< Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 2.djvu
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LITERARY NOTICES.
from it to the greater parts, this simultaneity of transformation is equally manifest; that, while each individual is developing, the society of which he is an insignificant unit is developing too; that, while the aggregate mass forming a society is becoming more definitely heterogeneous, so likewise is that total aggregate, the Earth, of which the society is an inappreciable portion; that, while the Earth, which in bulk is not a millionth of the solar system, progresses toward its concentrated and complex structure, the solar system similarly progresses; and that even its transformations are but those of a scarcely appreciable portion of our sidereal system, which has at the same time been going through parallel changes" (p. 260). "The more I can understand of the manner of Evolution, the more am I impressed with its unity of purpose, even in full view of its multiplicity of parts, and manifoldness of stages. From increase of such knowledge I rise into higher perceptions. I see rhythm in every motion on the earth, rhythm therefore in combined motions, a wonderful rhythm pervading the Cosmos" (p. 259). "What can we say of Evolution? if we treat it reverently, and not atheistically, we can only say that it presupposes an evolver, and that such an evolver must be Divine" (p. 257). "The manner of his unfolding is the true and limited province of physical inquiry; yet a noble province it is, rich in results, fair with flowers by the wayside, and abundant in promise for future ages. Men are observers of natural development; whether or not included in it; they watch its progress in other existences with deep interest. Every advance in it is fitted to impress the beholder with admiration, and to direct him not only to the advance itself, but to convert him from a mere interpreter of stage after stage into an obedient servant and reverent worshipper of the grand Evolver."

The Ancient Stone Implements, Weapons, and Ornaments, of Great Britain, by John Evans, F.S.A., Honorary Secretary of the Geological and Numismatic Societies of London, etc., etc.

The author of this work is the highest authority in England—perhaps the highest in the world—upon the subject of which it treats. A gentleman of extensive means and a laborious student, he has taken up that "great division of Prehistoric Archæology which deals with the vestiges of man in the age of stone, and in the present volume we have the matured and comprehensive results of his inquiries. He has concentrated his main attention upon England, and given an exhaustive presentation of the evidence that has now been gathered, regarding the primitive state of the inhabitants of that island, when their implements of war and peace were chiefly constructed of flint. The volume is a valuable contribution to the obscure but interesting question of the antiquity of man, and the primeval conditions of his life. Mr. Evans is not a partisan, or a propagandist of any extreme views upon this subject, but deals with it simply as a scientific question, to be elucidated by the painstaking accumulation of the relics of antiquity which yet remain, and which are becoming more varied and abundant with increasing search and observation. He has figured in his pages about 800 objects—arrow-heads, daggers, knives, axes, hammers, adzes, picks, chisels, gouges, drills, scrapers, whetstones, stone-vessels, buttons, rings, necklaces, bracelets, and various other things—stating their locality and under what circumstances they were found. Great care has been taken with the illustrations, Mr. Evans having spared no expense in procuring the best artistic talent in order to secure the highest accuracy of representation. The book is valuable for the fidelity of its preparation, both in a scientific and artistic point of view, and, as it contains most of the information at present available with regard to the class of antiquities of which it treats, it will at once take eminent rank among treatises upon this branch of the natural history of man.

A Manual of Microscopic Mounting, with Notes on the Collection and Examination of Objects. By John H. Martin. Philadelphia: Lindsay & Blakiston, 1872.

The necessity of the microscope to the naturalist and physician, and its wide employment as a means of recreation and study by the non-professional, have created a demand for something that shall serve as a guide in the delicate operations connected with its use. So far as the management of the instrument itself is concerned, this has been supplied in various treatises; but, with the exception of incidental directions, wide-

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