SCIENCE. 



FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1886. 



COMMENT AND CRITICISM. 

 Our recent celebration of the two hundred 

 and fiftieth anniversary of the founding of Harvard 

 college seemed to refer us back to the dim past ; 

 but that past seems very recent when we read of 

 the celebration in England of the eight hundredth 

 anniversary of the completion of Domesday book. 

 The celebration took the form of a series of meet- 

 ings for the inspection of manuscripts and literary 

 productions, and for the reading of papers more 

 or less connected with matters affecting the con- 

 tents of Domesday book. A great attraction was 

 the exhibition of the volumes themselves that 

 compose the Domesday book. The Record office 

 kindly aided by all means in its power the com- 

 mittee having the celebration in charge, and 

 gathered together in one room a vast number of 

 manuscripts and relics. Among these was a docu- 

 ment concerning the number of hides in different 

 districts in England, the date of which, as origi- 

 nally written, is placed in the eighth century. 

 Three Anglo-Saxon manuscripts of the eleventh 

 century were exhibited, whichshowed the method 

 of ploughing. The papers read discussed the 

 history and fortunes of Domesday book as a vol- 

 ume, and its employment as evidence in the courts. 

 There were also some statistical tables read con- 

 cerning the contents of the book. It is believed 

 that the Royal historical society will issue a full 

 bibliography of Domesday book, including not 

 only printed portions of the texts and separate 

 papers and essays, but also notices of matter re- 

 ferred to by the record. 



By the death of M. Paul Bert, which was 

 announced on Friday last, France loses one of her 

 most radical and aggressive statesmen, as well as 

 one of her foremost educators and ablest scientific 

 investigators. However much we may differ 

 from some or all of M. Bert's doctrines, we can- 

 not but admire his power, his vigor, and his en- 

 thusiasm. Born in 1833, he received a broad and 

 thorough education, becoming a doctor of medi- 

 cine in 1863, a doctor of science in 1866, and a 

 licentiate in law about the same time. He was 



No. 198. — 1886. 



for a time assistant to Claude Bernard, and in 1867 

 was called to the chair of physiology at Bordeaux. 

 In 1869 he was called to the Sorbonne, and be- 

 came professor of physiology there. After 

 Napoleon's downfall he entered politics, and, 

 after holding several departmental offices, entered 

 the chamber of deputies in 1874 as a representa- 

 tive for Yonne, Ms native department. He im- 

 mediately took a prominent part in the debates, and 

 during the discussion of the Ferry law his voice 

 was raised often and vigorously in behalf of lay 

 instruction, compulsory education laws, and the 

 abolition of all school fees. M. Bert was a great 

 friend and admirer of Gambetta, and when that 

 statesman became premier, in 1881, M. Bert was 

 made minister of public instruction in his cabinet. 

 M. Bert's avowed atheism and vigorous radical- 

 ism made him many enemies, and he was in no 

 small degree contributory to the speedy downfall 

 of the Gambetta ministry. M. Bert's best-known 

 writings are ' De la greffe animale ' (1863), ' De 

 la vitalite des tissus animaux ' (1866), 'Revue 

 des travaux d'anatomie et de physiologic publies 

 en France pendant ranneel864' (1864), 'Notes 

 d'anatomie et de physiologic compai'ee ' (2 vols., 

 1867-70), ' Recherches de physiologie experimen- 

 tale ' (1877), — crowned by the French academy, — 

 and ' La morale des Jesuites ' (1880). At the time, 

 of his death M. Bert was governor-general of 

 Tonquin, and minister to Anam, and much was 

 expected from his able and vigorous administra- 

 tion of the interests of France in the orient. 



Mr. James Russell Lowell's great oration at 

 the Harvard celebration calls for notice more 

 special than that which we were able to give 

 last week. Those who had the privilege of hear- 

 ing the orator report that he spoke with wonder- 

 ful grace and elegance for almost two hours, 

 holding his audience spell-bound. The oration is 

 in itself a justification of a classical and literary 

 education, and a living argument for a culture lof- 

 tier and deeper than that which strictly utilitarian 

 theories would provide. Mr. Lowell perhaps over- 

 states himself, but there is more than a kernel of 

 truth in his definition of a university as " a place 

 where nothing useful is taught ; but a university 

 is possible only where a man may get his livelihood 



