us from Germany, is not always easy to under- 

 stand ; and, though it contains much that is sound and 

 suggestive, we doubt if it will effect any radical change 

 either in the theory or in the practice of English and 

 American educators. The whole book is written from a 

 German point of view and with reference to German 

 needs ; and the division of the school system according 

 to the German division of society into classes is assumed 

 as something final. The parts of the book that are likely 

 to be most interesting to American teachers are those in 

 which the author discusses the end and aim of education 

 and the subjects and method of instruction. The end at 

 which all education ought to be directed is, in Professor 

 Rein's opinion, the formation of character ; and he lays 

 such exclusive stress upon the training of the v^il that he 

 almost forgets that the intellect and the feelings are en- 

 titled to consideration on their own account. Nor do we 

 find that he offers anything essentially new as to the 

 means of forming character; for, though he devotes con- 

 siderable space to the subject, he suggests nothing to the 

 purpose except the study of good literature and the em- 

 ployment of teachers of excellent character. AVith regard 

 to instruction Professor Rein holds opinions somewhat 

 different from any now prevalent in this country ; and, 

 while we cannot endorse all that he says on the subject, 

 there is much in it that is suggestive. He holds, with 

 Comte and others, that the education of the child ought 

 to follow the ste]3S that the race has taken in its historical 

 development ; but, notwithstanding the authorities that 

 may be cited in support of this theory, we venture to think 

 that an education based upon it would be ill adapted to 

 the requirements of a civilized age. The importance of 

 the right method in teaching is a subject on which the 

 author lays great stress, and practical teachers can hardly 

 fail to get from him some hints and warnings that will be 

 useful. The book will serve a good purpose in dj-awing 

 renewed attention to the importance of moral training, 

 and also by presenting certain aspects of educational work 

 that have not been generally discussed in America. 

 Birds of Michigan. By A. J. Cook. Bulletin No 94, 

 Michigan Agricultural College. llSp. illus. Svo. 

 This Bulletin marks something of a departure in the 

 work of experiment stations. Most of the bulletins issued 

 under the auspices of these wards of the Government are 

 devoted to purely agricultural tojjics such as feeding of pigs 

 or cows, dairying, planting potatoes, cultivation of corn, 

 value of fertilizers, spraying for fungous or insect diseases 

 and kindred subjects. Some few of the stations publish 

 work of a high character, work which shows some 

 originality. It must be confessed, however, that too much 

 of the station work is of a very poor quality. Often it is 

 a rehash of some previously issued experiments, in which 

 the errors are copiied along with the correct statments. 

 Often it consists of descrii^tions of hastily- made 

 experiments which lead to no practical results; or else it 

 may be an account of some experiment which had been 

 tried with negative results j'ears before, but of which the 



