, 1877-11-24
Holiday and Juvenile Books--Auto-
biography---British Poets---
Californian Pictures.
n, Sad Story of Caroline Matilda and
Strucnssc-" L'Art".-Art.
Notes.
Tho Earthworm --- Bird Pairing --- De.
struction Of Birds by Telegraph
Wres-.Poisonous Grasses.


LhA " thG
MONEY AND lrS LAWS.
coSrY AMI ITS Laws: EAnHAclHH 4 11isrunY
~ Mn~ETAar TMEonlfH. ,Asn lf'sroHr or
!ns crnnES:nn" e.. o, NJ ..T Ts! gs.rfo sr.Ess ~
-Four.
Mr, Henry V. Poor, Who has hitherto been
known 10 the public US The editor aud oc ot
the publishers Of an excellent ratlroa'i manual,
now appears In more ambitious part. as tic
.uthof of II treatise ou "Moncy mud Its Laws"
The literature Of this subject Is nlrea.1y pro-
dIsiot., aud Mr. Poor has added to 1t bulky
uctaso Of more than GU pagcs Its contents
are arranged nntier three hcals. A discussion
of tIr laws Of monry ovctplcs 6t pages: tho
succeeding 3U arc filled With tho his
turf Ut mnnetAry theories, currency and banking
III the United States take up i36 more; anll
following these III an nrpendiE, arc brtct papers
vn the question Of double standard, and the
method Of resumption, aud The amount VI gold
required for II.
Ttle npul Of currency literature has been
characterized from the beginning with 10 nl,ci,
doc,uatlst,, aud 50 little of the scientific spirit
,lat ha~ nade sucll progress Of late years in the
comparative study Ut other SUBJECTS, that the
prrsacc VI Nr. Peor's hook IL depressing in the
cxtrytue. In It We arr told that the subject Of
money las been trcatcll by tie author rs con,-
Ink wst!iu tho rnnge of the cxart sciences, and
TINT Ills conclusions nrc assune,i to be ia the
nature Of demonstrations. Tllcsc wholly con-
irMlIct those laid down In the
teoks, md arccptcd Us fundamental
truths for more than 2,Gl3 yeurs;
but this Is ltic TO the fact that tnc subject,
which could yield only tu rigid analysis, has
becu treated by tho nnt.1nr's predecessors after
The manner Of Aristutle and the Schools. Mr.
Gladstone has declared that tile study OF the
rntjcrt Of n1uacy las been fruitful calsc Of
insanity. Tic opening sentence Of AIR. Poor's
discussion VI the laws u money Is Of charae-
ter to produce tnclnnrl,o1sa. Lie declares that
"lhc frs; lump Of gold or silver dug irou, the
carlIl, as tooH US It's beauty aud uses we're dis
played, utranle tfc ubjcvt Of universal ndhlira-
tion; cacl bclloiler sought to become Its owner
by exchanging therefor such articles, Of
merchandise or property Ms he possessed,
tut necessary to his immediate wants."
No. particle vi cyIdence Is brought for
ward to sustain tls remarkable statement
with rcgar.1 to tho first cxhutnel lumps Of goli
aud s9lycr, uxrcpt q reference to tic much.
aritcsi Buos Ut Genesis, which Ia tIcll to prove
thai thu precious metals were Of established Use
from the very crenttou Of the world. Father
De- Stnct terort1s that lc found lntllAns tn the
h'isnI'orhnol Of the Isocky Mountains who
knew The svrret Ut tile location Of priceless dc.
lt.lls ut gnd, which tlsey valued hut little lnUrc
than p.b1!es. Tl.cy gave !: lo httn freely; aud
thr stotl Father, to sayu them from. thu DIS
n1,sct,ys !nroa. is of rapactous whites, taught
lem So successfully To cntrcal their gold that
tlls tiay tts p!icc remains unknown. Thu
!n!tais VI tho West 1ndlcs roMprchcntlcl so
viii, which the Spaniasls sought for gold,
That they tried by wnra|,ip to prupi.
tllte what they thought must he God. Mr.
foog's theory, thai supreme, instructive pref
crrses !nr gold exists u thu ttun.at mind satl'
mt nc accepted upan Ills assert'on. Fultaire
might hc ,ndu!gcd IN writing history without
Flstng nls references. but not sir Poor. Tic
existence of tuvh words as capital. which has
hs or't.n II. tbs ti1ston. os reeko''ln: property
slHlIur saur,y. together with q multitude of
tsslretly familiar taets, aru CouA evidence that
i''s s.sttcuc preference ot nen vas uot. either
'aS1s ff oF deF ihe sosst for S91 ,,x ana silver
That ' liz uaaioriu,'ate be,pss VIC sHo
tesote the,r lives to tho qualification Of a SUI
p'ells preference Tor gold and silver usually
show themselves to be. III most respects, mural
!nohsttrs arc nutcasts from society, aud nru
Known W the dctcstable mime Of misers. This
a"H,k IL built upon this ialse l'ass. On page q
original ana universal attractyoness which tho
tretl00& metals have fur tue race. that nearly
a. 81 tls errors III monetary science have asisen.h
ne ualty !lic u every human being. with thu
exception VI the moral monsters We hare stoksn
o.. antl trw sayagcs. HE tbs Gent0Ds Mr.. Poor
mentions, IL continuous demonstration OF the
universal prcteret'ee of lnch fos other forms ol
PEoheEty thau gold unI silver.
uuF AnthHr knows llD fenr. He next states
that tie valuc Of tho precious metals to abso
!iltc, dcpendinE UPON one condition-t.osl. Thli
.ay ,hs9fy VIII hsrlls ht the drop lu t4e sllve'
;naISet eaGseu by the Trccnt salc BY Germany
neiow the fixed prlrs VI IS pence per u,1nce; noi
u consistent With the meaning ot words. Al
absul9te S2lus is G1uare EtFrle. Is It mcant
taat & eas values u gold aud silver never change
.rast ~ sas o,ncr ,S,9efyvss shapEe ~ eassres
Pah ear !!enry Maine, aud You Maurcr, ant
Nasse; and Louis Motg4n, and hlacCtellatl, an.
or Jolll. ln.tsck, an'! sthor srtcntlttc stuiunt
thc case with witch he pr.xyetis 10 hIs tuqu,rte1
y hu eannot r0Enmauti the facts, he Invent
thin. Here is hts fictitious history Of th,
elects VI Interest upon society:
nsn luanA Ut the precious uetals could ba sfeI,
m4as ~ usnry. principle or element OF Altuut
nhn'ts value and bower was introduced ini
h. hnm.a .iiar*. Win gold and .lly*r 10 ser.s !
9ai:tson were for lbs htst .1me given to tha raee
oy loana q 1hetl. with Interest payaba In kind
10 bar ffu,t fur ail coming time. Until iatsrea
could tc obtained for thetg use. every pcrsun re
osf. E. Il. b ~ ": ;ssn
70 .oo'. ~ hey could bs safely lusnsd, no on
MVa'a kssp thu po.sesaion Of an snsount gtratt
1asnesfoIth the whole face af society VA changed
.,n,, i, Ths moral ,welI.beInx Of m.nkind resi-
H. ptssoas st. h oans sf tSs
Factors,
1be.e are Ill historical statements Of thc u,
nust Importance. Not word Of evidence
EWen to support them. In truth, there Il uoti
sis Q! tue itile known about the origin Ut socIs
- taat adoFds ths least reason 70 believe tha
thls Ia tn any seuss m accurate description U
ind %fIAnI 1 rREtI1