The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-04-04
THIS Round Terrestrial Hall.

idea Of university extension courses
for promulgating scientific knowledge
into circles IF life little given to higher
thought the French had devoted no
little attention to popular manuals on
scientific themes. The value Of this
sort Of wur, has been 50 highly appre-
C!it"d in tn" higher regions OF French
university thought that the most dis
tinguiShcd authorities have felt Ii a
pleasant duty to contribute from their
own knowledge of their respective
fields O: special research for the bene-
~ of those whose course of life has
barred them from formal study. II Is
recalled that more than forty years
ago the whole realm of science was
covered i'm a series of volumes which
became IN time working library of
the wonders If nature and of thought.
AZ their time these volumes were ex-
celent. even now despite the great adj
Vances in many Of these sciences the
volumes have more than curious in
terc>t.
or this type Is the present work OF
Prof. ALPioSSE BERGEr of the Institut
Oceanogrdphique Of Paris. The Earth,
It's Lite and Death &C =. Putnam's
sons. The volume is addressed to a
public supposedly lacking in the for
NAL university culture vet possessed Of
an interest in the results Of the most
modern discoveries In geophysics and
OF such general culture as will enable
them to follow readily presentation
of the theme in language which does
not sacrifice scientific precision to the
mistaken EFFORT to write down to a
comprehension which would lack in
tercst N the theme no matter in what
terms II might be presented. The re-
suit IN this volume is such presenta-
ton as will find a wide audience among
thinking readers who seek results
rather than methods whereby those
results are reached. equally ii will in =
tcrest students whose engagements
with other special themes are so en-
crossing that they have little time to
Keep abreast of the physical and struc-
tural problems which engage with the
. earth as a specific theme If research.
The work is offered in English
through translation by T. w.
Barlow, who qualities for the task as
+. Sc. and +. Il. 4. 5. lie and another
have in this work gone somewhat be-
yond the functions of mere trans
lator. The work is sprinklcd with
foot notes, some credited TO Trans. and
some Ia Ed, and there is nothing to
show whose is the responsibility for
editing the work of an author to whom
no student OF the earth will deny thu
rank of an authority. one or other
OF these intermediary agents has
Followed consistently the plan or
translating in brackets the metric
system into English weights and
measures. II the plan had been
followed Of translat.ng all these
details and emitting any men
ton of the metric sytem Of the
original the effect would have been
far more pleasing. for il surely pro-
duCes a harsh impression to encounter
! IN" dual statement Il meter (393.0.
b lib inD' when the system is taught
in all the primary schools
/ II is not easy 10 determine the rela =
/ ton OF an editor toward his original
! text In certain cases editing effects
a brilliant improvement. As between
+ the first cd:tiOn Of Gibbon and that
which has been enriched with Dean
Mlimau'S notes of equal weight OF
scholarship there can be no doubt as
10 the Oh ice. In tho present work
the editor and the translator have fur.
nlShcd many notes explanatory of
matters which should properly need
no explanation for the reader of gen
cral culture. To explain and clucida g
these points loads To the impression
that the editor and translator have
the feeling that tho English audience
is less advanced than that which Prof
BcrErt addresses in France an i'm
. plhSsion winch Is unfortunate 1t is
sim moro unfortunate when the note
loses the purpose of the theme which
II explains. For instance, the trans
lator finds II necessary to define n
great circle, which he does in tho
statement that il is THE maximum
circumference Of sphere" That is q
resultant and not a dc'init.yc quality.
the great cir'lc # sphere is the trace
of its intersection by a plane which
passes through its centre. When this
term - applied to the earth sphcroid
, the 'maXimum circumference" il
wholly inapplcablc except in the sim
gle case OF the equator.
/ Rcr-et - careful to stick to hi,
theme of the history of the earth a.
q unit ANA an entity. 1t is, Of course
Impossible" ~ omit its position In sofa,
ana sldcreal physics, but the prob.
lcmS OF IN" universe! scope are re-,
duccd To- a position uf subordinate
statement in such a way as not To- in,
icrrupt the smooth progress OF III.
teaching about tho Garth. He begin.
q n Ia.