October 



.890.] 



SCIENCE. 



193 



to the amount of heat arising from compressing the air, which 

 may be noticed here. He says (Science, June 27) that if air is 

 compressed 10 inches, that is, from a barometric pressure of 30 

 inches to 40 inclies, the temperature is increased 163". The 

 formula for computing this, as given by Poisson, is 



T- \p'J ' 



in which T and T' are the temperatures con-esponding to p and jj' 

 respectively. If we put T'=490°, andp'=30 inches, this formula 

 gives, forp =40 inches, r—490°:=43° instead of 168° as stated above. 

 Hazen, by his method of experimenting, was able to get a heating of 

 the whole jar of only 4° in compressing to 10 inches, or one-third of 

 an atmosphere. This, he says, is only about one-fortieth of the 

 . theoretical value; but it is not so much in error as that, for it is 

 about the eleventh part of the theoretical value. But Espy, in 

 compressing to 10 inches, obtained 36° as indicated by the rise 

 in the gauge after explosion. The theoretical value in this case 

 given by Poisson's formula, the temperature at which Espy oper- 

 ated being 64", is 45°. This, unless Poisson's formula is errone- 

 ous, indicates that the method of getting the amount of heating 

 from the amount of rise in the gauge after explosion, is much 

 more accurate than that of Hazen's. Wm. Fereel. 



Martinsburg, W. Va., Sept. 24. 



BOOK-REVIEWS. 



Belief in God; its Origin. Nature, and Basis By J. G. ScHtlK- 

 MAN. New York, Scribner. 16°. $1.25. 



This book consists of a series of lectures delivered at the Andover 

 Theological Seminary during the present year. The author's ob- 

 ject is partly to justify the belief irt God^-^and partly to set forth 

 his own conception of what God is. In discussing the grounds of 

 our belief in the Divine Existence, Professor Schurman makes 

 some excellent points against the agnostics, but fails to present 

 any new or conclusive argument of his own. Indeed, he admits 

 that in his view the existence of God cannot be demonstrated, but 

 holds it to be a necessary assumption to account for the universe. 

 He gives a brief but philosophical sketch of the history of religion, 

 which forms the best chapter in the book. When, however, he 

 comes to state his own view of the nature of God, he takes a 

 position that few theists will be inclined to adopt. His doctrine 

 is an extreme pantheism, essentially the same as that of Spinoza, — 

 a doctrine that denies all reality to finite things, and maintains 

 that they arc only modes or functioES of God. He says, " Noth- 

 ing remains for us, therefore, but to surrender the vulgar belief 

 in the existence of a multiplicity of independent things. There 

 is but one real being; and of it A and B and all existing things 

 must be conceived as parts, moments, or functions" (p. 166). If 

 this theory is true, it is obvious that there is no room left for 

 human personality; and Professor Schurman's attempt to save 

 personalitv can only be characterized as sophistical. We are 

 obliged to add that some parts of the book are too dogmatic for a 

 philosophical work, being characterized by sweeping assertions of 

 which no proof is given or even attempted. On the whole, we 

 cannot see that Professor Schurman has helped us any toward 

 solving the problem of theism. 



AMONG THE PUBLISHERS. 



"The Story of a Magazine," a most interesting story of the 

 conception and growth of The Ladies' Home Journal of Philadel- 

 phia, with portraits and sketches of its proprietor and editor, has 

 been prepared by that magazine in pamphlet form, and will be 

 sent free to any who will write for a copy. 



— Civilization; an Historical Review of its Elements," in two 

 volumes, will soon be issued by S. C. Griggs & Co., Chicago. The 

 author is Charles Morris of Philadelphia. This work promises to 

 diverge from the course usually pursued by historians on this 

 subject. It seeks to set forth, in clear and simple language, the 

 evolutionary steps by which the human race has passed upward 

 from primitive savagery to modem enlightenment, and in this 

 way to discover the true philosophy of human progress. With 

 this end in view, the topical method is adopted, and the facts of 



history are used to illustrate and embellish, rather than to form 

 the ground-work of the structure. 



— Harper's Weekly ol Oct. 4 devotes four full pages — two of 

 text and two of illustrations - to the recent Mississippi River im- 

 provements. 



— Andrew Lang is the subject of the engraved portrait in the 

 October Boofc Buyer. The sketch gives an idea of the personality 

 of the man as well as of his career as an author. Rudyard Kip- 

 ling, whose portrait appears also in this number, is described in 

 an article from which one can learn a good deal about this new 

 and brilliant writer and his books. 



— Professor Darwin of Cambridge, England, a son of the world- 

 renowned Darwin, contributes to The Century for October a paper 

 of high and original value on "Meteorites and the History of Stel- 

 lar Systems."' A striking photograph of a nebula, in which a 

 system like our own solar system seems to be in actual formation, 

 accompanies this paper. "Prehistoric Cave-Dwellings" is an 

 illustrated paper by F. T. Bickford, on the prehistoric and ruined 

 pueblo structures in Chaco Canon (New Mexico), the Caiion de 

 Chelly (Arizona), — the ancient home of the most flourishing com- 

 munity of cave-dwellers, — and other extraordinary cave villages. 



— Mr. G. J. Smith has prepared "A Synopsis of English and 

 American Literature," which issues from the press of Ginn & Co. 

 of Boston. It gives first a list of English authors, with the names 

 of their principal works, and accompanied by a chronological 

 view of contemporary history. This is followed by a list of 

 American authors, arranged on a similar plan. The work is in no 

 sense a history, but a mere tabular list, but as such it has some 

 merits. Its principal fault is the exaggerated importance attached 

 to American literature, which is accorded nearly as much space 

 as that of England. The authors in both tables are arranged as 

 far as possible in classes, according to the kind of literattire they 

 produced, and reference is further facilitated by two indexes. 



— Babyhood for October contains an article on the " Common 

 Disorders of Teething Time," which the writer. Dr. John Doming, 

 contends are in most cases not related to the process of teething. 

 He exposes very strikingly some of the fallacies entertained on 

 this subject, while giving useful hints to the mothers of teething 

 infants. "Massage," by Dr. Sarah E. Post, is probably the first 

 popular article that has appeared on this subject, which is attract- 

 ing increased attention, especially in connection with certain dis- 

 orders of infancy. The article is illustrated, and gives directions 

 as to the various kneading motions. 



— An article in Lippincott's Magazine for October upon " Elec- 

 tric Lighting," by the English scientist Sir David Salomons, will 

 find many readers; for, though electric light has come into such 

 general use, it is but little understood by the general public. The 

 article treats also of electric motive power, which is as little un- 

 derstood as electric lighting. A thoughtful paper upon " Univer- 

 sity Extension " is from the pen of Professor Skidmore. He ad- 

 vocates the idea of broadening the scope of the university so that 

 the educational advantages it affords may be extended to the 

 masses, and holds that schools should be brought into parallelism 

 with life, instead of sei-ving as introductions to it. In " Book 

 Talk," Julian Hawthorne has an essay upon Rudyard Kipling. 



— " Health for Little Folks " is the title of No. 1 of the Author- 

 ized Physiological Series, just published by the American Book 

 Company. The book is intended for use in primary schools. The 

 method and language are such as to make the matter easily com- 

 prehended by the young people for whom it is intended. Some 

 may ask why the subject of physiology is introduced at all in the 

 course of study of the primary schools, and the answer is to be 

 found in the desire of the total abstainers to inculcate their ideas 

 about alcohol in the minds of all pupils of the public schools; and, 

 as many a child does not pursue his schooling far, It is necessary 

 for their purpose that the doctrine that alcohol is a poison should 

 be inculcated while the schools still have possession of the pupil. 



— A populai' -svork on the literature of India, entitled " Hindu 

 Literature, or The Ancient Books of India," by Mrs. Elizabeth A. 

 Reed, will soon he issued by S. C. Griggs & Co., Chicago. This 

 volume treats of Hindoo literature from the earliest songs of the 



