The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-04-05

ties and EuckenS modern morality IL
successor TO the substantial audience
that attended upon Spencer's attempted
coordination OF the departments OF
knowledge. Contemporary endeavors to
popuarize scholarly inquiries into the
facts Of physical nature and the
mysteries OF human nature diner
from the rugged discipline Of an
earlier day In respect OF increased
subjectivity. This modern tendency
Is to be remarked in two works
reprinted from France by American
publishers: The Foundations Of Science
by H. PoINcARE (The Science Press)
and The Science Of Happiness, by JEAS
FiNoT (Putnams). Prof. Poincarc says:
"There can no more be immoral science
than there can bc q science of morals,
and man cannot be happy through SCI
ence, but to-day he can much less be
happy without it," NJ. Finot says: THE
man who in good faith has striven to
penetrate the essential points of modern
science can no longer remain In har-
mony with either atheism or material
ism in their absolute meaning or in the
one attributed by the common people.
Between the two OF them science, NOR
ais. religion and happiness seem to be
threads of one common web. Science
and philosophy move in n mysterious
way their wonders to perform. Vulgar
perception reaches the same end by 4
simpler and shorter route; but Is less
sporting"
Differences based upon national char
acteristics of mental habit may or may
not be worthy of remark; but there are
passages. pages and pages. in each OF
these books that none but a French
man would or could have written in the
way they are written, and they are de-
lightful and stimulating by means OF
their very Frenchness. apart from the
intrinsic merit Of idea Prof. Poincare
does not scorn TO notice these differ
ences; he expresses captivatingly the
antithesis between Anglo-Saxon and
Latin habits Of cerebration:
The Latins seek In general to put their
thought In mathematical form; the Eng
lish prefer to express II by q material rep
resentation. For q Latin truth
can be expressed only b. generalizations:
the Anglo-Saxon TO depict phe-
nomenon will first be engrossed in making
model The two conceptions are
very unlike because of a common
fault. Both would make the un-
known out OF the known.
Generalizations paradoxical. The pro-
fessor's "Anglo-Saxon" translator Mr..
George Bruce Halsted. rivals his orig
inal in enthusiasm. Prof. Poincare. he
says. "penetrates at once the divine
simplicity OF the perfectly general case,
and thence descends, as from olympus
to the special concrete earthly particu-
lars" Representation by model eXem-
pliiied.
Scientific advance, says Prof. Pom
care. Is achieved by leaving the known
the complex manifestation. in favor OF
the unknown, the simple principle; as
when Kepler's three laws of planetary
motion. the eiliptical orbit. the speed ra-
ito Of the radius vector and the ratio
of periodic time TO mean distance from
the sun, We're supplanted by New
tons simplex formulation OF the
law of giavitatlon; and he wonders
II We are not now on the eve OF a SINH
lar advance, in which the idea of the
mass Of matter will resolve into an ex-
PLANTATION in terms of the electron, call
ing for a broader conception of the
operation OF universal forces than me-
chanics now affords. Mechanics will not
explain the new conception; that more
intimate understanding will explain the
"aNioms' OF mechanics. Axioms, self
evident truths" are mans most colossal
"biun.' Poncare's fundamental propo-
sition is that the ether, the unknown.
has locked up in II the explanation of
matter; matter can never solve the
mystery of the ether
Mr.. Halsted'S $50 page volume of
Polncare holds three separate bur SCI
quential books: Science and uvpothe
sis" THE Value of Science" and sci
ence and Method" II emphasizes tho
difference between fertile and sterile hy-
potheses; 1t denounces superficial state
ment OF truth" and superficial arraign-
ment or science as bankrupt" because
OF its ephemeral theories; il weighs
logic against intuition. dcductivc against
lnductlNe processes, contrasts the spac,,
or our senses with the space of geome-
Try. considers the sources of error; de-
cIares that We cannot know things"
but only their relations. and concludes
that the only objective reality, the only
truth We can obtain" is that which ia
won through the application OF mathe-
mat!cal laws. \ bread and diversified.
hut arbitrarily eclectic survey, II CON
tains enough popular" matter to vey
the scientist and enough of deeply tech
meal matter to bewilder tho "ordinarv'
reader. 1t Is not light" reading. but it's
scheme can be grasped and many of
us illustrations comprehendcd by per-
sons OF native intelligence with some
education.
NJ Plnots essay sparkles all the
way therefore IL has no high lights.
IL mas no high spots. because every SPOT
~ h'sh. Others may plod; he will soar.
lie strains the attention by using for
little thoughts the same feryid vocabu-
larry with which he deals with big ones
Ike man OF muscle swinging half
pound dumb bells. Should IL seem nm.
iair To crlticisc the art of the book il
mas to he said in the first place that
the work fairly challenges II and in
the second that the error in ART reacts
ihJurlonsly upon the substance OF tho
book Your American professor would
nave written his philosophy of hann,.
ness IN such way that his writing
would never have been hrou.h, intn
question at all, one way or another
certainty NJ. Finot docs no, need T, a.
vert attention from his matter by and
I" III" manner of his presentation Of q,
MS statement OF facts and his pronosj
lions Tor procedure toward the aclence
or happiness which he Processes TO ne.
heye 10 he desirable deserve yor,,
thoughtful consideration