EDITORIAL NOTES. 



63 



cd for the ensuing year, and other appropri- 

 ate exercises. 



The London Monthly Journal of Science, 

 one of the standard scientific periodicals of 

 the old world, has again complimented the 

 Review by copying from its columns the able 

 article of Prof. Nipher, of St. Louis, on "Our 

 Conceptions of Physical Law," published in 

 the January, 1879, issue. As this is the third 

 time in less than one year that it has bor- 

 rowed an article from us, we feel constrained 

 to regard it as very flattering to so young and 

 so Western a journal. 



The May number of Harper's Magazine 

 is very richly illustrated, containing over 100 

 engravings that may confidently challenge 

 comparison. The illustrated subjects offer 

 unusual opportunities for picturesque treat- 

 ment. Among the very many excellent arti- 

 cles, none exceeds in interest to the lover of 

 art that upon "The Study of Art in Boston" 

 — an admirable and comprehensive treatment 

 of the subject by George P. Lathrop, with 

 twenty-eight fine illustrations. After show- 

 ing what, and by what methods, the student 

 in the Boston schools learns of Art, the re- 

 mainder of the paper is a description of the 

 Boston Art Museum, with its principal and 

 subsidiary art schools. William Blaikie's pa- 

 per on '' The Risks of Athletic Work" is 

 timely and important — well worth the 

 thoughtful perusal of all college students 

 and others who are liable to be carried away 

 by the recent tide of muscular strain which is 

 upon us. The "Editor's Easy Chair," be- 

 sides much that is interesting in the way of 

 social and literary gossip, has a timely discus- 

 sion of the present outlook of the question of 

 international copyright. The " Literary Rec- 

 ord " is ample and incisive. The " Scientific 

 Record," with its full review of scientific 

 progress, meets a want not otherwise as well 

 ministered to in current literature ; and the 

 " Editor's Drawer" contains a rich fund of 

 amusement for every class of readers. 



The discussion in the North American Re- 

 view for May of the question of " Law or De- 

 sign in Nature," by such able, learned and 



liberal men as Prof. Newcomb, Prest. Noah 

 Porter, Rev. James Cook, James Freeman 

 Clarke, D. D., and President James McCosh, 

 is one that must necessarily be productive of 

 good in settling the hitherto irreconcilable 

 points of difference and questions of belief 

 between scientists and theologians, from the 

 fact that they will be compelled to state the 

 points under discussion plainly and clearly to 

 start with, and to confine themselves to them 

 afterward. It will also be a means of driv- 

 ing off many of the bugaboo notions of cer- 

 tain good people who seem afraid to have the 

 long revered teachings of the Bible ventilated 

 and examined under the light of late scientific 

 discoveries. 



The article on " Recent Progress in Ap- 

 plied Science," by Prof. Henry Morton, is 

 highly interesting and readable. 



We learn from Science News that Prof. J. 

 H. Allen, of the Zoological Museum at Cam- 

 bridge, Mass., has a work in press upon the 

 Primipedia or "fin-footed" marine mammals, 

 such as the sea-elephant, whales, seals, wal- 

 ruses, dolphins, etc., which is the most elab- 

 orate that has ever appeared upon the sub- 

 ject ; giving classification, description and geo- 

 graphical distribution of each species, as well 

 as geological history of the group. This is a 

 department of science never before fully writ- 

 ten up, and we await the appearance of the 

 work with great interest. 



From the three numbers of the Index Med- 

 Icus — edited by Dr. John Billings, U. S. A., 

 and Dr. Robert Fletcher, M. R. C. S., of Eng- 

 land — which have been received up to this 

 time, we are satisfied that it will be a most 

 useful and valuable work to physicians every- 

 where, and we know that its preparation in so 

 good a form must be a very laborious task for 

 its editors and compilers. Washington, D. C, 

 $5 per annum. 



Both the United Service, which is a hand- 

 some magazine, devoted to military and naval 

 matters, and Sunday Afternoon, to which we 

 have several times referred as the best thing 

 of the kind published in the country, contain 

 strong articles on arctic exploration and the 



