Exercises in Practical Chemistry, Series I., Qualitative Exercises, by A.
G. Vernon-Harcourt and H. G. Madan (Clarendon Press) is a very careful, and, as far as it takes the student, the analysis of a single salt, "one acid and one base," really effective plan of teaching. If wo have a fault to find with it, this is that there are not enough lessons on important common things at the beginning, so as to connect the shreds of knowledge which a pupil already possesses with the more exact reve- lations of chemical science. And may we add that there is too much attention and space given to what, if the phrase may be allowed, wo may call special " fads " of the authors; as, for instance, standard solutions for everything, which involve great trouble, and are no more useful than ordinary test-solutions? Is there not something alarming, too, in the general direction to keep all residues of experiments ? But the volume is a capital handbook.
Mr. Parke Godwin republishes in a volume called Out of the Past (New York : Putnam), various critical and literary papers published in the Democratic Maim, Putnam's Monthly, &c. Many of the essays are of considerable worth. We may mention especially those on "Mr. Ruskin's Writings," " Comte's Philosophy," and "Strauss's Life of Jesus." In this last there is an argument put with noticeable force against the " mythical " theory drawn from the mention made by the Evangelists of the mother of our Lord. How simple, how plain, how devoid, so to speak, of colour is the picture of Mary in the Gospels ; and, on the other hand, how infinite the variety of the myths which have grown up about her personality in later ages!
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