The Portland daily press., 1881-01-28
Magazine Notices.

The Popular Science Monthly is always well
come, but the February issue is especially at
tractive. Thinkers on political science will be
deeply interested in the first article of this
number, by Herbert Spencer, on Political
Differentiation. He is tracing the early de-
velopment Of political institutions, and in this
chapter he elucidates the growth of those
class distinctions which form so large part of
the constitution of civilized societies. The
second article, by E. B. Taylor, F. r. s., is on
The Origin of the Plow and Wheel-Carriage.
1t is profusely illustrated and contains much
curious information on the archaeology of the
familiar machines. The second article on Di-
ct. by DR.. Felix l.. Oswald, in his series on
Physical Education, deals with stimulants and
all kinds of irritants and provocatives which
are come to be so extensively employed with
proper foods. The article is full Of valuable
suggestions pointedly presented, and the writ
er gives no quarter to what he calls the poison
habit Next comes the paper by Sir George
w. Cox on Horses and their Feet, and is q
vigorous attack ON what the writer regards ss
the superstition of horssshoeing. The subject
is thoroughly discussed, and the array of facts
that bear against the practice is somewhat
startling. The article by Mr.. Charles Mar
shall Lungren on Domestic Motors, in which
he describes Gas and Electric Engines, Is in
teresting. 1t is copiously illustrat ed, and in
forms us regarding the efficiency and economy
of those smaller machines driven by gas and
electricity which are available for light work.
Mr.. William A. Eddy devotes brief ar
ticie to The Value of Accomplishments,
in which he forcibly illustrates the
important social principle, that taking vast
general average higher tastes lessen the action
of the lower, and he explains how the interest
in accomplishments becomes tributary to solid
improvement. There is next an elaborate and
richly illustrated article by Eliza A. Youmans,
describing the recent remarkable discoveries
of Charles Darwin on the Movement of Plants.
He has found that the growing parts of all liv-
ing plants-the leaves and even the tips of the
rootlets-tend to gyrate or revolve in the most
extraordinary manner. This Mr.. Darwin calls
circumlocution, which means, literally, bow
ing or Dodding around, and the extent of this
action and the ingenious methods by which 1t
has been traced out and automatically re-
corded, form an interesting chapter in botany.
Professor Carhart has clear and practical ar
ticle on Atmospheric Electricity; and Profess
sor Sylvanus P. Thompson has fine paper on
the Optical Illusions of Motion, which con-
tains many original ideas. Chemical readers
will be struck with the amount of evidence
that has been brought together by Mr.. Lester
f. Ward on the Evolution of the
Chemical Elements. Mr.. Thomas G.. Ap-
pleton has a half poetic, half scientific bro
chure on the international reactions of the
pholloxera on the wines of the world, under the
title of Only a Vine-Slip;" and Professor Kirk
wood gives us some new and interesting points
on The November Meteors. Prehistoric Sci
ence en- Fete is a lively paper on the late Con-
gress of Anthropology at Lisbon. There is
sketch, with portrait, of Count Portales, the
eminent naturalist and collaboration of Profess
sor Agassiz. The editor discusses The Law of
Progress as propounded in Mr.. Georges new
book, and takes notice of Bishop Clark's ad-
vent into the Boston Monday lectureship. The
Literary Notices are fresh and full, and the
Popular Miscellany abounds in items Of iscien-
tifc interest New York: D. Appleton &
Company.
The February Atlantic opens with two chap
ters of Miss Phelps's admirable serial story
Friends: A Duet, which will make her ad-
mirers more numerous and enthusiastic. Will
liam M. Rossetti, in his second paper on Wives
of the Poets, tells briefly the story of the wive
of La Fontaine, Moliere, Racine, Lessing
Burger, Goethe, Schiller, and Heine. Rich
ard 7. Ely has an interesting account Of the
German Cooperative Credit Unions. John
Fiske asks, Who are the Aryans? and then an
swers it in a way to secure the hearty thanks
of those who have puzzled themselves over the
query. Major Ben. Perley Poore continues his
authentic and entertaining "reminiscences OF
Washington with capital paper on the Taylor
Administration. Richard Grant White re-
turns to his English tour with an article en-
titled In London Again. These essays are ad-
mirably written, and are both entertaining
and full of acute observation. Other essays,
poems, stories, reviews of new books, we'll
filled Contributors Club, and a running ac-
count of the books of the month, conclude an
excellent number of this sterling magazine
Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Boston.