The record-union., 1891-09-11
new PUBLICATIONS.

There is now so considerable public in
terest in the many practical applications
of electricity-that wonderful something
that has come in the latter half of the
nineteenth century to play so important
part in our everyday life-that popu-
lar treatment of the subject, such as can
be read by the everyday man, whether
electrician or not, is just at present
doubly welcome. We are therefore
pleased to see in the current issue of 1.-THE
Electrical World'' that DIR. Louis Bell,
the editor of that journal, has begun a
series of timely and important articles on
the Elements OF Practical Electricity
written in plain and simple language for
beginners. The authors idea is, appar-
emily, to brush aside, SO far as possible,
the conventional methods of discussing
what many consider complicated SUBJ
ject and to come directly to the substance
of it by beginning in practical way and
continuing in that course to the very end.
He has therefore commenced the subject
by taking up the great discoveries of Volta
and his contemporaries that really fur
nish the basis of modern electricity. Up
to about the beginning of the present CEN
tury there was no available way of get
ting electrical energy in sufficient guam
tity to utilize for anything more than
of the voltaic pile and the voltaic battery,
clearly described and illustrated in DR..
Bells first paper, in "The Electrical
World' of September 9Th, the scientific
world was put in possession of source
of electricity considerable enough to en-
courage practical applications. The au-
thor of these papers is evidently one who
believes in experimental methods, for in
intimate connection with the statements
Of facts may be found carefully selected
experiments, with the working details
clearly given, so that they can be readily
performed even by tsose of no previous
experience Or acquaintance with electri-
cal matters. The articles are well illus
trated and give promise of filling gap
that has heretofore existed between pop
ular and rather vague elementary books
and more scientific and forbiddinglv
mathematical treatises. All classes of
intelligent readers can follow the subject
as DR.. Bell treats it, and doubtless many
young man will find these articles the
starting point in his electrical education
"The Electrical Worldo is the pioneer
American journal of its class, and the
largest in the world. The subscription is
S3 a year, which includes postage. News
dealers supply it at an expense of 10 cents
week. The publishers are the w. j.
Johnston Company. Id, 167-I77 Times
building, New York. The articles by
Those subscribing now will have the
series complete.
The September number of the ''Engi-
neering Magazine' is unusually we'll
freighted, even as compared with the
preceding numbers. A survey of the
contents demonstrates that it ranks with
the best American magazines, both in the
character of its articles and the beauty of
its illustrations, with the additional
merit that while instruction is never SUBJ
ordinated to entertainment, it never
ceases to be entertaining as well as in
structive. Included in the contents of
the September number are the following
original signed articles: "The Ventila-
ton of Homes and Schools" II. Leicester r
Mining Properties Albert Williams,
Jr., L. NJ; ''Why the State Should Not
Own the Railroads." Benjamin Reece, C.
E.; "The Iniquity of Leasing Convict
Labor" Albert Roberts; Development
of the Dynamite Gun" (illustrated), B. c.
Batcheller, S. B., NJ. E.; ''The Work of
Our Weather Bureau tillustrated), L. B.
Dunn. Local Forecast Official, New York :
Tendencies in Recent Architecture Ill
lustrated), Barr Ferree, School of Archi-
lecture, University of Pennsylvania:
''How Niagara's Power Will Be Utilized''
| (illustrated), Coleman Sellers, c. E.;
Tunnels and Modern Methods of Tun-
nelingv Iillustratedl. e. w. Moir, Asso-
ciate NJ !. C. E.. 1.-THE Disposal of Sew
| age in England" L. Kennard Thompson,
Associate Member Am. Society c. e. The
matter in the editorial departments is
well selected and edited with skill and
good judgment. In these departments a
broad view of monthly progress is pre-
scented. Published from the World
Building, New York.
The numbers of "The Living Agen for
August 18th and September 5th contained
"Pasquale de Paoli: Study" Nine
teenth Century: Robert Browning. .
and 1.-The Last English House of the
Bearded Tit" Contemporary; ITO Day
| Men," National; ."Stray Thoughts in
| South Africa" Fortnightly; "The Field