708 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



advanced about evenly with the advance in 

 total enrollment, and in the towns it has 

 increased twenty per cent, while the total 

 enrollment has fallen off nine per cent. The 

 results of inquiries into the compulsory edu- 

 cational methods of England, France, and 

 Germany are reported. More attention to 

 purely professional work in the examination 

 of teachers is recommended. The superin- 

 tendent is accustomed, in accordance with 

 the law of the State, to indorse the certifi- 

 cates and diplomas issued by State superin- 

 tendents and normal schools in other States ; 

 and he has had some correspondence with 

 other superintendents with reference to a 

 general understanding on this matter. The 

 responses have not been as general or as 

 satisfactory as was desired. The superin- 

 tendent believes that the movement in favor 

 of the manual-training system has been re- 

 tarded by the fact that " the kinds of indus- 

 trial work which have been pushed forward 

 were such as seemed incongruous with school 

 work and gave small promise of assimilat- 

 ing with it " ; and he regards free-hand 

 drawing as offering a simple and practicable 

 means of reaching the same end. Consider- 

 able space in the report is occupied with the 

 discussion of questions concerning school 

 libraries. Several valuable documents are 

 included among the " Exhibits " and in the 

 appendix. 



The Modern Science Essayist. Monthly. 

 Boston : The New Ideal Publishing Com- 

 pany. Ten cents a number, one dollar a 

 volume of twelve numbers. 



This periodical has been established as a 

 medium for the publication of essays and 

 lectures presenting the modern scientific or 

 evolutionary aspect of various subjects. 

 Each number contains one essay. The six 

 numbers before us contain the first six of 

 the fifteen lectures on different phases of 

 evolution, delivered before the Brooklyn 

 Ethical Association last winter. These lect- 

 ures followed a logical order. The first two 

 were biographical sketches of the two great 

 men whose names are most intimately asso- 

 ciated with the evolution hypothesis — Her- 

 bert Spencer and Charles Robert Darwin, 

 the former by Daniel G. Thompson and the 

 latter by Rev. John W. Chadwick. The 

 third is on " Solar and Planetary Evolution," 



by Garrett P. Serviss, and is illustrated. 

 This is followed by "Evolution of the 

 Earth," by Lewis G. Janes ; " Evolution of 

 Vegetal Life," by William Potts ; and " Evo- 

 lution of Animal Life," by Rossiter W. 

 Raymond. The plan of the series included 

 lectures on the descent of man, evolution of 

 mind, society, theology, and morals ; proofs 

 of evolution, its philosophy, and its rela- 

 tions to religious thought and the coming 

 civilization. In undertaking to present to 

 its members and the public in a popular 

 form the leading ideas of the evolution 

 philosophy, this association has entered upon 

 a work in harmony with the most enlight- 

 ened spirit of the time, which can not fail 

 to produce beneficial and gratifying results. 

 The lectures of last winter were delivered by 

 men having special fitness for dealing with 

 the subjects assigned to them, and each 

 furnishes an excellent introduction to a 

 course of reading on its special topic. We 

 learn that the association is to conduct a 

 similar series of lectures next season, and 

 that its success has led to the formation of 

 similar organizations in various parts of the 

 country. 



Amu ai. Report of the Board of Regents 

 of the Smithsonian Institution, for the 

 Year ending June 30, 1886. Part I. 

 Washington: Government Printing-Office. 

 Pp. 878, with Plates. 



Besides the operations of the Institution 

 itself and of the National Museum and Bu- 

 reau of Ethnology, which are regularly under 

 its charge, this report includes sketches of 

 the work of the United States Fish Commis- 

 sion and Geological Survey, which, though 

 independent of the Institution, are related 

 to it in line of work. Not so much as usual 

 is recorded in the way of explorations — partly 

 because the work has been completed in 

 many of the districts, and partly because 

 means have been lacking for beginning new 

 enterprises of any magnitude. The list of 

 publications, besides bibliographies and cata- 

 logues, includes several works and mono- 

 graphs of importance and general interest. 

 The development of the National Museum, as 

 measured by the acquisition of fifteen hun- 

 dred lots of specimens, was unexpectedly 

 great. Besides the central reference library 

 of the museum, sectional libraries have been 

 established in the scientific departments. In 



