mocracy,' 'Popular Government,' 'Some Political and Social Aspects of the Tariff,' 'Criminal Politics,' 'The Economic Man,' 'Idleness and Immorality,' 'The Duty of Educated Men in a Democracy,' 'Who Will Pay the Bills of Socialism?" "The Political Situation in 1896,' "The Real Problems of Democracy,' 'The Expenditure of Rich Men.' The economic essays, like all of Mr. Godkin's economic writings, betray his adherence to the Manchester school, and are not quite free from a tendency to dogmatize. The chapters on 'Popular Government' and 'The Real Problems of Democracy' are in reality reviews of the two most important treatises on popular government of recent date-Sir Henry Mains's 'Popular Government' and Mr. Lecky's 'Modern Democracy.' It would have been much better for the reputation of the author of 'Ancient Law' and the 'Early History of Institutions' if he had never written, or at least never published, his 'Popular Government,' and certainly Mr. Lecky's last book has added nothing to his reputation. Mr. Godkin experiences no great difficulty in pointing out the errors into which both Mr. Lecky and Sir Henry have fallen. His own generalizations are carefully made, and are for the most part remarkably free from the taints of doctrinairism which one almost instinctively expects to find in Mr. Godkin's economic writings. These chapters and the ones on the 'Duty of Educated Men in a Democracy' and the 'Expenditure of Rich Men' are of more than passing importance, and well deserve preservation in their present form. an The Macmillan Company have published abridged, one-volume edition of Mr. James Bryce's 'American Commonwealth.' Mr. Bryce has been assisted in the work of abridgment and revision by Professor Macy, of Iowa College, whose name in connection with Mr. Bryce's is a sufficient guarantee of the carefulness and thoroughness of the work. The original work, written primarily for English readers, has been deservedly popular in America. It is not, however, well adapted to class-room use as a text-book on American institutions, on account of its size and the large amount of extraneous matter it contains. The abridgment has been made with a view to its use in high schools and colleges, and the corrections in the last revised edition of the complete work have been inserted here with some others, so that the book is brought fully up to date. The author apparently found the task of abridging the first volume of the original work comparatively easy, as it is made up of the chapters on the national, state, and local governments. The abridgment follows very closely the order and the content of the first volume, one chapter only of the original work having been omitted, while one chapter of the complete work has been expanded into two in the abridged. It ap pears, however, that the second volume presented much greater difficulty. To keep the book within reasonable size necessitated the exclusion of nine-tenths of the matter contained in the second volume. The relative importance of the different chapters is necessarily so much a matter of individual opinion, that doubtless many persons will be disappointed in the selections made. But, on the whole, the selections seem to have been made with judgment, in view of the purpose of the book, and the qualified teacher can easily supplement the matter in the text-book from the larger edition or from other sources. The earlier book will remain for maturer students and the general reader. From The Athenæum of February 20 we note that "The Life of the late Lord Tennyson, by his son, the present lord, has now gone to the press, and will be published on October 6. It is in two volumes of good size, and is full of concentrated material.” Charles Scribner's Sons publish an anonymous book, 'America and the Americans,' written from "the French point of view." The first impulse is to attribute this to Paul Blouet, but a more careful consideration leaves the authorship still in doubt. The chapters deal with such topics as 'Social Contrasts,' 'On Being Busy,' 'American Politics,' 'American English,' 'American Newspapers,' Travel,' 'Summer Resorts,' 'Impressions of New York,' 'Of Boston,' and 'Of Chicago,' etc. Such a work is, and of necessity must be, superficial, but there is in it much of interest, and there are suggestions which should be helpful. The weakness of American civilization and the characteristic faults of Americans are not ignored. The chapters on American society, particularly as they touch American women, are the least satisfactory, while those that treat of American politics and American newspapers are among the best. The book is simple and pleasing in style, and there is throughout an absence of carping criticism, and facts are stated with so much moderation, that thoughtful Americans will in the main find little to object to. It is at times desirable to get a new point of view, and this book is helpful to that end. A number of the younger literary men of the Southern States, who are working more or less in concert, are doing a genuine service to the South and to American literature by calling attention to the lives and works of some charming writers. The unfavorable conditions prevalent in the South before and during the civil war were disastrous to the immediate recognition of literary talent. There was no literary centre in which writers might gather, or from which their products could be given to the world under happy auspices. The civil war and the stress of reconstruction further crushed the hopes of struggling authors. The consequence was that some writers of considerable powers failed of a public, and lived and died in poverty and disappointment. To obtain for these men recognition, however tardy, is the object of much sympathetic scholarship in the South of to-day. One of the most pleasing of these recent efforts is a series of papers by Mr. Samuel Albert Link, entitled 'Pioneers of Southern Literature,' and published by Barbee & Smith. This series is to contain ten little treatises, of which three have already appeared. The first is a general survey, called 'A Glance at the Field. Here a Tale; There a Song;' the second treats of Paul Hamilton Hayne, "Poet Laureate of the South," and the third of Dr. Frank O. Ticknor and Henry Timrod. Another series from the same publishers is called 'Southern Writers,' by Professor Malone Baskervill. The series is published in monthly numbers, the first of which appeared in July, 1896. It will consist of twelve papers, and is intended to give “a tolerably complete survey of that literary movement which, beginning about 1870, has spread over the entire South. There will be no attempt to place a final estimate upon this contribution, though some critical opinions will now and then be offered. The attempt will be rather to present biographical data and literary appreciations to stimulate a desire for more intimate acquaintance with the literature which is so fresh, original, and racy of the soil." Papers have already appeared on Joel Chandler Harris, Maurice Thompson, Irwin Russell, and Sidney Lanier. It is a surprise as well as a pleasure to pick up a book on the art of writing which is itself an illustration of the art. The average "rhetoric," despite its pleasing quotations from standard authors, is as dull as a municipal code. The author usually declares that three qualities are essential to good style-namely, clearness, force, elegance, and then proceeds to explain his meaning in English that is neither forcible nor elegant. Consequently young persons who wish to learn the art of writing get little help or inspiration from the formal treatise on rhetoric. Working with it is a little like studying botany in a desert. "Specimens" can be found in the oases, but it is dreary business after all. Fortunately not all books on English are stylistic Saharas, with "specimens❞ furnished only by the quotations from standard authors. Professor A. S. Hill, of Harvard, whose 'Principles of Rhetoric' and 'Foundations of Rhetoric' have merited popularity, is a clear and vigorous writer. He is, however, an academician, and he writes from the teacher's point of view. His books develop the critical rather than the creative faculty. His colleague, Professor Barrett Wendell, has written a clear and entertaining analysis of the art of expression. His 'English Composition' (Scribners, 1891) holds up before the young writer the ideal at which he must aim, and Wendell's own style is so elaborately good as to give rise to the suspicion that he never writes without having the ideal constantly in mind. What he really treats in his book is the theory or philosophy of style. Although full of practical suggestions that must be helpful to any amateur, his book is philosophical rather than practical. The reader, when he lays it down, is likely to feel certain, not that it is worth while to try to write, but that he hereafter will know good English when he reads it. Arlo Bates, in his "Talks on Writing English,' which Houghton, Mifflin, & Co. publish, is more practical and suggestive than Hill or Wendell. Mr. Bates is professor of rhetoric in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, but his style is not at all professorial. To the average reader it will probably not occur that Mr. Bates is a learned man, or that he writes excellent English. More likely the reader will be surprised to discover that the art of writing English is a very interesting subject, and he may possibly fail to give to Mr. Bates due credit for having helped him to the discovery. This is merely saying, of course, that Mr. Bates's art is artless. "The way to learn to write," says Mr. Bates, "is to write, and write, and write." Nothing could be truer or more fundamental, yet the world is full of amateurs sore and discouraged because their first productions have been politely returned by editors. Few men can read Talks on Writing English' without some loss of confidence in their ability to write; on the other hand, no intelligent man can finish the book without the conviction that he himself can learn to write well if he will only pay the price. The book is helpful because it not only points out the difficulties in the path of all inexperienced writers, but also shows how the difficulties may most easily be overcome. Mr. Bates draws his illustrations chiefly from modern literature. Such authors as Stevenson, Kipling, Lowell, Cable, Barrie, and Meredith are frequently quoted. In this reference to literature yet fresh in the memory, and in the fact that Mr. Bates has written his book honestly out of his own experience, lies the secret of much of its charm. Professor W. P. Trent, of the University of the South, has in the press of T. Y. Crowell & Co. a book called 'Southern Statesmen of the Old Régime.' This work is another illustration of the activity of Southern scholars in matters pertaining to the literary and political history of the South. University Extension News and Announcements. SUMMER MEETING NOTES. The fifth Summer Meeting of the American Society will be held in the buildings of the University of Pennsylvania, July 6-30, 1897. The full announcements of the courses in the several departments will be ready for free distribution about the middle of April. The five departments are: A. Medieval Life and Thought; B. Psychology; C. Round-Table Conferences; D. Mathematics; E. Latin. An inclusive ticket admits to all the courses in all the departments except the laboratory classes in psychology, for which a special fee is charged. The price of this ticket is fifteen dollars. A department ticket admits to all the courses of any one department. In that of Medieval Life and Thought, this will give an opportunity to hear some ten or twelve lecturers, who will present in its most varied aspects the history, literature, art, philosophy, and education of the Middle Ages. The department ticket costs ten dollars. Definite arrangements are already made with Professor Cheney and Dr. Child, of the University of Pennsylvania, to lecture respectively on the English history and the English literature of this period. Romance literature will be treated by Professor Lang, of Yale University, and Arabic history by Professor Jewett, of the University of Minnesota. Two lectures on Monasticism will be delivered by Rev. Dr. Fairly, of the Reformed Episcopal Theological Seminary. Professor D. C. Munro, of the University of Pennsylvania, will give five lectures on Education, and Dr. Pilcher five on Medieval Architecture. Further courses are to be arranged for. In the Department of Psychology, Dr. Lightner Witmer, of the University of Pennsylvania, will give a course of twenty lectures on psychology and childstudy. The laboratories of the University, with their equipment, are available for summer meeting work; and competent assistants will direct, with Dr. Witmer, the experimental work of the students. In addition to Dr. Witmer there will be four other lecturers, one of whom will be a kindergartner. A course will be given on kindergarten methods. A series of Round-Table Conferences on a variety of topics constitutes a new feature of this Summer Meeting. In these it is intended to have the discussions led by prominent educators. Professor Davis, of Harvard, will conduct a talk on geography, and Professor Hart, of Harvard, will lead the discussion as to how to meet the new entrance requirements in history. Miss Arnold, of Boston, will talk on primary work, Professor A. G. Gantvoort on music in primary work, and Professor Brumbaugh, of the University of Pennsylvania, on a subject yet to be announced. These three courses are collateral with the work of Department B. Professor Bronson, of Brown University, will lead the conference on literature, Dr. Schwatt on mathematics, and Dr. Witmer on psychology. The courses in mathematics, which were such a success last summer, form an important part of the summer's work. They will be under the direction of Dr. I. 1. Modern Geometry. 2. Differential Equations. 3. Theory of Numbers. 4. Theory of Distribution. 5. Theory of Functions of a Complex Variable. 6. Theory of Abelian Functions. The instruction in mathematics will embrace such topics from the above list as are called for by those in attendance. Classes will meet daily (five times each week) during the four weeks of the Summer Meeting. The program of hours will be arranged on the first day of the meeting, so far as possible, in such a way as to avoid conflict with courses in other departments, which students wish to attend. The director reserves the right to withdraw any course for which there are not at least six applicants. For information as to the requisite preparation for the courses, address Dr. I. J. Schwatt, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. Professor Henry Gibbons, of the University of Pennsylvania, will conduct three classes in Latin: 1. For beginners; ten hours a week. 2. In Cicero or Virgil; five hours a week. The inaugural lecture will be delivered on July 6. The lecturer and his subject will be announced later. In answer to inquiries about the progress of University Extension work under the auspices of the University of Wisconsin, we are informed that, as compared with 1895-96, the present year has not been a particularly prosperous one, on account of the political excitement of last autumn, and the fact that some of the best University Extension lecturers have been obliged to limit their Extension work because of the demands made upon them by their responsibilities to the university itself. It appears also in Wisconsin, as elsewhere, that it is not worth while to send out weak Extension lecturers; this fact has led to a resolution not to offer courses except by men who will probably be quite satisfactory to the Centres. It always becomes apparent, after some experience in University Extension, that men who may be thorough scholars are not necessarily successful before a popular audience, either in their power to interest their hearers or in their teaching qualities. In Wisconsin there has been a greater demand for lecturers on English Literature than upon any other topic; but we are told that in the West, as here, the personality of the lecturer is always as important a consideration as the topic of the lectures. Economics, sociology, history, astronomy, and Greek life seem to be the subjects most interesting to the Centres, after English literature. The West Philadelphia Centre has offered a prize of ten dollars for the best essay on 'America's Contribution to the Poetic Interpretation of Nature.' Professor Bevier, whose course on 'Six American Poets' has recently been finished, will decide on the merits of the papers submitted. President E. D. Warfield has made the following report of his course of lectures on the 'Development of the United States' before the West Philadelphia Centre: "The Centre is in excellent condition, and is admirably organized. Too much praise cannot be given to the tact and energy of the president and of the secretary. There are an unusual number of earnest workers, and the after-meetings, usually lasting till 10 o'clock, were full of interest. Study meetings were held on the alternate Mondays, and were largely attended. I feel it a privilege to have been permitted to lecture to so satisfactory a body of students. The course is being followed by one on American poets. I should think a course on recent American history and American prose writers would make a good series for next year." The [London] University Extension Journal gives an outline of the program of the eighth Summer Meeting of University Extension and other students, which is to be held this year in Oxford from July 31 to August 25. On the evening of July 31 the Lord Bishop of Ripon will lecture on "The Romantic Revival in English Literature.' The main courses of study will be as follows: I. The History, Literature, Art, and Economics of the Revolutionary Epoch, 1789-1848. Lectures will be delivered on Kant or Hegel, Sheridan, Crabbe, Cowper, and Shelley, Goethe's 'Faust,' Byron, and Coleridge, Wordsworth, Schiller, and Heine, and Jane Austen. There are also in course of arrangement lectures on Keats, Scott, Victor Hugo, Balzac, and others. The historical and social aspects of the period will be treated in lectures on 'O'Connell and the Catholic Emancipation," "The History of Education During the Period, "The Abolition of Slavery,' 'The French Revolution,' 'Mazzini,' 'The Epoch of Reform in England -Economic, Municipal, and Electoral,' 'Wellesley's Rule in India,' and 'The Waterloo Campaign.' There will be a special advanced class in French, for the study of the French Revolution with the aid of the original authorities. Further lectures will be given on 'French Painters of the Period' and 'The Music of the Period;' arrangements are being made for lectures on 'English Painters,' 'Malthus,' 'Ricardo,' 'Pitt as a Financier,' and "The Early History of Factory Legislation' are the subjects of lectures already determined upon. Among the lecturers we note the Master of Balliol, Mr. Augustine Birrell, Canon Gore, Mr. Arthur Sedgwick, Professor Moulton, Mr. F. S. Boas, Mr. Justin McCarthy, Mr. M. E. Sadler, Rev. W. H. Shaw, Mr. E. L. S. Horsburgh, Mr. H. Belloc, and Rev. W. H. Hutton. II. Natural Science. There will be a continuous course of daily lectures on Chemistry, Physics, Botany, and Geology. There will be a class in Anthropology, and lectures on Astronomy, Zoology, and possibly Bacteriology. III. History and Theory of Education. With special reference to child-study and the kindergarten method. IV. The English Language. There will be a special class in this subject, intended primarily for foreigners, which will be conducted by Dr. Henry Sweet. V. The History of Architecture, with Special Reference to the Buildings of Oxford and Its Neighbor hood. Lectures will be given on 'Oxford During the Period' (1789-1848). VI. Classes will be held for the elementary and advanced study of the Greek language. Two Conferences will be held during the Meeting: (1) On the relations between Co-operation and University Extension; (2) On the Training of PupilTeachers. Special sermons will be preached by the Lord Bishop of Ripon and Rev. W. Hudson Shaw. Theological lectures will be delivered by Canon Scott Holland on 'St. John's Gospel,' by Rev. C. Hargrove on "The Revolutionary Spirit in Keligion,' and by Rev. W. E. Addis on "The Development of Biblical Criticism During the Revolutionary Period.' The price of a ticket for the whole Meeting is £1 10s.; for the first part (July 31-August 11) and for the second part (August 11-25), £1 each. UNIVERSITY EXTENSION CONFERENCE. A University Extension Conference was held Saturday evening, March 20, at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Thirteenth and Locust streets, Philadelphia. There were present members of students' associations, lecturers, directors of the American Society for the Extension of University Teaching, and representatives from the following Centres: Association Local (Philadelphia), Bainbridge Street (Philadelphia), Burlington, N. J.; Camden, N. J.; Chester, Church of the Covenant (Philadelphia), College Settlement (Philadelphia), Forty-ninth Street (Philadelphia), Frankford, Germantown, Haddonfield, N. J.; Hebrew Literature Society (Philadelphia), Kensington, Lancaster, Lehigh Avenue (Philadelphia), The Lighthouse (Philadelphia), Marlton, N. J.; Media, Millville, N. J.; Moorestown, N.J,; Norristown, North Philadelphia, Riverton, N. J.; Salem, N. J.; South Philadelphia, West Chester, West Park (Philadelphia, West Philadelphia, Wilmington, Del.; Woodbury, N. J.; Wyncote, and Young Friends' Association (Philadelphia). The first address was by Professor Charles SpragueSmith. He outlined a plan for the comparative study of literature, and referred to conferences which he had held in New York and elsewhere for literary study according to his method. He thought that the great examples of epics, dramas, and so on, in different languages, should be compared, with a view to generalizations which could not be drawn from individual cases. He seemed to think that there was something more important than literary form to be derived from such comparisons. Mr. A. H. Quinn, of the University of Pennsylvania, took issue with Professor Sprague-Smith, objecting that the method of going at once to the greatest monuments of literature, and concentrating attention upon a few examples, was not in conformity with generally approved practice. said that in teaching literature at the University of Pennsylvania and in many other colleges it was now thought best to begin with novels, as representing the better known, and to proceed from them to essays, the drama, and other literary forms; that comparative literature was more suited to graduate students than to beginners. He Mr. Walter C. Douglas then read a paper written for the conference by Mr. Graham Wallas, who advocated higher specialization in University Extension work, and long-continued attention to one subject under the direction of one or two teachers. Mr. Wallas expressed the belief that under these conditions original work might be done of actual value as a contribution to knowledge. He also urged such affiliation between University Extension and the other educational agencies as would result in drafting from the former students for the special schools having regular foundations, such as the art schools, the Wharton School and the other departments of the University. Professor Patten spoke in general approval of Mr. Wallas's suggestions. He was followed by Mr. S. Burns-Weston, who appeared to feel that unless University Extension classes could do such work as might be expected of specialists studying at a universitysuch work as might in time lead to the formation of colleges-the movement would fail of its purpose. The final address was made by Mr. Belloc. He did not agree with Mr. Wallas or the latest speakers. He believed in the possibility of transmitting to a general audience in some degree the conclusions reached through the special studies of university men, and in the inspiration of numbers, nor would he limit the hearers to any one set of people. He called attention to the fact that, while in England there may be a need of colleges sprung from the gathering together of the most devoted disciples of University Extension, there is no such need in the United States, where colleges are abundant and the way is made easy for any one who can take time for special study, and has will and aptitude to pursue it. He went on to say: "University Extension, even more than its kindred movements in modern life, shows at once a double function. I regard the class as appertaining to one of these functions, the general lecture to another. I need not say that I regard the lecture as by far the more important of the two, for if University Extension means anything, it means the bringing into our own highly specialized and complex time that simplicity and freshness of interest that appeal to large numbers of men upon general grounds, which were the origins of teaching in the old university centres, and to which origins we must return unless modern communities are to lose the results of university teaching. The class exists, in my opinion, for a separate purpose. There are in every one of these large audiences who listen to University Extension lectures a certain proportion-but, it cannot be too often repeated, a small proportion to whom special work upon the subject is attractive or directly useful. For example, if I my. self were a resident of a town where lectures were being given upon electricity, I should go to hear them because the matter has for me a strong general interest, but I should do no further work. If, on the other hand, DeCoulanges were living, and were lecturing on the origins of Europe, the lectures would be to me less important than the references to authorities and to methods of study which such a man could give; but, while thousands might listen to such a lecture, I very much doubt if more than twenty of them would feel the desire or have the previous training to take advantage of such references. "How, then, would define the smaller body which I think ought to be called the class? In the first place, I think it ought to be definitely enrolled. I would allow any one to put his name down on the roll, even at the last lecture. But there ought to be a list, and the lecturer should possess this list. Those who are not on such a list should not be called members of the class. In the second place, all those so enrolling should pledge themselves to write at least one essay before the course is over. I say at least one, recognizing well that it is preferable for them to write four, and I would make it preferable by giving certifi cates in the examination only to those who had writ ten four. In the third place, I would have it understood-though, of course, there is no way of enforcing it-that some one authority at least, recommended by the lecturer, should be read by every member of the class. For example, when I lecture on the French Revolution, I may as well not have a class at all as have one in which any of the members had failed to read the 'Contrat Social' of Rousseau. Finally, I would say that the examination at the end ought to be thrown open to all those who choose to come, for the very simple reason that an examination is of far more value to a casual hearer who desires to know where he stands in the general underlying knowledge of the subject than it is to a man whom the opportunities of studentship or scholarship have attracted. To go back to my original example, if I were listening to DeCoulanges's lectures, it would be a small matter to me to know at the end of six weeks how I stood in his estimation, but a greater matter to find out at the end of a year's work that his methods had enabled me to teach myself." Mrs. Birney opened the discussion by describing what she had found to be the best methods in leading a class preparing for a course of lectures. Her account of the amount and character of the preliminary study done in some of the classes she had worked with was listened to with special interest. Mr. Bioren and Miss Stockton made valuable contributions to the discussion upon class work. Mr. Tillinghast called attention to the error of demanding the writing of four essays in connection with a course as a condition of eligibility for examination. Miss Fisher suggested as a topic to be considered at the next meeting the difficulty of getting as many copies of certain books from the libraries as were wanted by students preparing for particular courses, and means of overcoming this obstacle. Mr. Rosengarten spoke of the willingness of the Free Library to do all that it could to assist in supplying books. The matter of branch and traveling libraries was touched upon. It appeared that the West Philadelphia Centre had been using a traveling library from the Free Library of Philadelphia. The Conference adjourned to meet at an early date next winter. The room was full, and there was an evident interest in the addresses and discussions, which seemed to indicate a growing desire to take University Extension work seriously and make it effective. BEST THOUGHTS and richest experiences of educa tional leaders in this and other countries are given in the columns of the JOURNAL OF EDUCATION. The foremost educators and the most successful teachers are continually speaking with personal helpfulness to the readers of that paper. Teachers need the help which the JOURNAL can and does give. Among the prominent contributors for the coming year are Dr. Wm. T. Harris, U. S. Com. of Education, Richard G. Boone, Ph. D., B. A. Hinsdale, LL. D., N. C. Schaeffer, Ph. D., J. T. Prince, Ph. D., George H. Martin, Arthur C. Boyden, Will S. Monroe, Aaron Gove, Sarah L. Arnold, Margaret E. Schallenberger. Yearly Subscription Price, $2.50. NEW ENGLAND PUBLISHING COMPANY CHICAGO OFFICE: Room 45, Auditorium Building. THIS INTERESTS YOU The Editor will be greatly obliged to per sons sending him copies of It is a work prepared by eminent scholars and specialists who sign their articles. The Outlook, says: "It is the best book of its kind for general use in the American Home, Office and Library." We might add pages of similar testimony from teachers, physicians, ministers, business men and the press. Write for our special offer, how to obtain it at Cash Prices by paying a little each month. A postal card with name and address will bring full particulars. Address, D. APPLETON & CO., Publishers 1219 Arch Street, Philadelphia |