The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-08-29

A good example Of the doctor disser-
tatlon. showing the merits and defects
of that class of literature. is The Estab-
lishment OF State Government in Cali
fornia" by Cardinal Goodwin (Macmil-
lans). \ narrow topic OF history. OF
Importance to comparatively few stu
dents and Investigators, but sufficient
20 demonstrate the Industry and training
of tho author. Is treated according to-
approved academic methods. In Part i,
a preliminary sketch Of conditions In
California at the time of the American
invasion. the author avails himself Of
the opportunity 20 be interesting. He
seems carried away by the present re-
action against the glorificauon OF
Fremont. In the other two parts he
describes the work Of the constitutional
convention and the beginnings OF State
government in minute detail and has
taken great pains in ascertaining facts,
some OF which hardly seem worth re-
cording. His book will save much labor
on the points he has Investigated to
students Of Californian history.
As a text book IN comparative htera-
ture Prof. Charles Sears Bsldwin's An
Intr oduction To English Medieval Liter
atNe" Longmans, Green and Com
panyJ will serve a useful purpose, and
IL Will give TO the general reader some
general idea OF what the literature that
preceded Chaucer was like. That 1t may
not arouse much desire TO peruse that
literature Is not the authors fault. for
important as early English Is To the
philologist, the etymologist, the his
torian. what literature has come down
to us is dull and colorless compared
with that Of the rest Of Europe till We
come TO Chaucer, the Morte dArthur
and the ballads The portion OF the
book relating 70 them Will be read with
interest, ~ will the extracts from Ro-
nance literature, Latin. old French and
Italian. with the accounts OF what it
contains Curlously enough Prof. Bald
win does not refer 10 German medieval
literature
4 further volume Of the criticism OF
New York schools let loose on us by
| Prof Paul II Hanus's Investigation Is
! the dissertation on High School Courses
Of Study" by Prof Calvin O. Davis Of
Michigan World Book Company, Yon-
kers). II follows the approved pedagog-
!cal system and the present fancy for
efficiency" To the non professional
observer It may look az II the machinery
were likely TO crush out all education
as well as the unfortunate pupils
! I, Is rather surprising to note in the
1901 Tests OF Foods, Beverages and
/ Toilet Accessories" subjected 70 Or.
/ Harvey w. wlley's analysis and edited
| In book form by Anne Lewis Pierce
! CHearst's Internationa. Library Com
pany, New York;, how large a proper
/ ton OF the preparations turnNd out TO
/ he as good as they professed to be. E~en
/ in the case Of many to which She
aster!sk Is denied the Doctors objections
( are not 50 much TO the qual!es OF the
preparation az 10 the wording OF the
I advertisements recommending them.
| This may be due possibly 20 manu-
facturers submitting TO the test; only
products OF which they felt sure, or to
the desire 10 avoid legal trouble in cases
where the proof Of adulteration was not
overwhelming. Where products are con-
demned the analyst does not m!nce
matters.
A second edition, enlarged and
brought up 20 date, OF oscar George
Theodore Sonnecks Investigation Of the
origin OF The Star Spangled Banner"
words and especially melody, is issues
by the Library OF Congress in view OF
the approaching centenary Of the COM
position next month. II is a somewhat
polem!cal but very interesting mono
graph that should not he buried in a
Government report. Government Print
ing Office Washington
Still another volume OF Prof, Hanus's
school investigation is High School
Organization" by Frank W. Ballou
Cworld Book Company. Yonkers). SO
far as We can discern through the mist
of statistical and efficiency vcrbage
the author had little fault To find with
essentials in the New York high schools
his criticisms are Of the minor varia-
lions from standards which are newt
able in practical life, however deplor-
able they may seem TO the theorists
who work the charts The suggestion
that teachers should be freed from cleri-
cal work is excellent; only instead OF
transferring that sort OF labor 10 clerks,
we should have preferred some plan
for abolsh!ng most Of IT, even at the
cost OF wiping out the data on which
books like this are constructed.
Enthusiastic admiration for Alaska,
intensified by the fact that the terri
torial Legislature has granted the suf-
frage 10 woman bursts out in verse and
prose In lsabe! Amber Gilman s
"Alaskaland" (The Alice Hartman Com
pany, New York;. The verse is re-
spectacle and the stories are interest
ing.
The articles in the Scientific Amrrt-
odp urging an increase Of the navy.
written for the most part by j Ber-
nard Walker but including one by Sec
rotary Daniels and one by Assistant
Secretary +. u, Roosevelt, are issued
In pamphlet form, with mnnY nnrtrAIts