The Portland daily press., 1876-01-29
Recent Publications.

THE NATURE OF LIGHT, with a General Account Of
Physical Optics. By DR.. Eugene Lommel. New
York: D. Appleton & Co. For sale by Bailey g.
Noyes.
''The Nature of Light forms the eighteenth
volume of the admirable International Seien.
tifc Series. DR.. Lommel, the author, is pro-
fessor of physics in the university of Erlangen
and is high authority on the subject of optics.
His topic is thoroughly treated, as might be
expected, and nothing is left out Of account
that concerns the consideration of the various
phenomena of light, the laws that govern
these, and their practical application. The
style of treatment is vigorous and concise,
though its clearness is sometimes marred by
obscure use of language, attributable doubt
less to the translation from one tongue to an.
other and not to any obscurity of thought.
The book is an able presentation of the pres
ent state of knowledge concerning light, and
gives clear and satisfactory view of the facts
of physical optics which, are of most interest
to the general reader. The first fourteen chap
ters are given to demonstration of the laws
of reflection, refraction, depression and alb.
sorption of light. In the fifteenth chapter
the undulatory theory is treated of at length,
and favored as furnishing the most satisfactory
explanation of the various phenomena In
succeeding chapters the laws of light are still
further set forth and commented upon, the
action of heat, an allied form of the same
force, is touched upon, and an admirable ex.
position of spectrum analysis is given. Through
out the work the use Of mathematical demon
stration has been avoided as far as possible,
and the text is materially elucidated by the
employment of nearly two hundred ilustra-
tions, and plate of spectra in chromolithog-
Iaphy.
THE AMERICAN STATE AND AMERICAN STATES
MEN. By William Giles Dix. Boston: Estes &
Lauriat. For sale by Dresser, MLellan s. Co.
This is heretical book, and for that reason
as well as on account of the truth and keen ar
gument it contains will be widely read and
provoke lively discussion. 1t is in effect an
argument in favor of that political theory
which has come to be known as "Nationalism"
but Nation alism carried to excess. MIR. Dix
declares that our present form of government
is an unsuccessful experiment, that Federalism
is the source of great perils and is constant
menace of civil war. and that our only safety
is in new constitution which shall blot out all
state lines while preserving the fullest freedom
of the citizen. He has much else to say, words
of praise for Abraham Lincoln and Charles
Sumner, sentences of condemnation of the ma
terialism which he declares to be our curse, but
his main theme, to which he ever recurs, is
Nationalism.
ATHENAGoRAs. Edited for Schools and Colleges. By
f. A. March, LII. D. New York: Harper g.
Rrot thara Eor cal Inv TOriuo
AS the fourth volume of the Douglass series
of Greek and Latin Christian writers the Har-
pers bring out the Plea for Christians and Ar
gument for the Resurrection of the Dead, of
Athenagoras. Both these treatses stand in
the first rank of apologetical writings, and
have the advantage for the classical student of
being written in good Greek. AS to the argu-
ment for the unity of God which occurs in the
Plea our Trnitaran colleges must settle
that for themselves. The text used is that of
Otto. The text embraces but eighty pages out
of 262 The remaining pages are given to life
of Atheuagoras, an account of his style and
diction, analyses of the two treatises, and very
full analytical, grammatical and explanatory
notes, these last by Prof. W. B. Owen of La
fayette College.
THRIFT. By Samuel Smiles. New York: Harper
s. Brothers. For sale by Loring, Short & Har-
mon.
Thrift is announced as a sequel to Self
Help" and Character" but it is more in the
nature of companion volume The object Of
the book is announced to be to induce men to
employ their means for worthy purposes and
not to waste them upon selfish indulgencies
Whether the four hundred pages of platitudes
which make up the volume will accomplish