December 7, 1888.] 



SCIENCE. 



275 



ficult to retract. From such slig-ht beginnings arose this stupendous 

 movement of Spiritualism, developing one after another of alleged 

 communications with forbidden spirits; adding cabinet .vAzwc^j, 

 materializations, second-sight, and a host of modified conjiiring- 

 tricks, as proofs of supernatural agency, — a complete systemati- 

 zation, in which mediums and phenomena were explained with an 

 insane logic and a morbid imagination ; and, worse than all, the 

 pitiable deception of countless simple-minded folk upon matters 

 nearest and dearest to them. To this tale of constant opposition 

 between fanaticism and science, the many investigations showing 

 the groundlessness of these claims, we can now add the free 

 and full confession of fraud on the part of the originators. The 

 two heroines of the story are certainly to be praised for this avowal ; 

 and their romantic but hardly admirable career contains no better 

 action than this. But whether this is really " the death-blow to 

 Spiritualism" must be questioned. Such movements die slowly. 

 Its adherents will claim an evidence independent of the Fox sisters, 

 and ascribe to the latter mean and suspicious motives. As a 

 writer on such topics has well said, men go mad in crowds, but 

 they return to their senses only slowly and one by one. 



AMONG THE PUBLISHERS. 



The Century for December contains a number of full-page 

 engravings of sacred pictures by the old and little-known Italian 

 master, Duccio. A striking feature is furnished by two articles on 

 Henry Ward Beecher's appearance in England in 1863, in advo- 

 cacy of the cause of the American Union. But the two contribu- 

 tions having perhaps the highest importance are the instalment of 

 the life of Lincoln, entitled ' First Plans for Emancipation,' and the 

 paper by Mr. Kennan in which he graphically describes ' Life on 

 tlie Great Siberian Road.' In this number are the first of the stories 

 of Irish-American life, by Mr. George H. Jessop, and one of Mr. 

 Cable's literary ' finds' in the way of strange true stories under the 

 title of ' Frangoise in Louisiana.' In the same number is a timely 

 paper on ' The Re-organization of the British Empire.' by Mr. 

 George R. Parkin. In connection with Mr. Parkin's article is an 

 Open Letter entitled ' Home Rule and Culture,' on the Irish aspect 

 of re-organization, by Mrs. Margaret F. Sullivan. Henry James 

 writes with full knowledge and critical enthusiasm a paper of which 

 the pregnant title is ' London,' which paper has a running accom- 

 paniment of drawings by the well-known artist, Joseph Pennell. 

 Edward L. Wilson gives his personal observations on the route 

 ' From Sinai to Shechem,' accompanied by fifteen illusirations 

 drawn mainly from his photographs. The ' Topics of the Time ' 

 are ' Christmas,' ' Progress of Ballot Reform,' ' Should there be an 

 Aristocracy of Criminals,' and 'A Confusion in American Party 

 Names.' In 'Open Letters' Mr. Ernest H. Crosby, of the New 

 York Legislature, writes on ' Political Corruption,' suggesting the 

 "formation of an American society for the promotionof political 

 honesty ;" and others of the ' Open Letters ' deal with the ' Wom- 

 an's Work ' question, ' The Holt Method of Teaching Music,' and 



' Herbert Spencer.' On Dec. 6 the Independent celebrated the 



completion of its fortieth year. Articles were printed from Dr. 

 Richard S. Storrs, the only one of the original editors now living ; 

 by Henry C. Bowen, who is one of the two original proprietors now 

 living ; and by Dr. Samuel T. Spear, who was a contributor to the 



tirst number. The supplement in Harper's Weekly of Dec. i 



contains an article on ' Blizzards, Cyclones, and Tornadoes,' with 



illustrations by W.H.Gibson and others. The International 



News Company of Beekman Street have ready the Christmas num- 

 bers of the London Chatterbox and the London Graphic, the lat- 

 ter having two large-page colored supplements. Neither of these 

 celebrated publications will disappoint the expectations of their 

 great throngs of readers in all parts of the world. They are as 

 good this year as ever. The Book Lcrner is the title of an at- 

 tractive monthly journal published by William Evarts Benjamin, 6 

 Astor Place, New York, of which the first issue is dated November. 



The Publishers' Weekly says that a new feature in periodical 



magazines is announced in the Magazine of Poetry, a quarterly 

 review, whose first number will be issued in January, 18S9, — a 

 magazine to be devoted exclusively to poetr)' and the study of 

 poetry. Among the poets to be discussed in early numbers are 



Mr. Stedman, Mrs. Louise Chandler Moulton, T. B. Aldrich, Mr.. 

 Stoddard, Lowell, Holmes, Whittier, Boyle O'Reilly, Edgar Faw- 



cett, and Edith Thomas. The Political Science Quarterly for 



December contains among its leading articles, 'A Study of the In- 

 fluence of Socialism upon English Politics,' by William Clarke, an 

 Oxford graduate and a London journalist ; 'An Argument for Pri- 

 vate Enterprise versus Pul)Iic Business Management,' by Prof. 

 Arthur T. Hadley; 'A Discussion of the Legality of Trusts,' by 

 Prof. Theodore W. Dwight ; 'An Analysis and Criticism of the 

 Law of 1887, regulating the Electoral Count,' by Prof. John W. 

 Burgess ; 'An Account of the Practical Operation of the Official or 

 State Ballot System in England,' by Mr. Edwin Goodby, a promi- 

 nent Liberal politician ; and 'A Summary of the Legal Questions 

 which have arisen under the English Ballot Act,' by Mr. H. H. 

 Asquith, M.P. 



— The sixth and seventh instalments of Proctor's ' Old and New 

 Astronomy ' have been issued. The work continues to be full o£ 

 interest. It is beautifully illustrated and printed. The present 

 instalments treat of the phenomena of the sun, its corrugated 

 surface, faculas and spots, and the sun's surroundings. The last- 

 mentioned part contains particularly illustrations of phenomena 

 observed during total eclipses. In the latter half of the seventh in- 

 stalment the description of the inferior planets is begun. We call 

 particular attention to the beautiful plates, appended to the last in- 

 stalment, showing a typical sunspot, a photograph of the sun, and 



of a total eclipse. Hartleben's great atlas, ' Die Erde in Kar- 



ten und Bildern,' is almost complete. Forty instalments have been 

 issued, and only ten more remain to be published. The last 

 numbers contain an interesting colonial map, and another of the- 

 whole continent of America. The maps are very clearly engraved,, 

 and the topography is very good. The accompanying text, which 

 is profusely illustrated, treats of the geography of Africa. In the 



following instalments the Arctic regions will be treated. Tick- 



nor Sl Co. will publish Dec. 10 a work that will challenge the at- 

 tention of the entire Christian world. Catholic or Protestant. This 

 is the autobiography of the famous 'Nun of Kenmare' (Ireland;,. 

 Sister M. Francis Clare (Cusack), whose services in the great Irish 

 famine of 1879 are world-famous, and who is equally known and 

 beloved for her long service of devotion and charity for the aid and 



elevation of working-girls. There has recently been published 



a work entitled ' Handbook of Stenotypy, or Shorthand for the 

 Type-writer,' being a formulated system of abbreviated orthog- 

 raphy for the use of type-writers and others. By the use of the 

 Roman letters and the numerals, with which all are familiar, and 

 without any occasion whatever of possessing a knowledge of any 

 system of shorthand writing, any operator, on any type-writing 

 machine, may, by the use of stenotypy. systematized in this work, 

 with but trifling study, practice only being requisite, become suflii- 

 ciently competent to print from dictation directly on the machine, 

 with a speed exceeding their ability at ordinary type-writing by 

 thirty to fifty per cent. George Lane. 150 South Portland Avenue, 



Brooklyn, N.Y., is the address of the publisher. Prof. Henry 



Allen Hazen has published a useful ' Hand-Book of Meteorological 

 Tables,' which will be welcome to all meteorologists, being a col- 

 lection of the best tables, in compact form, convenient for use, and 

 at small cost. All tables relating to the same subject are placed 

 together so far as possible. Thus the matter is divided into tables- 

 relating to temperature, pressure, humidity, and wind. Linear 

 tables for converting measures form the next part of the book, 

 while the last part contains miscellaneous tables. Among these, 

 those for dividing by 29. 28, and 31, will be found particularly usefuL 

 In an appendix meteorological normals for the L^nited States are 

 given. The handiness of the volume will make it a welcome help to 

 the working meteorologist. Unfortunately there are a number of 

 misprints, which, however, will doubtlessly be corrected in a second 



edition. Gen. C. W. Darling, corresponding secretary of the 



Oneida Historical Society at Utica, has compiled from manuscripts 

 of public records a work which he entitles ' New Amsterdam, New 

 Orange, New York." It may be expected early next year, states the 



Publishers' Weekly. Thomas Whitlaker will publish shortly 



' Stray Leaves of Literature,' by Frederick Saunders of the Astor Li- 

 brary. The Forest and Stream Publishing Company announces- 



