﻿Chemistry 
  and 
  Physics. 
  169 
  

  

  characterized 
  by 
  accuracy 
  and 
  succinctness, 
  and 
  the 
  entire 
  text 
  

   is 
  as 
  rigorous 
  as 
  possible 
  for 
  an 
  elementary 
  book. 
  The 
  diagrams 
  

   are 
  clear 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  point, 
  italic 
  and 
  clarendon 
  type 
  are 
  frequently 
  

   used 
  for 
  emphasis, 
  and 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  misprints 
  is 
  negligible. 
  

   On 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  the 
  innovations 
  in 
  terminology 
  frequently 
  

   introduced 
  by 
  the 
  authors 
  may 
  not 
  be 
  pleasing 
  to 
  all 
  readers. 
  

   For 
  example, 
  the 
  terms 
  "spin-inertia," 
  " 
  spin-velocity," 
  and 
  "spin 
  

   acceleration 
  " 
  are 
  substituted 
  for 
  moment 
  of 
  inertia, 
  angular 
  

   velocity, 
  and 
  angular 
  acceleration, 
  respectively. 
  The 
  opinion 
  is 
  

   advanced 
  (on 
  page 
  285) 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  unsuggestive 
  to 
  speak 
  of 
  charg- 
  

   ing 
  an 
  electric 
  condenser 
  but 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  extremely 
  suggestive 
  to 
  

   speak 
  of 
  "squeezing" 
  a 
  condenser. 
  The 
  statement 
  (p. 
  33) 
  that 
  

  

  "The 
  limiting 
  value 
  of 
  — 
  £ 
  is 
  always 
  represented 
  by 
  -~ 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  " 
  

  

  must 
  refer 
  to 
  the 
  succeeding 
  pages 
  of 
  the 
  book 
  since 
  the 
  symbol 
  

   y 
  does 
  not 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  become 
  obsolete, 
  especially 
  with 
  English 
  

   writers. 
  Nevertheless, 
  as 
  implied 
  by 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  foregoing 
  com- 
  

   ments, 
  the 
  book, 
  as 
  a 
  whole, 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  valuable 
  contribution 
  

   to 
  the 
  pedagogy 
  of 
  the 
  subject. 
  h. 
  s. 
  u. 
  

  

  1. 
  Cosmical 
  Involution, 
  Critical 
  and 
  Constructive. 
  Second 
  

   Edition; 
  by 
  Evan 
  McLennan. 
  Pp. 
  xxi, 
  490. 
  Corvallis, 
  1916 
  

   (The 
  Author). 
  — 
  The 
  copy 
  of 
  this 
  book 
  submitted 
  for 
  review 
  was 
  

   accompanied 
  by 
  a 
  circular 
  from 
  which 
  a 
  few 
  quotations 
  will 
  be 
  

   made 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  presenting 
  the 
  author's 
  point 
  of 
  view. 
  

   "This 
  book 
  comprises 
  the 
  principal 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  author's 
  life-work, 
  

   continued 
  over 
  a 
  period 
  of 
  about 
  forty 
  years." 
  "It 
  contains 
  

   undoubtedly 
  the 
  most 
  complete 
  and 
  destructive 
  criticism 
  of 
  the 
  

   accepted 
  fundamental 
  views 
  of 
  physical 
  science 
  that 
  has 
  ever 
  been 
  

   published 
  ; 
  and 
  it 
  also 
  contains 
  an 
  equally 
  complete 
  constructive 
  

   theory." 
  "To 
  all 
  those 
  who 
  receive 
  this 
  book 
  for 
  review 
  .... 
  

   the 
  author 
  earnestly 
  and 
  finally 
  appeals 
  for 
  an 
  impartial 
  and 
  ade- 
  

   quate 
  treatment 
  of 
  it." 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  winter 
  of 
  1914-15 
  the 
  final 
  manuscript 
  was 
  given 
  a 
  criti- 
  

   cal 
  examination 
  by 
  the 
  heads 
  of 
  the 
  physical 
  departments 
  of 
  four 
  

   of 
  the 
  principal 
  colleges 
  of 
  the 
  western 
  United 
  States. 
  " 
  All 
  of 
  

   the 
  results 
  of 
  this 
  examination, 
  for 
  which 
  permission 
  to 
  publish 
  

   has 
  been 
  obtained, 
  are 
  given 
  in 
  Appendix 
  A, 
  together 
  with 
  the 
  

   author's 
  replies 
  thereto." 
  The 
  opinion 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  physicists 
  is 
  

   summed 
  up, 
  on 
  page 
  408, 
  in 
  the 
  following 
  words: 
  "In 
  reading 
  

   over 
  your 
  first 
  part 
  I 
  have 
  not 
  found 
  one 
  single 
  argument 
  that 
  is 
  

   valid. 
  In 
  some 
  cases 
  you 
  have 
  misunderstood 
  the 
  facts, 
  in 
  others 
  

   you 
  have 
  drawn 
  conclusions 
  that 
  are 
  not 
  warranted 
  by 
  the 
  facts 
  

   and 
  in 
  many 
  cases 
  you 
  have 
  quibbled 
  over 
  or 
  misunderstood 
  

   definitions 
  of 
  terms 
  which 
  are 
  the 
  most 
  elementary 
  foundation 
  of 
  

   physical 
  science 
  and 
  which 
  are 
  verified 
  experimentally 
  thousands 
  

   of 
  times 
  every 
  year 
  in 
  laboratories." 
  The 
  writer 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  

   notice 
  has 
  fully 
  verified 
  this 
  adverse 
  criticism, 
  but 
  has 
  found 
  it 
  

   to 
  be 
  altogether 
  too 
  mild 
  and 
  considerate. 
  In 
  our. 
  opinion 
  the 
  

   only 
  use 
  to 
  which 
  the 
  text 
  can 
  be 
  put 
  is 
  to 
  furnish 
  teachers 
  of 
  

   elementary 
  logic 
  with 
  numerous 
  simple 
  illustrations 
  of 
  logical 
  

   fallacies. 
  * 
  h. 
  s. 
  u. 
  

  

  Am. 
  Jour. 
  Sci. 
  — 
  Fourth 
  Series, 
  Vol. 
  XLIV, 
  No. 
  254.— 
  February, 
  1917. 
  

   12 
  

  

  