C URRENT LITERATURE.
THE MONTHLY REVIEW.
The Monthly Review, which reached us too late for notice in our last issue, contains an interesting article by Mr. S. L. Bastin on the possibility of intelligence in plants. It is rather a startling thing to contemplate what would be the result of the discovery that the plant world possessed intelligence and also feelings. The cry of "justice to vegetables" would be an exceedingly delicate affair. Striking instances are given by Mr. Bastin which point to something more than moving along the line of least resistance, and even hint at intelligent anticipation. Among many instances, we are told of a service-tree growing on the shell of an old hollow oak. The roots of the service made for the ground and presented the appearance of a small trunk. If this root had gone straight on it would have landed, not on the earth, but on a stone a foot square. But about half-a-yard from the ground the roots divided, part going into the earth on one side, and part on the other.—Mrs. Ross translates some legends of the Abruzzi, of which a large collection has been made by the Comm. de Nino, himself an Abruzzese. A curious fable tells how an old woman called Poverty gave shelter to our Lord and St. Peter, and in return asked as a favour that no one who climbed her pear-tree should be able to come down without her leave. When Death came to visit her, she asked him to pick her some fruit, and so he was made captive in the tree, and only allowed to reach the ground on the promise of never coming to the old woman. "And Death descended and began his usual slaughter. But he never came near the old woman Poverty, and that is why we have poverty ever with us."—Mr. Marcus Dorman gives his views as to how the Unionist Party is to be regenerated. His plans deal not so much with policies as with organisations. The principal remedy suggested is a sixpenny weekly newspaper for educational pur- poses. When, we wonder, did people ever read of their own free will newspapers written not to interest but to instruct them ?
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