152 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. XVI. No. 397 



as the student is presumed to be sufficiently familiar with them 

 and their meaning. How useful the book may prove can only 

 be determined by experience; but many pupils will be interested 

 in thus tracing the various derivatives of a given stem. There is 

 one serious defect in the execution of the work. The pages are 

 encumbered with long notes, sometimes filling half a page, about 

 such things as the atmosphere, gravity, gladiatorial shows, etc., — 

 notes which are sadly out of place in a dictionary. We noticed 

 also some inaccuracies, such as calling the Latin honestus Greek, 

 and the Greek laos Latin. The work is illustrated by numerous 

 quotations, mostly in verse. 



An Elementary History of the United States. By Charles Moe- 

 Ris. Philadelphia, Lippincott. 12°. 60 cents. 



This work covers the whole period of American history from 

 the discovery of the continent to the present time ; and yet it is all 

 crowded into two hundred and forty pages. The natirral result is 

 that the narrative is too much condensed, and contains too much 

 detail for so short a work. This is the common fault of brief his- 

 tories, and not only renders them less interesting than they might 

 be, but also tends to obscure the main outlines of the subject. 

 Apart from this defect, however, Mr. Morris's work is pretty well 

 done. We like in particular the attention he gives to the social 

 life of the people and the progress of industry, — matters that 

 are not only important in themselves, but also interesting to young 

 people. The book is illustrated with both pictures and maps. 



AMONG THE PUBLISHERS. 



The September issue of the Contemporary Review will con- 

 tain an article covering some twenty-three pages, by Rudyard 

 Kipling, entitled " The Enlightenment of Pagett, M. P.," which, in 

 the form of a story, is a trenchant criticism on the National Con- 



gress movement in India. The Contemporary is published in 

 America by the Leonard Scott Publication Company at 40 cents 

 per number. 



— Messrs. Houghton, Mifflin, & Co. announce that they wiU 

 have ready for publication in the early part of September a book 

 by John Fiske, entitled " Civil Government in the United States, 

 considered with some Reference to its Origins." In this book Mr. 

 Fiske aims to set forth the principles and methods of civil gov- 

 ernment as understood and exemplified in the republic of the 

 United States and in the several States ; and he traces the rise and 

 development of the various forms of government of towns, coun- 

 ties, cities, states, and the nation, with their relations to one an- 

 other. Although of great interest to the general reader, the book 

 is designed primarily for use in schools; and to make it still more 

 practicable for this purpose, there have been added at the end 

 of each section questions on the text, and at the end of 

 each chapter suggestive questions and directions "designed to 

 stimulate reading, investigation, and thought."' These questions 

 and suggestions have been prepared with great care by Frank A. 

 Hill, the head master of the English High School at Cambridge, 

 Mass. Mr. Fiske has also added a bibliographical note at the end 

 of each chapter. 



— The most important article in the Political Science Quarterly 

 for September is that on "State Control of Corporations," by 

 George K. Holmes. It is an account of what has been done in 

 Massachusetts toward securing the rights of the public against 

 corporations of every description, and is a very encouraging ex- 

 hibit. The Massachusetts method consists in the maintenance of 

 commissions whose duty it is to hear complaints, settle disputes 

 when possible, and give advice to the Legislature on the one hand, 

 and to the corporations on the other. This method has proved 

 very successful in protecting the public against abuses; and, in 

 Mr. Holmes's opinion, it only needs to be extended to trade com- 



ublications received at Editor's Offic 

 Aug. 25— Sept. 6. 



DiEHL, Mrs. Anna Randall. A Practical Delsarte 

 Primer. Syracuse, N.Y., C. W. Bardeen. 66 p. 

 16°. 



Hayward, R. B. The Elements of Solid Geometry. 

 London and New York, Maemillan. 130 p. 16°. 

 75 cents. 



Health for Little Folks. New York, Cincinnati, 

 and Chicago, Amer. Book Co. 121 p. 12°. 



B^NNEDT, J. A Stem Dictionary of the English Lan- 

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Milne, J. J., and Davis. R. F. Geometrical Conies. 

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 Maemillan. 72 p. 12°. 60 cents. 



MoRKis, C. An Elementary History of the United 

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. 15, 1890. St. 

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and 



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Orpheus, The. Vol. I. No. 1. Aug 

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Preston, T. The Theory of Light. Lond^ 

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Thruston, G. p. The Antiquities of Tennessee and 

 the Adjacent States. Cincinnati, Robert Clarke 

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U. S. Department of Agriculture. Report on the 

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 by E. E. R. Tratman, C.E., together with a Dis- 

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