78 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. XV. No. 365 



the domic ions of the British Crown, but we have come back 

 again to the English folk in one of their chief est homes. These 

 are but plain facts — plain as the sun at noonday. It is because 

 they are so plain, that mankind, above all orators and states- 

 men, will not understand them. Once more, let a man's 

 words set forth his thoughts, and let him shape his thoughts by 

 •the facts. That is all; but if this counsel of perfection be too 

 hard, it may be better to declaim about the "Suionic race" 

 than about the ' 'Anglo-Saxon race. ' ' It will lead fewer people 

 astray. Edward A. Freeman. 



ELECTRICAL NEWS. 



EDiNBTJEaH International Electrical Exhibition. — The 

 executive council decided to finally close the list of applications 

 for space on Jan. 15, when allotment was proceeded with. The 

 French, Italian, and Austrian exhibits are expected to be 

 specially fine, while India, China, and Japan will all be well 

 represented in the department devoted to general industries. 

 The railway machinery and appliances section promises well, 

 several of the leading railway companies having agreed to 

 exhibit; while among electrical exhibitors are Sir William 

 Thomson, W. H. Preece, Edison, the general post-office, Edison- 

 Swan, Laing, Wharton & Down, Anglo-American Brush, 

 Paterson & Cooper, United Electrical Engineering, King, 

 Brown & Co., Mavor & Coulson, Sir William Vavasour 

 (Limited), Elmore Copper Depositing Company, Thomson - 

 Houston Welding Company, Newell Engine Company, Robey & 

 Co., Electric Traction Company, Ernest Scott & Co., Ronald 

 Scott, Woodhouse & Rawson, Butler, Jobson & Co., W. T. 

 Glover & Co., National Telephone Company, Consolidated 

 Telephone Construction Company, Col. Gouraud, Gent & Co., 

 Exchange Telegraph Company, Eastern Telegraph Company. 

 The Decauville Company propose to show a narrow-gauge 

 railway in operation, but worked by electricity in lieu of 

 steam. The executive council have arranged with Immisch & 

 Co. for a ten-minutes' service of electric launches on the 

 Union Canal between Fountainbridge and the exhibition, which 

 ■will afford the public a novel and interesting mode of convey- 

 ance, and will probably constitute the first example of electric 

 navigation for general traffic. In addition to the British 

 electrical contingent, about one hundred and fifty electrical 

 exhibits are expected from France, where the government have 

 officially recognized the exliibitio'n, and considerable numbers 

 from other foreign countries. The financial prospects of the 

 exlribition are regarded by the finance committee as eminently 

 satisfactory, as, owing to the much larger sums obtained for 

 refreshment and other concessions above those received at the 

 former Edinburgh Exhibition of i'886, it is considered that the 

 whole cost of tlg^e buildings, grounds, and preparations will be 

 defrayed without drawing on the admission receipts at all, 

 whereas in 1886 no less than |110,000 had to be made up out 

 of admission receipts before any thing, was available wherewith 

 to meet working expenses. ^3 ' 



Frankfort Electeo-Technicai; Exhibition. — It is proposed 

 to hold at Frankfort- on-the-Main an international electro- 

 technical exhibition from June 1 to Oct 31 of the present year. 

 The exhibition will include all branches of the electrical science 

 and industry, but as a rule only those exhibits will be admitted 

 which show a decided' improvement on those of the last special 

 exhibitions at Mimich in 1882 and Vienna in 1883. The 

 exhibits will be divided into twelve great groups, commencing 

 with motors for electro-technical purposes, and ending with 

 electrical literature. Applications should be made before Jan. 

 15, and addressed to Mr. Leopold Sonnemann, editor of the 

 Frankfurter Zeitung, Frankfort -on-the-Main. 



Me. A. W. PeaEson, for many years city editor of the 3Iom- 

 ing Bulletin, Norwich, Conn. , in addition to his regular work on 

 the Bulletin, will edit the entomological depai-tment of The 

 Observer, — a paper for all svho love the out-door world. The 

 Obsei-ver is published at Portland, Conn. 



BOOK-REVIEWS. 



Practical Marhm Surveyiivj. By Hakey Phelps. New York, 



Wiley. 8°. |2.50. 



The author of this work, who is an officer in the United 

 States Navy, elucidates, in a simple and straightforward 

 manner, all the points that usually arise in a marine survey, 

 omitting no essential det^l, and yet avoiding the confusion 

 produced by a multiplicity of explanations such as are too often 

 indulged in by writers who aim to be practical rather than 

 theoretical. The instructions given in the book are practical 

 in the true sense of the word; that is, they show the student 

 how theories are utilized in actual practice. 



This work was specially prepared for use at the Naval 

 Academy at Annapolis, where the need of such a text-book 

 had been felt for several years by officers engaged in teaching 

 marine surveying. The author, having been engaged exclu- 

 sively in surveying work for some six years previous to his 

 assignment to duty at the Naval Academy, was requested by 

 the head of the department of astronomy, navigation, and 

 surveying, to prepare a text-book on the subject of marine 

 surveying to take the place of the one then in use. This 

 volume is the result, and it will without doubt prove valuable 

 not only to students at the academy, but also to others pursuing 

 the same line of study. The methods described and explained 

 in the work have been used in actual practice, with few excep- 

 tions, and have been "found to give satisfactory results. 



The author acknowledges his indebtedness to Lieut-Com- 

 mander Asa Walker, U. S. N., who specially prepared the 

 chapter on projection; and to Wharton's "Hydrographic Sur- 

 veying," whence he takes the method of platting angles by 

 means of chords. The book contains numerous illustrations 

 and diagrams, including two excellent photo-engravings of the 

 sounding-machine on the United States steamer "Ranger," in 

 the chapter on sounding with wire. 



Practical Hints for the Teachers of Public Schools. By George 

 HowLAND. (International Education Series.) New York, 

 Appleton. 16°. 



The several chapters of this work were originally a series of 

 lectures delivered by the author as superintendent of schools 

 in Chicago. They are, as their name indicates, of a purely 

 practical character, with only incidental references to educa- 

 tional theories, and they have been prepared with the special 

 object of assisting teachers in their every-day work. The chief 

 fault of the book is its desultory character, there being little 

 attempt at an orderly development of the thought ; but it is 

 animated by an excellent spirit, and conveys many hints and 

 suggestions that can hardly fail to be useful to bright and 

 progressive teachers. Mr. Howland, we are glad to note, is 

 not so excessively fond of mere method and professional train- 

 ing as some enthusiasts are, but insists more on the character 

 of the teacher and the spirit with which she pursues her work. 

 He remarks that "methods are not for their own sake — they 

 are but means to an end;" and, again, that "the purpose of 

 the public school, as seen in its origin and history, is intellec- 

 tual culture, and those methods only can have a strong and 

 lasting hold on the public mind which best promote this." 

 He has some interesting remarks on school government and 

 discipline, as to which he leans toward leniency rather than 

 severity. He discusses the question of moral instruction in the 

 public schools, which has been so much talked of lately, and 

 shows very clearly that the schools exert a powerful influence 

 on the character and conduct of the pupils, apart from any 

 specific moral instruction. Indeed he speaks slightingly of 

 such instruction, when given in a formal manner, and maintains 

 that morals are best taught by the example of the teacher, 

 the requirements of the lessons, and the social life of the school. 

 Besides these more general topics, Mr. Howland touches on a 

 multitude of points in teaching and school management, 

 showing a thorough knowledge of his subject and a lively interest 

 in it. His book is one that teachers especially will like to 

 read. 



