﻿386 
  Scientific 
  Intelligence. 
  

  

  that 
  the 
  latter 
  act 
  as 
  a 
  kind 
  of 
  safety 
  valve 
  to 
  the 
  former 
  when 
  

   the 
  intensity 
  of 
  excitation 
  becomes 
  very 
  great. 
  

  

  4. 
  It 
  is 
  suggested 
  that 
  the 
  " 
  isolated 
  components" 
  are 
  not 
  a 
  

   direct 
  product 
  of 
  the 
  electrical 
  resolution, 
  but 
  are 
  in 
  reality 
  an 
  

   extension 
  of 
  the 
  helium 
  spectrum. 
  Two 
  of 
  these 
  lines 
  may 
  per- 
  

   haps 
  be 
  represented 
  as 
  lines 
  of 
  combination 
  series. 
  — 
  Proc. 
  Roy. 
  

   Soc, 
  95 
  A, 
  30, 
  1918. 
  h. 
  s. 
  u. 
  

  

  7. 
  From 
  Nebula 
  to 
  Nebula. 
  Fourth 
  Edition; 
  by 
  George 
  

   Henry 
  Lepper. 
  Pp. 
  401. 
  Pittsburgh, 
  1919 
  (The 
  Author). 
  — 
  

   "The 
  object 
  of 
  this 
  work 
  is 
  twofold: 
  (1) 
  to 
  present 
  a 
  re-valu- 
  

   ation 
  of 
  the 
  time-honored 
  doctrines 
  upon 
  which 
  modern 
  theo- 
  

   retical 
  astronomy 
  is 
  based, 
  and 
  (2) 
  having 
  shown 
  wherein 
  they 
  

   are 
  defective, 
  to 
  propose 
  a 
  new 
  and 
  far 
  more 
  comprehensive 
  sys- 
  

   tem 
  revealing 
  the 
  entire 
  visible 
  universe 
  in 
  the 
  philosophic 
  aspect 
  

   of 
  a 
  single 
  organic 
  unit 
  co-ordinated 
  throughout, 
  as 
  a 
  priori 
  it 
  

   must 
  be, 
  by 
  a 
  single 
  dynamical 
  force. 
  ' 
  ' 
  

  

  The 
  author 
  explains 
  practically 
  all 
  celestial 
  phenomena 
  by 
  

   the 
  conception 
  of 
  the 
  "stellar 
  resultant," 
  which 
  seems 
  to 
  mean 
  

   the 
  resultant 
  force 
  acting 
  on 
  any 
  mass 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  gravitational 
  

   attraction 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  stars 
  and 
  other 
  masses 
  in 
  the 
  universe. 
  The 
  

   line 
  along 
  which 
  the 
  solar 
  system, 
  or 
  any 
  component 
  member 
  of 
  

   this 
  system, 
  is 
  supposed 
  to 
  be 
  constrained 
  to 
  move 
  by 
  virtue 
  of 
  

   the 
  stellar 
  resultant 
  is 
  called 
  the 
  ' 
  ' 
  prime 
  resultant. 
  ' 
  ' 
  The 
  severe 
  

   adverse 
  criticisms 
  of 
  Newton 
  and 
  astronomers 
  in 
  general 
  are, 
  for 
  

   the 
  most 
  part, 
  absolutely 
  unfair 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  based 
  on 
  false 
  pre- 
  

   mises 
  and 
  glaring 
  misconceptions. 
  On 
  page 
  seven 
  the 
  attraction 
  

   of 
  the 
  earth 
  on 
  the 
  moon 
  is 
  expressed 
  in 
  horse-power, 
  and 
  confu- 
  

   sion 
  starts 
  as 
  a 
  consequence 
  of 
  complete 
  ignorance 
  concerning 
  

   vector 
  subtraction, 
  the 
  true 
  nature 
  of 
  centripetal 
  acceleration, 
  

   the 
  action 
  of 
  constraints, 
  etc. 
  On 
  page 
  fifteen 
  we 
  find: 
  "It 
  is 
  

   not 
  the 
  law 
  of 
  the 
  inverse 
  square 
  that 
  our 
  astronomers 
  employ 
  in 
  

   their 
  computations, 
  but 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  inverse 
  2- 
  0000001574 
  power 
  !" 
  

   Again 
  (p. 
  96) 
  : 
  "In 
  a 
  word, 
  Newtonians 
  while 
  ostensibly 
  repre- 
  

   senting 
  the 
  circulating 
  body 
  as 
  traveling 
  on 
  the 
  strength 
  of 
  its 
  

   inertia, 
  actually 
  treat 
  it 
  as 
  self-motored, 
  i. 
  e., 
  as 
  persistent, 
  while 
  

   I 
  frankly 
  face 
  the 
  truth 
  and 
  cite 
  the 
  Prime 
  Resultant 
  as 
  the 
  

   centrifugal 
  agent." 
  With 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  principle 
  of 
  the 
  degra- 
  

   dation 
  of 
  energy 
  the 
  author 
  expresses 
  his 
  sentiments 
  in 
  the 
  fol- 
  

   lowing 
  words: 
  "College 
  professors 
  who 
  have 
  grown 
  gray 
  in 
  the 
  

   teaching 
  of 
  this 
  vicious 
  and 
  altogether 
  erroneous 
  doctrine 
  have 
  

   doubtless 
  become 
  hardened 
  to 
  its 
  monstrosity, 
  for 
  they 
  seem 
  to 
  

   proclaim 
  it 
  in 
  and 
  out 
  of 
  season 
  with 
  every 
  mark 
  of 
  proud 
  pater- 
  

   nils 
  !" 
  The 
  volume 
  does 
  not 
  contain 
  an 
  index 
  but 
  it 
  closes 
  with 
  

   blank 
  pages 
  headed 
  "Notations." 
  n. 
  s. 
  u. 
  

  

  8. 
  Elements 
  of 
  Astronomy, 
  Revised 
  Edition; 
  by 
  Charles 
  A. 
  

   YouNr;. 
  Pp. 
  \. 
  464 
  -f- 
  42, 
  figures 
  159, 
  maps 
  4. 
  Boston, 
  1919 
  

   (Ginn 
  and 
  Co.). 
  — 
  This 
  excellent 
  text 
  first 
  appeared 
  in 
  the 
  year 
  

   1889, 
  and 
  ii 
  was 
  thoroughly 
  revised 
  by 
  its 
  author 
  in 
  1897. 
  

  

  