The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1880-12-08
Literary Notes.


way has been so smoothed by literary Macada-
mizers-the impracticabe stones have been
beaten so small-the discouraging obstacles have
oeen so set as'de-the long path has been short
ened by so many alluring cross cuts. that the
road is surely royal, compared with what it
used to be.
We have before us A Popular History of
Sc,ence-a large, handsome book of between six
and seven hundred pages, bearing the imprint
OF the London house of George RoutLedqe &
Sons; Lttdgate Hal. These publishers have n
branch house in New York, (4l6 Broome street,
and we are indebted to them for MANY late val.
liable works, which have had wide American
Popularity,-suc as the Hare AemoriaLs-Au.
gustus j. G. Hares charming archaeological
books, Walks about Rome-Davs Near r orne
the BunSen Memoirs-George Macdonald's
volumes, and multitudes of others. The author
OF shis Popular History of Science is Robert
Routledge, b. G. f. G. S., who has written vari-
Gus books of similar import-Discoueries and IN
0ert'ons Of the 18th Century is one of them.
The trontisplece is pleasant wood cut of Fara-
day and there are no less than 331 illustrations.
big and little, in the bulky volume. Likenesses
OF the philosophers and men of science are given
attention of the young, more particularly, by
winning 1t away from the everlasting novel, or
the hardly less demoralizng tale of impossible
adventure, and attracting it to what is true in
ITSELF and oftentimes as absorbing as any ro-
mance,-this pictorial element is an excellent
one.
We can give no better conception of the au-
thors aim, perhaps, than by quoting para
graph or two from his Preface. He says: 1.-The
general reader is here supplied with simple il
Illustrations of laws and principles, and with
ample details of experiments and observations,
which would not be needed by the accomplished
student An expert in this or that branch of
science might complain that we have not always
brought into view those generalized conceptions
OF modern thought with whose Importance he is
familiar. But the abstract character which gives
philosophic value to such conceptions, render
them unsuitable for popular presentation. X X \
The whole body and matter of any department
of knowledge, cannot, OF course, be passed in re-
view; but those researches, discoveries. and the
cries which have contributed TO furnish its form
and principles, may be traced In their inception,
progression, and completion In the following
chapters, the endeavor has been, to follow the
main lines along which each science has de-
veloped by adducing such experiments and OBJ
servatons illustrate the most important re-
suits"
Along with the more purely scientific matter,
the author has introduced brief biographical
notes about the men who have distinguished
themselves in science thus (as he says to give
that human interest, which books of this sort
are accused of lacking Mr. Routledge begins
at the beginning, and gives some pages on An
Gent Science as represented by Pythagoras,
Plato, Hippocrates, and others. He rapidly dis
courses of Alexandrian Science-of Arabian and
MEDIEVAL touches quite fully enough upon the
10th century philosophers and from that on, is
sufficiently complete in his history of Physics,
Chemistry, Natural History, Astronomy, and
such mathematical Sciences, as Mechanics, Hy-
drostatics, etc. AS is natural and proper he ex-
ponds his strength especially upon the scients is
of the latter half of the 18th and the 10Th CEN
turtles, and the amount of information he COM
presses into the last 200 pages, about all the
worlds great natural philosophers their re-
searches, observations, and systems is very large,
and very satisfactory for the class for whom the
work is written. Any young student who de-
ITO uS0lul anu general knowledge OF science,
cannot do better than study such book as this.
If he dgests thoroughly all that is here prepared
for him, he will never have to blush on account
of his ignorance, even in the presence of an ex-
pert. The value of the compilation is much en-
HANGED by very copious and complete index,
and full table of contents-matters that should
commend any book especially one of this char
acter. The Routledges publish many works on
Science Of popular sort, which ought to push
out the thousand ephemeral story books that
deluge the land. A glance at their catalogue
will give the titles of many SUCH They are
aso the publishers of the pretty childrens books,
prepared by Miss Kate Greenaway and Walter
Crane, which last year had sHcb an unprecedent-
ed run. There never was anything like the
way Under My WINDOW Sold This rear Miss
Greenaway has dainty little square volume
called The Birthday Book-with a tinv pic.
ture and bit of verse for every day in the wear.
The quaintness Of the drawings is something
quite apart from our modern art.
The descent from the sciences above con-
sidered in Mr.. Routledges volume to that of
the gastronomic art, is not such vast one that