3o6 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. XVI. No. 408 



BOOK-REVIEWS. 



Civilization: An Historical Review of its Elements. By Charles 

 Morris. 2 vols. Chicago, S. C. Griggs & Go. 13°. |4. 



This work, as the author states, is not " a history of civilization 

 in the ordinarily accepted sense of the term, but is offered rather 

 as an outline view of its elements, with some attempt to set forth 

 the philosophy of human progress." It opens with a general 

 sketch of the earliest civilized nations, and then treats successively 

 of the development of political institutions, religion and morals, 

 industry, and the other leading elements in the progress of hu- 

 manity. The author makes no pretence of original investigation 

 into the facts, and seldom descends to details; and he presupposes 

 in the reader a general knowledge of the world's liistory. He 

 devotes but a small space to the periods before the dawn of histori- 

 cal literature, holding that our information about prehistoric ages 

 is far too scanty to be of much use, and that " the conditions dis- 

 played by existing savages are no just example of primitive insti- 

 tutions." Thus the greater part of the book relates to the civiliza- 

 tion that began in Egypt and Babylonia, and has since spread 

 over Europe and America ; but the partial development of civiliza- 

 tion in China and India and in ancient Mexico and Peru is not 

 neglected. 



The merit of the work is not of the highest order, yet there is 

 much in it that is gooJ. Its principal defect is in the style, whicli 

 is diflfuse and almost garrulous, the author beiug apparently 

 troubled v,fith too great a development of the linguistic faculty. 

 The division and arrangement of topics are also such as to cause a 

 good deal of repetition ; so that the exposition fills a larger space 

 than is necessary. As for Mr. Morris's philosophy, we do not find 

 iu it any thing specially new or striking ; but he has evidently 

 studied the works of the best philosophic historians, and has 

 thoroughly mastered all the prevailing theories, yet without mak- 

 ing a hobby of any of them. He of course regards the history of 



civiliz'ition as a process of development; yet he makes but little 

 reference to the special doctrines of the evolution school, and little 

 use of their hackneyed phrases. The main defect in Mr. Morris's 

 historical philosophy is his insufficient appreciation of the Greek 

 civilization and of its rank among the various forms of human 

 culture. He dwells on its defects rather than on its excellences; 

 and the reader who got his infc>rmation wholly from this book 

 would be likely to think that Greece was no more important in 

 the development of civilization than ancient India or modern 

 Germany. Yet there is much in Mr. Morris's exposition that is 

 valuable; and most of his views, we think, are sound, and likely 

 to stand the test of time. On the whole, his work will take a 

 respectable rank among American books, though we cannot say 

 that it is up to the true standard of philosophic history. 



AMONG THE PUBLISHERS. 



The "Dictionary of PoHtioal Economy," which Mr. R. H. 

 Inglis Palgrave, F.R.S., is editing, and which is to be published 

 by Macmillan & Co., is now assuming a definite shape, and the 

 first part is to be out in January. Among the contributors are 

 Professor Ashley of Toronto, Professor Bastable of Dublin, Dr. 

 Bauer of Vienna, Mr. Sydney Buxton, M.P., the Rev. A. Calde- 

 cott, Mr. Crump of the Record Office, M. A. Curtois fils, the Rev. 

 Dr. W. Cunningham, Major Craigie of the Board of Agriculture, 

 Professor Dunbar of Harvard, Professor Dewey of Boston, Pro- 

 fessor F. Y. Edgeworth, Mr. Elliott, M. A. de Foville, Professor 

 Foxwell, Dr. Robert Giffen, Mr. C. A. Harris, Dr. J. K Ingram, 

 Mr. J. N. Keynes, the Rev. T. J. Lawrence, Professor E. de 

 Leveleye, Mr. R. Lodge, Professor F. W. Maitland, Professor J. 

 E, C. Munro, Professor J. S. Nicholson, Mr. R E, Prothero, the 

 Rev. L. R. Phelps, Signer Pantaleoni, Mr. D. G. Ritchie, Pro- 

 fessor Roberts-Austen, F.R.S , Professor H. Sidgwick, Professor 

 Smith of Columbia, Professor Taussig of Harvard, and the Rev. 



ed at Editor 



BiNET, A. On Double Consciou?iiFs=. Cblcago 

 Open Court Publ. Co. 93 p. 12°. 50 cents. 



Blanfobd, H. F. An Elementary Geography of In- 

 dia, Burma, and Ceylon. London and New 

 Yorlj, Macmillan. 191 p. 16°. TO cents. 



Bdrgess, W. Modern Fish Culture. Birmlcgham, 

 Eng., Martin Billing. Son, & Co., Pr. 118 p. IS". 

 25 cents. 



Chhrch, W. C. The Lite of John Ericsson. Vols. I, 

 audll New York. Scribner. 660 p. 8°. $6. 



English Literature, A Chart of, with References 

 Ed. by G. E. Maclean, Ph.D. Boston, Glnn. 

 13 p. 8°. 



Far and Near. Vol. I. No. 1. November, 1890. m. 

 New York. The Critic Co. 16 p. 4°. $1 per 

 year. 



HoYT, D. L. Handbook of Historic Schools of Paint- 

 ing. Boston, Ginn. 210 p. 12°. $1. 



LOCKTE ■, J. N. The Meteoritlo Hypothesis. Lon 

 dou and New York, Macmillan. 560 p. 8°. 

 $5.25. 



Morris, C. Civilization, an Historical Review of 

 Us Elements. Vols. I. and IL Chicago, Griggs. 

 1,000 p. 12°. S4. 



Mteks, p. V. N. Ancient Hist'iry for Colleges and 

 High Schools. Part II. A History of Home. Bos- 

 ton, Glun. 183 p. 12°. $1.10. 



Physician's Visiting List for 1891, The. Philadel- 

 phia, Blaliiston. 16°. 



HEADY IN JANUARY. 



THE LABRADOR COAST. 



A Journal of two Summer Cruises to that 

 region; with notes on its early discovery, 

 on th^ Eskimo, on its physical geography, 

 geology and natural history, together with 

 a bibliography of charts, works and articles 

 relating to the civil and natural history of 

 the Labrador Peninsula. 



By ALPHEUS SPRING PACKARD, M.D., Ph.D. 



8°, about 400 pp., $3.50. 



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HEAVEI* AND HELL,. 



416 pages, paper cover. 



KBVSME LOVE AND WISDOM. 



388 pages, paper cover, by EMANUEL SWEDEN- 

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LIFE OF JOHN ERICSSON. 



By Colonel William C. Church, With 50 



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ELECTRiCiTY IN DAILY LIFE. 



A Popular Account of the Application of 



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,* Sold by all booksellers, or sent, postpaid. 



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