240 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. XI. No. 276 



.Practical Education. By Charles G. Leland. London, Whit- 

 taker. 12°. 



This is an essentially vicious book. In these days, when all en- 

 lightened educators are calling for meat, it is an outrage to offer 

 them such a stone as this. It is the more vicious because it is 

 offered in the guise of a contribution to the literature of the new 

 ■education. Some things in it are good, many are non.sensical, and 

 all are superficial. There is no grasp of education shown in it, no 

 psychological power, and no connected account of any successful 

 practical experience. The number of times that the words ' I,' ' my,' 

 ' mine,' ' me,' etc., occur is sufficiently numerous — or sufficiently 

 innumerable — to characterize the work. It contains no reference, 

 at least no intelligent reference, to the manual-training movement 

 which is revolutionizing the American schools and the traditional 

 course of study. It offers no suggestions as to the co-ordination in 

 various grades of schools of ' industrial-art education ' and the ordi- 

 nary studies. 



We fear that the title of this book may commend it to the atten- 

 tion of many who are conscientiously studying contemporary edu- 

 cational thought. We warn such readers that Mr. Leland's book 

 is superficial, that it is crude, that it is representative of no impor- 

 tant educational movement. Some of the points on which the 

 author touches are in themselves commendable, and have been 

 taken up by other writers. When this has happened, they have 

 xisually been based on some educational principle. With the author 

 ■of this book they seem to be mere ' flashes in the pan.' He has not 

 discovered that an ' art-writer ' and an ' educator ' are not neces- 

 sarily convertible terms. 



NOTES AND NEWS. 



The first number of the journal of the American Folk-Lore 

 Society, which was recently organized, has just been issued under 

 the title The Joiirnal of American Folk-Lore. It shows how 

 much work may be accomplished by a society of this character, and 

 that the establishment of a centre for collecting the fast-vanishing 

 remains of American lore was a necessity. The journal is devoted 

 to the study of the relics of Old English lore, as well as to that of 

 the Indians, negroes, and other immigrants, and the first number 

 •contains articles on each of these subjects. Prof. T. F. Crane con- 

 tributes a paper on the theory of the diffusion of popular tales, 

 while H. Carrington Bolton gives an interesting collection of the 

 counting-out rhymes of children. The general editor, Mr. W. W. 

 Newell, studies the alleged Vaudoux (Voodoo) worship and child- 

 sacrifice in Hayti, and arrives at the conclusion that it is the old 

 superstition regarding the Waldenses that has been transplanted to 

 America. The Vaudoux of Hayti are the Waldenses of France, the 

 -word having been introduced in the seventeenth century ; and the al- 

 leged practices of the latter are now ascribed to the Vaudoux. The 

 second half of the volume is devoted to Indian lore. Dr. D. G. Brin- 

 ton gives some remarks on the Lenape, Rev. W. M. Beauchamp re- 

 lates tales of the Onondaga, while Rev. J. Owen Dorsey and Dr. F. 

 Boas have articles on myths and customs of Dakota and British 

 •Columbian tribes. Much interesting and valuable information has 

 been collected in the ' Folk-Lore Scrap-Book,' and students will 

 find the bibliographical notes very useful. The first number of the 

 journal augurs well for the development and usefulness of the 

 society. 



— Records of about 3,500 orders received by A. A. Marks, New 

 York, for an artificial arm or leg are found sufficiently full to enable 

 them to be tabulated for statistical purposes. Of all the artificial limbs 

 made by the firm, 85 per cent are legs, and 1 5 per cent arms. This 

 small percentage for arms may be explained by the fact that fewer 

 persons who have lost their arms supply themselves with artificials 

 than those who have lost their lower extremities, inasmuch as it is 

 easier for a man to go through this world with one arm than with 

 one leg ; and, besides, an artificial arm for amputation above the 

 elbow is of so little service, aside from appearance, that few persons 

 with amputations above the elbow ever use them. Taking these 

 facts into consideration, the percentages referring to arms cannot 

 be regarded of very much value in estimating the comparative res- 

 t orations of the upper and lower extremities. Of all the legs taken 

 into consideration, 49 per cent are right, 46 per cent are left, and 5 



per cent both. The above figures show that the proportion of right 

 legs amputated to left is nearly even, with the small difference of 

 three per cent in favor gf the right. Seventy-eight per cent of legs 

 amputated are of males, and twenty-two per cent of females. The 

 proportion for double amputations of males is nearly double that 

 of females. This may be explained by the fact that males are more 

 frequently placed in jeopardy than females. Over one-half of all 

 the amputations are between the knee and ankle, with a larger per- 

 centage for males. Of all the arms manufactured by the firm, 

 ninety-two per cent are for males, and eight per cent for females. 



— A. H. Worthen, State geologist of Illinois, is dead. 



— Mrs. Emma W. Hayden has given to the Academy of Natural 

 Sciences of Philadelphia, in trust, the sum of twenty-five hundred 

 dollars, to be known as the Hayden Memorial Geological Fund, in 

 commemoration of her husband, the late Prof. Ferdinand V. Hay- 

 den, LL.D. According to the terms of the trust, a bronze medal, 

 and the balance of the interest arising from the fund, are to be 

 awarded annually for the best publication, exploration, discovery, or 

 research in the sciences of geology and paleontology, or in such 

 particular branches thereof as may be designated. The award, and 

 all matters connected therewith, are to be determined by a com- 

 mittee to be selected in an appropriate manner by the academy. 

 The recognition is not to be confined to American naturalists. 



— Two living buffaloes, the gilt of Fish Commissioner Blackford 

 of this city have been added to the small collection of animals 

 gathered in the Smithsonian grounds in Washington during the past 

 few months. A bill has already been introduced into Congress for 

 the purchase of a large tract of the beautiful suburban lands lying 

 along Rock Creek, just outside of the city limits of Washington, 

 and the establishment upon it of a government zoological garden. 

 The bill may not be passed this year, but the few living animals 

 now in possession of the National Museum are no doubt the nucleus 

 of what will in a few years be a very important national zoological 

 collection. Professor Hornaday has been made curator of living 

 animals. 



— An exhibition of the first year's industrial work in the Wash- 

 ington public schools will be given at the close of the present month. 

 Professor Powell, the superintendent, does not expect to make as 

 brilliant a display as that recently made in Philadelphia, and in 

 other cities where manual training was introduced earlier ; but he 

 will show astonishing results, when it is considered that only five 

 thousand dollars has been spent in fitting up shops and cooking- 

 schools, and a year's expenses, including materials used, and that 

 the pupils whose work will be exhibited have had instruction only 

 one hour a week for a year. 



— A geographical society has been formed in Peru for the pur- 

 pose of collecting and publishing information regarding Peru. The 

 society, which will be known by the name ' Geographical Society of 

 Lima,' counts a number of eminent explorers and scientists of 

 South America among its founding members. 



— The Government of Ontario is about to take more energetic 

 measures for the development of its mines, and as a preliminary 

 step has appointed a royal commission to inquire into and report 

 upon the subject. Members of the commission are Dr. R. Bell of 

 the Canadian Geological Survey ; W. H. Merritt, mining engineer ; 

 W. Coe, proprietor of the Madoc iron-mines ; and A. Blue, deputy 

 minister of agriculture ; while John Charlton is chairman. 



LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. 



•** Corresf>ondeilis are requested to be as brie/ as />ossible. The writer s name is 

 in all cases required as proof o/ sood faith . 



Twenty copies of the number containing kis communication wilt be furnished 

 free to any correspondent on request. 



The editor will be glad to publish any queries consonant with the character of 

 the journal. 



Is the Rainfall increasing on the Plains ? 



Mr. Curtis does a service in calling attention to the serious 

 error in the rainfall record of Fort Leavenworth for January, 187 1 

 and 1872. It is to be hoped that any errors of this kind will be 

 similarly pointed out. 



