The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-01-01

cerned with food which may not be
wholly shared by other experts. but
he has good ground for them. 1t 10
an admirable example Of how science
should be made popular tHearst's In
ternational Library Company.
Another collection Of funny stories.
Zach attributed to some person of
some note at the present moment, and
some of them not wholly stale. is en-
titled Some Stories by Famous Men"
(Hearst's International Library Com
pany). In spite Of the in~troductions
most of the stories are really funny.
The ach. 'vements Of a remarkable
man are obscured in Luther Burbank.
His Life and Work" by Henry Smith
Williams, NJ. D., LII. d. (Hearst's In
ternationai Library Company. by the
authors verbosity and p-sfuse eulogy.
II II evident that Mr.. burbank's as
tonishing laboratory experiments are
based on sound scientific foundations;
It would be interesting to learn what
IL was that led hAm to take UP each
problem. 1t might help to an under
standing Of the practical value Of his
discoveries II we were told, for In
stance, where his fast growing walnut
trees have been planted in quantities
or in what markets his new berries
ard fruits and flowers are to be found.
The author urges amateur farmers
to try TO repeat and to extend the
experiments. Enthusiasm 10 to be COM
nended, but we should like to have
Mn Burbank's remarkable botanical
exploits described in less oratorical
terms than those Of q prospectus. Dr..
Williams's efYusion on tho breeding Of
men at the end IL apparently his own
contribution to SCIENCE; we ffnd no
evidence that Mr.. Burbank 10 In any
way responsible for II.
There Ia little In Arthur Lynch's
ireland: Vital Hour" (The John c.
| Winston Company. Philadelphia tina
would lead one to suspect N authors
POLITICAL antecedents. He expresses
himself frankly or pretty nearly
| averything and every n related to
| ireland, but IN moderate, sensible
terms that can offend nobody. Read
| ers may agree with him or not. but
| they must admit that his opinions are
| perfectly rational. He speaks OF nearly
everything under heaven, not always
wisely OF course. and in his estimates
| Of the men who have been prominent
n Irish affairs comes pretty close to
the views of most n~on-partisan OBJ
ervers.
An interesting monograph that
should tighten the labors OF archnolo-
| gists graphing with a difficult prob
| lem is issued by the Bureau OF Ethnol-
| ogy of the Smithsonian Institution in
IAN Introduction to the Study Of the
Maya Inscriptions" by Sylvanus Girls
void Morley Government Printing
] Office. washington). With the many
| colored and Photographic plates and
| he scholarly summary Of what has
,lready been found out the little book
| provides students anywhere with the
material for the solution Of 4 philo-
logical riddle Of great importance.
The official account OF the interest
ng journey to South America taken in
1913 by the Hon. Robert Bacon, For
BETTER Relations With Our Latin
American Neighbours" is issued by the
Carnegie Endowment for I%nterna-
| 'ional Peace, Washington. Besides Mr..
Bacon's narrative IL contains reports
| Of all the speeches made at Rio de
Janeiro. Ruenos Ayres. Nontev!deo.
Santiago de Chile and Lima.
The .Twentieth Annual Report.
1915. Of the American Scenic and His
.oric Preservation Society" Il. n
Lyon Comnany. Albany). besides the
reports a, the soc,ety'. activities dur.