New-York tribune., 1872-09-17
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
younaESs POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. ocroHEH.


of ROefOlOgyf with which tue picSNhN n"'A'''
oDons presents striking example OF the singular prhc
-, saac,tvof the writer a Judge OF evidence, which
"a scarcely less remarkable than his acuteness IN the
.nalsis OF principles and his sil in the Illustration
of metaphysical subtletes by the facts OF eN-
perionoe One of the greatest impodnnehts 10 the
proeress Of social science. he shows is the uncer-
tainty of historical data. The task OF collecting iaes
from which 10 draw conclusions IS more arduous In It's
sppcation 10 sociology than in other case 1hose'
for instance lately become conscious OF certain
facts are apt 10 suppose that those facts nave iaeH
r,son Whom our attention has been directed TO occur
reuces a. which previously Indifferent the Deho
~ often produced that such occurrences have become
more common This is trnc OF accidents and dis
.ascs A man who has lamcd himself is surprised
t The number n finds Of lame people. II he becomes
iyspeptc he discovers that dyspepsia Is much more
frequent than he had supposed when he was young
For ktndred reason he thinks that servants DO not De
have so well they did during his boyhood not remem-
herring that in shakespeares day the service was repro
bated N comparison with the constant service OF the
ANTIQUE world" As witnesses TO social p-enonena,
men TINS impressed by facts winch did not before I'M
press them become pcrvertcrs OF evidence They
mistake things they have suddenly recognized Tor things
that have suddenly into existence, and thus are
led 10 regard as growing evil or good that which may
- wcl be q diminishing evil or good. For example, a
few generations ago, sobriey was the exception
rather than the rule. man who had never been
drunk was rarity. Condiments were used
that they would not stand, but must
ne held un empticd. A mans worth in part
measured by the number OF bottles he could inbibe
After a reaction had greatly diminished the evil among
the upper and middle ranks there came an open recog-
nitou OF the evil. The Temperance societies which
followed did their share towards further diminishing
H. Then came the Teetotal societies, which made
The evll sim less The accumulated effect Of those
r,uses that among the upper classes the
drinking which was once eIeditaDle became
a disgrace, while among the lower ch'sses'
II hag greatly decreased, and in fact come 90 generally
condemned The acators against H. however, who have
had their ewes and more widely opened to the vice,
assert that the vice not only great but growing ay-
ing IN the of generation essentiauyimtgaedi
by their voluntary efforts, they make themselves
believe and make others believe that it Is too gigantic
dealt with otherwise than by special represslNe en-
actments d" 4 familiar optical illusion well illustrates
The naturc these illusions wdch O.teu deceive socio-
logical iuqurcrs When standing 10y lakeside in the
moonlight you see stretching over tie upplcd surface
toward z; Il, Inuu. "a blrof I-ut which, as shovn by its
nfafcr part consists o flashes from the sides Of separate
waveIcs Yon walk and the bar Of light seems to 20
will you There are, even among cultivated people.
Iaay suppose that this bar Of light has an objective
existence and who believe that II really the
Observe yer mOycs-occasOnally, indeed, rs testify
exrr.,nc surprise at the fact But apart from the OBJ
server. there exists such bar of light; nor when the
Observer there any movement Of this glittering
line o vavcctS. An the dark part Of the surface
Tho udlatIOus are just as bright with moon
hcht 90 those he sees; but the light reflected
th,m docs reach his eyes. Thus though there
Ht iigh ting of wayc.ets and not OF the
rc-i. J t,oull, thc moves. other waveets
Ir ecJe hted tI1t were not lighted before, yet
bot ,ia utterly false sc'mincs. The simple fact
D. t' position in relation 60 certain wIveles brings
Iufg view their reflections OF tue moons light,
Wlfc it keeps Out Of view the like
reflections frou an other waveet-. sociological
evidence s largely yatci by illusions thus caused.
Hatualy the relations OF observers 10 the facts are
such make visible the special, and exceptional, and
sensational, ana leave invisible the commonplace
aud uuincrestrg. which form the great body of the
facts And tls which 4, general OF deceptive
appearances is yariously aided bv those special
ehoye indicated; which cOuspire to make the
dia through which the facts transparent In re-
spcct Of some and opaque in respect Of Others
An interesting paper on Professor Tyn iaI, apropos
of his intention visit this country and deliver
several courses Of Lectures in the chief Atlantic cities,
giycs discriminating ,iew Of his position Of the
original end coqIcn, cXpouudrr- Of modern sci
tnce
A generation hl- now pqsscd away since Dr. Lardner
lcc;,Icd iu the principal towns n The United states TO
lar and Interested audiences, ana t.e impulse he gave
to ihc public mind u creating an Interest upon these
- genera field Of science was the that Of Prof
Indal bat yrcs has made long stride IN tne nt iaSt
have been wholly created within this period. Dr.
Lardncr dlcG the stme year That krchOh ana Bunsen
startled le world 10y tEe announcement of spectrum
Analysis. THIS WIS not only new and splendid reVed-
uon winch has thrown Hood Of hgh upon many oD-
scrrifias o. Nature that science had never before
dreamed Of penetrating but 10 was new and powerful
of future discovery. Moreover, the time OF Lard
ncr new or the energies OF Nature OF most fun
damentai character nave been arrived az Inc IociIe
of the correlation and conservation OF force the high
tsi law u physical ~s1cnct,' says Dr fafadayy Wnch
our faculties permit TO perceiye"-has been
nounccd olucdatcd, and established within the last
generation Dr. Lardncr too early for this subject;
be hco -ed 10 The preceding epoch As Dr Whewel
WI0ic history Of the Of heat without refer
rne the discoveries OF Rumord in the last ceptury-
discoNc. es winch involved complete revolution IN our
cws o. the nature Of that agent wei as Of dynamic
pniiOsolly-so Or. Lfraner went over the ground Of
plete ohyiousncss Of the point Of view that had
even n heen assumed by investigators OF ms own and
But POI. Tyudan belongs 10 the later era: he has
done L share m bringing about, ana is among us
ahlcst rpleseutatvcs. Besides ms original cOntrlbu
o the recent phases Of science by his genius
Tor lucid and eloquent statement be has done perhaps
more than any other man 70 put the new doctrines INTO
popular and attractive form. in his classical volume
tnuted Heat Mode OF Notion he takes the point
Wow cenhltly assuhleu ll hunlOIu dnu has NoIAGo
Dut Tire science OF thermotlcs ON modern basis and IN
harmony with the later views OF the nature of force
energy. A. all who have read his works are aware,
Tynda y more than mere specialist; he Is broad
tbIEkel-.t philosopher of science No man is more
panstdkng OF hcrupuous IN eaDoratng lsOateu Iacts
with accuracy hut thai does not cOnent him. nor Is he
satisfied with the barrow theories that have been aI
lneu 10 themi uut ne stilNes alter thOse Wdef ana
deeper explanations by which diverse phenomena are
brought INTO harmonzed relations. The various phys
cal forces interesting 10 him IN their pure phenom
enal wOrsuc> but they have larger interest as clues
departments. MUlar Physics treats OF the movements
and mechanical properties OF the revolutions
aOd attractions of the celestial Orbs, the laws OF
tOn terrestrial bodies. Molecular Physics, the
deals with the suhtler OF magnetism
heat hight, electricity, and affinity, by which the inner
nature Of matter affected aud its prOiOundest changes
brought about 1t Is this division aspect OF physics
that has mainly engaged the attention OF Prof IyndaL
His scientific reputation made by researches
the nc1 Of magnetism and MS original papers upon tins
Gsclai phenomena have also been favorte objects OF
STUDY win him. Involving as they do the molecular