New-York tribune., 1907-12-13
Eaeitire Papers by an Italian His
torian and Patriot.

.-,-nrrs HISTORICAL AND CRITICAL BY
sltppareo1tale Nfari Translated by Linda NillarL
,rrs9S seven illustrations in photogravure. Svo.
W. Nj sle. Charles Scribner's Sons.
r:or yellEri's high merits as an historian
- bsen made familiar to American readers
..-o,,pt t-anslations of his books on Savonarola
.,d Nachiavelli. Any volume from his hand
ould be sure of welcome in this country. The
-asent work, however, has scarcely the sub
-.o,ce which the aforementioned classics had
n expect II is made UP Of essays and
z,.,o,,rses produced at different times and not
..tculated 10 make a particularly harmonious or
t,,-essive collection. The book is interesting in
.,aces. not an organic whole with a central.
s,s4zing motive. The long paper which has the
Mace Of honor poses a question Of the most
-,ovocative and promising character-''Is His
t-v Science?" A fairly direct answer to that
ouestion coming from Signor Villari, would be
<,II Of stimulus for the student But this essay
&c rather academic performance and. into the
bargain, somewhat obscure and even dull The
author surveys a good deal of what has been
.boueht on the subject, and at intervals eXcites
GRE hole that he going TO illuminate its
-hflosophy. but in tte long run he leaves the
issue more OF less enveloped in a mist Of con-
sused reflections. He writes much more TO the
mint when in his otLer chapters he studies and
Sesc-ihes certain notaDluteS OF MS Time
Favour, Setternbrini. Francesca de Sanctis, his
master and the famous painter, Domenico Mo-
reIL
Something Of his own personality comes ouI
in his notes on his contemporaries. When he
.zs youth education was carried on in Italy
along anything but inspiring lines. I'VE had"
he saws. TO collect phrases from various writers
of the fourteenth and ffteeAth centuries and fit
them into our OWN compositions. We had also
% make lists Of Frenchified words and errors or
dicton which were to be avoided remember
having spent several months in making sum-
-7aries OF the diffuse and wearisome grammars
of Corticeln and Buommattei." From all this
he was saved by De Sanctis, whose vigorous
sud independent mind played about his aWak-
ening faculties like a nberat;ng force pas
sionate sympathy for al things that make for
freedor7 is the distinguishing note Of this book
The author gives US brief but vivid gliInpses OF
what II meant TO be a youth in the Italy of
1875 He and Moreln were strolling in the
streets Of Naples when the populace began 10
show uneasiness. but they went home unsus-
racting of what was TO burst upon them
The next morning Moreln came 20 tell me that
tarricades had been erected IN Hne hlst-t- -
Presently the red flag was hols{ed on me I
the news that fighting was gong on al san t eIei
,se sf-eeTs sun1noniTls the people join them.
Then We. too made our way 10 the houses EHeLe mere
SoreIli and / became separated in the confusion,
helped TO defend d:ferent onlalSs hel e,erai
weeks passed before learned what had happened
70 him is AZ me f R0uTRe e sgaist every dwelling
where resistance offered. All the lniaIes
who were left behind were made prisoners Sc some ne
wounded, sonle killed Whe olhe[S d Gie;rsd sy W
ergl weeks before being released foor Ia vista
was captured ano shoI a0Ta N a9d his csptors
wanted put him TO death zone O. ueIn' ne Le
quarters that the bayonet point scratched my fore
head. but instinctively knocked up me wesP1 ,Pt
;nury the under lid Of his right eye was silt open.
but luckily the optic nerve Vas I ne aTtoTs
left him half dead on the ground
Tangible episodes like the foregoing are worth
all the philosophical pages which Signor Fihsari
has embodied in this volume We must quote
another illustrating life in the prison at Santo
stefano, 10 which Settenbrini and his friend
Spaventa were condemned in 1859.
one summer night two goatherds who had been
.DsncsG s 70 %srd me s sssi Ep Ses ecsy at the sa m
III sky Said one of them 10 the other. How Ia
above" where would you pasture them. asked
his companion In IN your ,5 meadow; S o. ha' t., m
1nItes later one OF the two men fen the ground.
stabbed 10 death by the other
In those troubled times Signor Villari re-
ceived q kind Of baptism or IRE; he emerged
from the ordeal with fervor Of patriotism and
z soicitude for the moral law which we recog
rize as lending a certain vitality TO all of these
essays, even when they are not, on other counts,
especially alluring. Perhaps this personal note
VIII serve to counIerbalance the want OF sub
stance to which we have referred.
For the boy with natural bent toward me-
thanics and science for the newspaper reader
whose curiosity has been excited by reports
about marvellous inventions and strange phe
nomena, and for everybody else who does not
know why ice boats can fly faster than the
wind that drives Them why gyroscope top
does not fall. Mr.. w. Hampson's ''Paradoxes Of
Nature and Science" (E. p. Dutton & COD fills
esnuine want. In thoroughly popular style
The author sets forth the true explanation OF
host OF puzzles which tax the credulity Of
scientific persons Many OF the curiosities are
explained so simply that they might well be used
by professional entertainers at children's
parties; Others, again, supreInely Vexa-
uous, until you ''cs ch on" that adult party
might find them sufficient for a whole evenings