New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-05-22
SOME NEW BOOKS.

IN me Scientific Spirit of the Age (boson'
s.orc. n Ellis, Frances Power Cobbe enters Vlgor-
s rro,est against tho Undertaking and as she hoaS'
degrading influences of the present direcuoh Vi 'n
,hysical sciences. This volume embraces Se'er" os
xays which have appeared in magazines anu INC o''
sussion is addressed 20 various aspects OF INC ono
en.rsl question whether the kind Of knowledge winch
60 nrers the world is really worth the losses
hiob assimilation Of the theories connected WIN tnsS
,vcou1adge anpears TO entail The appTehensohs ca
,rnssed by Miss CObbe Will doubtless ma an ecno III
many reflective minds, for IL is not necessary 10 ss
faets In make out case against modern scehee i"r
IdahA enough 10 arrest attention and 10 AWAKEN I'M
.as,ness But Miss Cobbe might have strengthened her
osf,ior nv dwelling upon the fact that the most
,ntsohiAvous and demorazing influences OF scienuno
teashng are traceabe not to the real discoveries WHICH
give that teaching It's authority, out 10 deducuohs
Ynn those discoveries for the most part WITHOUT war
,ant and representing far the arrogance OF cio
,ism than the truths of asCertatned facts This vol
ume may be commended to all who are beginning TO
weayy OF the ever-increasing dogmstsm and narrow
ness Of pseudo science.
Ethical Religion By ". NJ. Saler (BoSton :
Roberts brothers, is collection Of addresses read be
fore the Chicago Society for Ethical Culture. The
difficulty about ethical religion is that lacks all the
sanctions and obi cations OF that which 1t processes 10
be. Ethical culture be understood, but ethical
religion Is a contradiction in terms like most OF The
Postvfst propositions. Nor can there Do any SUM-
Gent motive religious. in Fact any union among
those who hold with the author Of the lectures that
assent should not be required in religious body to
any truth about which II Is possible for thoughtful
and good man 10 doubt" Mr. Salter. indeed thinks
that truth which It appears impossible to doubt
IS that duty binds a man. But really, viewing THIS
proposition from the position Of ethical culture, wo
should imagine that It quite possible 10 doubt 1t ;
that indeed it rather impossible not to doubt it
seeing that With the denial of any criterion Of truth
which follows upon the rejection OF all supernatural
religion the whole fabric of duty necessarily no
fan TO the ground and enlightened egOlsm 10 take
its place. Now duty imposes recognition Of higher
law, Of altIuiSm and self sacrifice. and no purely
materialst philosophy can put such obligations upon
humanity. Mr.. Sslter, hloe most Of his school, Is
better his system but the closely he clngS
tosvrtues and moral simulants which have their origin
IN supernatural religion the less consistent does his
position appear.
Macmillan & Co. publish "The Bacteria I'm Asiahc
Cholera" by Professor f. Klein. OF London The vol
Is a reprint Of series of articles published in
The Practitioner" In 1SS6-s7, and the theory con-
tended for is in opposition to that now generally
adopted by Continental pahologsts to the effect that
the commsbacini of Koch arc the cause OF cholera.
Or. Klein refuses admit that this has been demon
straaed. He holds that the comma bacilh Of Koch
important diagnostic guide but that they do
not fulfil the conditions which the cholera microbe
ought 10 fulfil He admits that the comma bacu are
constantly present the early stages Of cholera. but
contends that they not the proved cause OF IT,.
The discussion IS interesting and the Illustrations
eogeut, though the stands there is apparently
no ground for dehRitive conclusions.
DISCRIMINATION Of Montelius's work on The Civil
hon of,Sweden Heather Times by the Rev. +. II.
Woods, is published by Macmillan & Co.. with r maD
and two hundred illustrations The book describes tho
progress Of Swedish civilization nom prehistoric times.
the evidence being of necessity for the part anti
puaTIan and archaeological Dr. Monelus has chapters
IN the stone age the bronze age and the iron age dvd
ing the last period into the earlier and later iron
and each Of these divisions into two parts. the second
period of the latter iron age corresponding Ia the
Viking period The essential uniformity Of human
progress in its early stages Is clearly demonstrated
by this interesting work, and also the influence of tho
scandinavian races upon the civilization OF England.
The twenty.third volume Of the Encyclopaedia
Britannica Charles Scrlbners SOnsl carries the work
kom TO Ups. THIS volume contains extended
articles upon the United States, History Constliu-
lion being treated by Alexander johnson. Ply al
Geography and Statistics by Professor j. ID. Whitney
and Political Geography and Statistics by Francis A.
walker These articles Illustrated by mans and
furnished with separate index. That OF Professor
Whitney has been reprinted in book FORM with sddl-
TONS already stated in these columns.
Tho Reports on Elementary schools OF the lac
Matthew Arnold, edited by Sir Francis Sanford. are
added by Macmillan d Co. TO their edition OF Nj. Ar
nolds works. They cover a period Of thirty years
namely, from 1852 to 1882.