The Royal Society. By Sir William Huggins. (Methuen and Co.
4s. 6d. net.)—Sir William Huggins gives us here four of the Presidential addresses which he delivered during his quinquennium of office. By way of introduction he sketches the early history of the Royal Society. This is all that it should be, a clear, succinct narrative, appropriately illustrated by portraits of some of the worthies of the Society, Harvey, Wren, Evelyn, Newton, Dalton, and Faraday among them, and by various interesting objects connected with the foundation and career of the institution. We find ourselves in full agreement with what Sir William has to say about the duty of the State in the promotion of science. When we come to the subject of education we feel more doubtful. He does not wish to dethrone literary education, but we cannot but think that this would be the effect of his proposals, should they be carried out. " An equal part with the humanities" is, indeed, all that he claims for science. But does he really believe that in the average boy or youth there is room for both ? If we have regard to the usual capacity, there must be a choosing. The fact is—and every schoomaster and examiner could testify to it—that in the ordinary boy's mind there is very little room indeed. The more choice we give, to snit diverse bents of intellect, the better ; but to look forward to a time when " every man going up to the Universities will have been from his earliest years under the stimulating influence of a personal training in practical elementary science" would seem to threaten the dethronement of Letters.
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