The Portland daily press., 1899-12-07

TIE VOLUME contains an int esting
account Of the United States Expioring
Expedition Of is3s-'42, Of which Professor
Dana was . memter. and which was 10
he "a naval enterprife or voyage OF dis
oovsry fitted out 10 the test msnnsr with
every scientific appliance, at this Pablo
expense, for the sole purpose Of incress-
ing our knowledge Of the Pacific and
Southern oceans. where our comm cree is
carried on far beyond the bounds
OF ordinary protection" The explorers
expected 10 ind new islands, to increase
their knowledge of those already on the
maps. to survey the coasts where versus
wers apt to suffer shipwrsok, and 10 open
new channels for commercial pursuits
Among the many illustr atoms Is that OF
the track Of this expedition.
Thus we ere given delightful and
Instructive record OF the life Of man
who In his home, In his college and IN the
world Of science was eminently fitted BY
remarks able qualities Of mind and heart
for all thess varying conditions.
During his advancing years his biogra-
pher says OF him;
"The shadows length-nsd. but they
brought no gloom. To the vision Of DAM
the night was bright and not dark. the
sky was set with stars and not covered
with clouds. As he looked backward and
then looked forward tine words OF Blauco
white might have fallen from his lips;
"who could have thought suoh darkness
lay concealed
within thy beams, . Sun or who could
fnd,
Whilst iiy and leaf and insect stood re-
vealed,
That 60 such countless orbs thou maa'st
us blind!'
cortland: Lsring. short s. Harmony
Messrs Houghton, Mifli,p & Company
(Portiand, LorinR, short 81 Harmony
have just published n new volume BY
John Fiske, A Century CT Science,
which contains sleaf Of 81 IL authors
most delightful essays. In the Dsdicators
Episils to his friend Thomas Sargent
Ferry, Professor Of English Literature at
Tokyo, the author refers to his esssy upon
his own original theory CT the causes and
effects OF the pro.ongation CT human In
fancy, with reference to the evolution
of man, which was first published In the
North American Review for October, 1873
The value of the theory was at once rec
ognized by many leading naturaiists, and
at a meeting Of the A merican Association
In Buffalo In 1875, Vice. President I'd
ward Morse Gays In his address that Pro-
fessor Fiske has given, "for the first
time rational explanation Of the origin
and persistence of family relations and
thence communal q. e., CLAM relations,
and. finally. society"
Later In his recent volume, "Thro Ugh
Nature TO God," MIR. Fiske found II de-
sirable to make rsstE tsment of the In
fancy theory, whereupon n wise resiew'r,
referring to that special part of the book,
observes that "of course it makes no pre-
tensions to originality, bot is simply MIR.
| Fiske's lucid summary Of speculntions
with which every reader OF Darwin, Hux
lay, Roman and D,ummoni Is famii-
a. I'm point of fact" says the au-
thor, mot the fainteet suggestion of this
infancy thr DRY can tie found in all the
| writings OF Darwin, Huxley and Ro-
| names. In Spenoers Sociology 1t Is
| in portcnt contribution originating with
me; and In Drummond's Ascent Of Man,
which La really built upon 1t. credit Is
! cordially given me-"
MIR. Fisks's entire volume IS fasci-
mating melsnze of essays and articles
written, many Of them. upon and for
special ,os Sons There are Fifteen In
all, and the subjscts are rs varied as the
author is versatile. Among these are
papers uron Edward Livingston
YoumRns; Sir Harry Vsns; The Arbitra-
ton Treaty; Cambridge az Village ard
City; A Harvest Of Irish Folk-I ore;
Forty Years of Bacon Shakespeare Folly I;
Some Cranks and Their Crotchets. ami
other subjects Of equal interest and i'm
por tancs.