New-York tribune., 1901-05-04

cussed in three papers. The facts set forth
were partly acquired by direct observation and
partly from Gray's writings. The educated
botanist is measurably familiar with these di-
versties but the average reader will never real
lie how extensive they unless he goes into
the matter IN detail. Two papers of great value
are devoted to museums OF natural history.
One of them pictures ideal institution of this
kind. while the other describes three American
museums in the arrangement of which the
writer discovered much to admire. Both those
who manage such trusts and those for whom
they administered will find perusal of these
articles profitable.
The time when geology and biology were
unrelated sciences. Now, however. the zoolo-
gist and botanist are concerned not merely with
life It exists to-day. but also with the fossil
remains of earlier forms for millions of years
back. The naturalist must therefore, turn to
the rocks. to who understands
them, in order to learn something of the eli
matte and other changes that occurred in g.
given region and affected the development Cf
life there. Natural history thus becomes his
tory indeed! Wallace impelled to study the
earths crust well its inhabitants. and in
doing so he reached some independent con-
clusions. He dissents from the view that the
great oceanic beds have ever lost their identity
since their first formation, although changes CT
level near the edges have modified their outlines
and the status of adjacent continents. Some
what needessly perhaps, he combats the no.
ton that the earth cannot have molten In
terror. He traces at considerable length the
operations of the great Ice sheet during the
glacial period, not only in Europe, but also In
America and offers solution of the puzzle
presented by the Yosemite Valley the theory
that that singular chasm was cut through SOLID
granite by water alone, inequalities in the hard
ness of the stone permitting the observed in
equality of effect.
The discriminating reader OF Wallace will de-
rive less satisfaction from his sociological studies
than from those devoted to natural science
The articles on the disestablishment of the
Church an elective House of Lords, and the
Limitation of coal exports. though sound enough
will interest few besides Englishmen. lie makes
some excellent points while discussing the mar
riage question, when showing the motives whlch
chiefly insDire an agnostic to lead a moral life.
and in advising how to civilize savages. But
II is to be feared that his scheme for a con-
sistent observance of Sunday by the strict san
batarian. like Bellamy's combination of the
family and state (Which Wallace heartily ap-
proves) is impracticable. That criticism ap-
plies even more forcibly to his projects for re-
vIving trade during periods of great Industrial
depression, for reforming the existing system
OF land ownership. for cooperative FARMING
and for making loans without interest. Stiii'
these matters occupied a great deal OF his
thought between 1880 and 1890, and. had his
opinions concerning them been omitted from
this work. the man would have been inadequate
Iy represented. His crusade against vaccina-
ton was so lamentable however that one can
not but rejoice that his views thereon are not
reproduced here. Wallace was also n some
odv Of SDiritualiSn.
II IS noteworthy that he has made only a pass
ing alusion 10 It in the papers here brought to-
gether Possibly he felt that II did not lie
clearly within the limits prescribed by the title
which he selected for the present collection
At any rate there is no reason to suppose mat
he has modified his beliefs since he wrote his
independent volume on the subject