reader of more mature years. The headings of some of the chapters are very suggestive, such as (a) The Filling of the Coal Cellar, (b) The Breakfast Table, (c) The Harvest of the Sea, and (d) Newspapers. The writers introduce statistics only where they can be made to emphasize some statement or to explain some difficulty in the lesson. First Lessons in Geography. By E. MARSDEN and T. A. SMITH. (3s. 6d. Macmillan.) As its title implies, this book is intended as a simple introduction to geography. The first eighty pages provide the young people with a knowledge of the elementary principles of physiography, explanations of natural phenomena being illustrated from the experiences of everyday life. This is followed by an account of the British Isles and the Continent. The subject-matter has been selected carefully, so that the descriptions of the countries give a clear presentation of the essential facts, and the oral questions at the ends of the lessons are designed to fix their chief points in the pupil's mind. There are several coloured maps, and few pages are without pictures or diagrams. The figure on page 52 would be improved by putting the eastern point on the right. HISTORY. The Tradition of the Roman Empire. A Sketch of European History. By C. H. ST. L. RUSSELL. (6s. net. Macmillan.) One of the difficulties of the study of general European history is its apparent lack of unity. In the hands of some writers it degenerates into an unconcatenated series of parallel sketches of individual nations. Mr. Russell has succeeded in a quite remarkable manner in displaying the underlying oneness and the persistent continuity of Western civilization during twenty centuries, by making the tradition of the Roman Empire his central theme. He has developed his dominant idea with masterly skill and convincing force. He displays a genius for the classification and arrangement of intractable material, and he is able to display order where less gifted historians perceive only chaos. His book needs careful study if all its significant analogies are to be appreciated; but it well repays careful study. For no reader who has made himself master of its general scheme will ever want a framework on which to build up a sound knowledge of the history of the Christian era. The Piers Plowman Social and Economic Histories. Book III. By M. NIEMEYER. (3s.) Book V. By E. H. SPALDING. (3s. 6d. Philip.) Readings in English Social History, from Contemporary Literature. Edited by R. B. MORGAN. Vols. I and II. (4s. net each. Cambridge University Press.) The four little volumes before us aim at depicting the common life of the English people during various periods of their progress. They all assume some knowledge of the outlines of the political history of the country, and endeavour to supplement it, first, by providing a background which throws it into relief, and, secondly, by furnishing a foreground on which the results of political movements are displayed, in so far as they affect the environment of the average man. The two Piers Plowman books form the first instalment of a projected series of seven planned and edited by Miss Spalding, of Goldsmiths' College. Book III, written by Miss Niemeyer, covers the years 1300-1485. Book V, written by Miss Spalding herself, treats of the period 1600-1760. Both of them are well constructed, interesting, excellently illustrated, and equipped with useful book lists. Mr. Morgan's Readings relate, the first volume to the period prior to 1272, the second to the two centuries 1272-1485. They consist of carefully selected extracts and translations from original and other sources, illustrated by notes and beautiful photographs. Delightful books. Great Britain in the Latest Age. By A. S. TURBERVILLE and F. A. HOWE. (7s. 6d. net. Murray.) This very interesting and informative study of nineteenth-century Britain is the work of two ex-officers whose duties during the period of the Armistice required them to teach the elements of civics to large bodies of troops belonging to the Army of Occupation in Germany. They came to the conclusion that civics needs a historical background, and they provided that background by delivering a series of lectures on various aspects of the nineteenth century. Now that they have returned to the paths of peace, they have developed the lecture notes into the fifteen chapters of this attractive volume. The first three chapters of the book furnish a rapid and vivid sketch of the events of the period-laissez faire, 1815-51; splendid isolation, 1851-1901; entente cordiale, 1901-14. remaining twelve chapters are topical. They treat of such themes as transport, commercial policy, agriculture, education, industry, political theory. The writers have an obvious mastery of their material, and they have succeeded in presenting a memorable picture of the crowded age of which they trea The Economics for Beginners. By M. C. BUER. (4s. 6d. net. Routledge.) Mr. Buer, Lecturer in Economics at University College, Reading, has produced a most valuable elementary textbook of political economy. It is intended for young people at schools and for adults seeking sound knowledge in study circles and tutorial classes. Mr. Buer, himself an experienced teacher, recognizes the inherent difficulties of his subject, but he thinks that these can be overcome, and he holds it a matter of the utmost importance that they should be overcome. As to the controversial nature of economics, he contends that divergence of views arises not so much concerning fundamental principles as concerning their application in practical life. He tries to make clear the axioms, the postulates, and the basal propositions of his science. This arrangement of his material is original, and it has the advantage of providing a more than usually easy graduation of difficulty for the student. The main division is three-fold. Part I treats of the problems of production, distribution, and exchange; Part II deals with money, throwing incidentally a flood of light upon present-day financial questions; Part III discusses the functions of the State and other practical topics. The book is one that deserves a wide circulation. Cosimo I, Duke of Florence. By CECILY BOOTH. The subject of this sketch was the notable second founder of the Medicean line of Florentine rulers whose life covered the troublous years 1519-1574. All readers of Italian history know him, or rather a caricature of him, well. He stands out from the pages of most chroniclers as a monster of cruelty and craft. His cleverness and success all admit, for he held his own against such monarchs as Charles V and Francis I, and he reduced beneath his sway such ancient foes of his city as Siena and Pisa. But, as a rule, recognition of his achievements is balanced by reprobation of his wickedness. Miss Booth's task is to revise the verdict of tradition, and she fulfils her task with striking success. She is able to draw upon much unpublished material, authentic records that do not lie, and familiar correspondence eloquent of sincerity. Cosimo I emerges from Miss Booth's critical examination vindicated, rehabilitated, and restored. Although Miss Booth's book is one of high and recondite erudition, it is so well and lightly written that it makes easy and delightful reading. "The Story of the Nations."-Belgium. By E. CAMMAerts. (12s. 6d. net. Fisher Unwin.) The original series of "The Story of the Nations" in sixty-five volumes, completed some fifteen years ago, has recently been supplemented by two volumes, of which this is the second. Its predecessor was Dr. Stefanson's "Denmark and Sweden." Both these works continue the tradition of the main body of the series, viz., that, wherever possible, the history of a nation should be written by one of its own people, and by a literary man rather than by a dry-as-dust annalist. That tradition, although it has led to a few failures, has resulted in the production of a number of notable monographs, and among these M. Emile Cammaerts' "Belgium' will undoubtedly rank. Although it follows in the main the order of development in time, it is free from the strict trammels of chronology. It aims rather at giving a picture of Belgian civilization, and at displaying the part that Belgium has played in the making of the modern world. In this it is strikingly successful. It supplements, but does not supersede, the more systematic sketch of Belgian political history recently published for Prof. Van der Essen. The two together form an admirably complete course in the institutions of the little State which has suffered so much from its unlucky contiguity to big and quarrelsome neighbours. MATHEMATICS. Elementary Dynamics. By J. W. LANDON. It is a real pleasure to meet with this book, and there are few of those written for engineers which we can so unreservedly commend. We are glad to see the prominence given to the vector concept, the judicious employment of the ideas and notation of the calculus, and, above all, the insistence upon the physical principles involved in the various mechanical problems. All teachers of engineering students know how prone the latter are to regard dynamics merely as a collection of formulae to be committed to memory, and that their idea. of solving a problem is to try one formula after another until they are lucky enough to hit upon the one which seems to suit the case. Against this tendency the author steadily sets his face. Considerable use is made of graphical representation, and, if we have any complaint to make, it is that the simple velocity and acceleration diagrams, which arise in connexion with linkages, has not been noticed. However, the student who uses this book will have acquired a sound basis on which to build his knowledge of the higher parts of his subject. ५ The Laws of Mechanics. By S. H. STELFOX. (6s. Methuen.) Engineers will find this a helpful companion to the more formal textbooks on mechanics. The writer has occupied himself chiefly with showing how graphical methods may be applied to the kinematics and dynamics of mechanisms, and various chapters are devoted to a very clear and interesting treatment of typical problems. In addition there are notes on arithmetic, the theory of dimensions, the fundamentals of the calculus, and on graphical methods of differentiating and integrating. If a second edition is called for, a statement made on page 140, regarding the dynamical equivalence of two particles to any rigid member, should be supplemented by the statement that this equivalence is only strictly true for a thin straight bar. Of course, it is not true when the body is extended in two or three dimensions. "Bell's Mathematical Series."-A First Course in the Calculus. Part II. By Prof. W. P. MILNE and G. J. B. WESTCOTT. (5s.) This calculus is intended for the use of young boys whose knowledge of algebra and trigonometry is not very extensive, and, consequently, in many respects the order and method of treatment are unusual, because difficulties have to be evaded which do not exist for students who begin the subject after a more thorough grounding in other branches of mathematics. Progress at first is slow. Part I, comprising the first ten chapters, deals solely with powers of x, and it is not till the pupil has reached Chapter XII in Part II that he learns how to differentiate a product. The trigonometric functions are discussed before the logarithmic and exponential, which are reached in Chapter XVII. In view of this gentle rate of progression, it is somewhat astonishing to find that the very next chapter confronts the pupil with Lagrange's and Cauchy's forms of the remainder in Taylor's Series, while thirty pages further on the singular solution of Clairaut's Equation makes its appearance. Much of the treatment is fresh and interesting, but there is a lack of due balance in the space allotted to the different topics, and we think the amount of numerical calculation excessive. Mathematical Problems. By H. E. F. ROBERTS and T. HICKSON. (3s. net. Heinemann.) Candidates preparing for Woolwich and Sandhurst will find these 121 problems afford good practice in solving the "portmanteau type of question which occurs in the mathematical papers. They are very varied in character, show freshness and originality, and, by compelling recourse to more than one branch of mathematics, assist the development of skill in discovering appropriate methods of solution. Solid Geometry. By J. W. HENSON. (3s. net. Blackie.) This book is intended for use in classes taking higher geometry in the Senior Local Examinations and the Intermediate B.Sc. of London University. The treatment is superficial, and the proof offered of Theorem 3-"Normals to the same plane are parallel, and, conversely, parallel straight lines are perpendicular to the plane to which one of them is perpendicular "-is an excellent example of the fallacy of begging the question; the converse being employed to prove the first part of the theorem. A School Geometry. By B. A. HOWARD and J. A. BINGHAM. (5s. 6d. University of London Press.) This is in many respects a very good textbook, and, as it contains both solid geometry and mensuration, it should meet the requirements of students up to the Intermediate Standard. In their approach to the subject, the authors have followed the lines of treatment suggested by the Board of Education and the Mathematical Association, though it is only in dealing with parallelism that they have diverged to a marked degree from the Euclidean tradition. We think the procedure they have adopted is not altogether satisfactory, for they begin by assuming as axiomatic the alternate-angle property of parallels, though later they profess to give a proof of it without drawing attention to the fact that they are making use of a new axiom viz. Playfair's. This book, in common with other "modern" ones of the same type, suffers from the defect that its treatment of the elements in a manner suited to the capacity of a boy of twelve, is not supplemented by a rediscussion which can be appreciated by a boy of sixteen or eighteen. MISCELLANEOUS. "The World of To-Day."-(1) Modern Finance. By E. BURNS. (2) Why Prices Rise and Fall. By F. W. P. LAWRENCE. (3) The Backward Peoples and our Relations with Them. By Sir H. JOHNSTON. (4) Industrial Ideals. By V. GOLLANCZ. (5) A Capital Levy and a Levy on War Wealth. By Prof. A. C. PIGOU. (6) An Educated Nation. By B. A. YEAXLEE. (7) The Anglo-American Future. By A. G. GARDINER. (2s. 6d. each. Milford.) Mr. Victor Gollancz is a sparkling young writer who recently, almost immediately after leaving school, on the strength of a few months' erratic experience as an untrained deputy assistant master, amused the educational world by publishing a grandiose scheme for its reformation. He now, at the head of a band of enthusiasts either young, like himself, or perennially youthful, like the Master of Balliol, sets out on the still larger enterprise of the reformation of mankind. The weapons of his warfare are monographs, each consisting of some eighty pages, and published at half-a-crown (representing a pre-war sixpence). Their generic title is "The World of To-Day," but it would more appropriately be "The World of the Day after To-Morrow," for they set out, not to describe the present system of things, but to confound it, and to herald a new and reddish dawn. Mr. Gollancz himself treats of "Industrial Ideals," with an inclination to see all that is best in Socialism, Syndicalism, and Sovietism. Prof. A. C. Pigou discusses, with obvious sympathy and desire, the project of A Capital Levy and a Levy on War Wealth "-the latter by this time irrecoverably merged in the general impoverishment of the country. Mr. Pethick Lawrence is more scientific and less propagandist in his consideration of the problem, "Why Prices Rise and Fall," but even he cannot prevent his Fabian proclivities from peeping out. At first sight it seems curious that books so tendencious and non-academic should issue from the Oxford University Press. But it is clear, on reflection, that it is best that views, however unbalanced and erroneous, should be stated by their ablest exponents, in the calmest possible manner, and that they should be presented for discussion to the learned world. Nothing is to be feared from full and free inquiry. What is to be feared is that youthful enthusiasts, like Mr. Victor Gollancz, with their leanings towards the Soviet system, should, in their despair of converting the immobile world, abandon argument, and seek to impose upon an unconvinced mankind a dictatorship of an illuminated minority. So long as they will limit their armoury to half-crown monographs like these, British citizens may sleep secure. "New Art Library."-Perspective. By R. V. COLE. To turn over the pages of this handsome volume is inevitably to remind oneself of days gone by, when one attacked the intricate problems of geometrical perspective with a boyish satisfaction at conning a riddle and getting a result, but with a sense that the theoretical explanations offered remained an unsolved portion of the riddle. And, looking back upon these early efforts, one realizes that the results, such as they were, might be achieved in a somewhat mechanical fashion, without any room being left for the vital factor of observation, Mr. Cole's treatment of the subject points out the better way, and leaves us wishing that he had guided us in our youth, rather than the orthodox writers of that time. Perspective realized through observation is what the best teachers have been trying to get into the schools for a long time past, though their efforts are partly thwarted by the requirements of examinations, which still seem to deal too much with the theoretical and scientific side of the subject at any rate, for a student of artistic proclivities, Mr. Cole seems to us to deal not only exhaustively, but in a way calculated to enlist the pupil's interest, with a side of drawing which has proved a stumbling-block to many. To teachers who themselves have suffered from over doses of theory," and who are seeking the better way for their pupils, we recommend this book. We may add that there are nearly four hundred figures in the text, besides over eighty page illustrations, MUSIC. (1) The Book of the Great Musicians. (4s. 6d. net.) (2) Musical Appreciation in Schools; Why and How? Both by P. A. SCHOLES. (1s. 6d. net.) (Milford.) The importance of cultivating the minds of children in all that appertains to the understanding and appreciation of music is beginning to be widely recognized. The difficulty has been to find a textbook which should, with the real understanding of the child mind, present the subject in a way that would not only retain the interest, but would in every lesson further stimulate development. Mr. Scholes, with his knowledge of the psychology of children, has certainly achieved this wellnigh impossible task. He has not forgotten the stories and anecdotes which interested him in his young days, for, like "Peter Pan," he refuses to grow up. Thus he pursues his subject along the line of least resistance, and, by many an anecdote and story, leads his fascinated listeners into the wonderful world of music, sustaining and deepening their interest in the more technical side of the subject in a way that is as rare as it is welcome. Sir Hugh Allen, in what he calls the "fight for light in the midst of so much darkness,” ably backs up the author in his preface to the companion work "Musical Appreciation in Schools," and teachers and heads of schools generally should take these books as a real guide to a movement which will undoubtedly have a far-reaching effect on the development of music in England. SCIENCE. An Introduction to the Structure and Reproduction of Plants. In their earlier book, "An Introduction to the Study of Plants," the authors made no attempt to deal with such details of structure and development as required the use of a microscope for their proper comprehension. The present volume, which is designed as a sequel, makes full compensation for the omission. The first half of the book gives a clear account of the minute structure of flowering plants, and explains the significance of anatomy in relation to habitat. The second half deals with the characteristic life histories and methods of reproduction of each of the great groups of plants in turn. Here we are glad to see included a brief description of the Cycads, and of Lyginopteris as a type of the extinct Pteridosperms, which will help the student to gain sound general ideas of the relationship between the Pteridophytes and the Phanerogams. There is a good final chapter on Heredity and Evolution. Structure is skilfully associated with function throughout, and the whole book is marked by a refreshing breadth of treatment, in spite of the large amount of detail included. The emphasis laid on features of commercial importance, and the provision of an unusually full index and of an appendix on the use of the microscope, add to its value. The volume is attractive in appearance, and contains 230 excellent illustrations, of which some two-thirds are original. Unfortunately, the scale of magnification in the drawings of microscopic details is very rarely stated. A Textbook of Plant Biology. By Prof. W. N. JONES and This book presents the modern developments and wider biological British Wild Flowers in their Natural Haunts. Described by We welcome the first four volumes of this new British flora. Mr. Horwood, who is the Recorder of the Plant Protection Section of the Selborne Society, will through this work do a great deal to make popular a more thorough study of our native flora by the method of ecology. The full account of the life-histories of representative wild flowers, and the notes on pollination, seed dispersal, soil requirements, and so on, will prove of great value to teachers and students of botany, and we hope, under Mr. Horwood's inspiration, teachers of the subject will take their pupils into the country oftener to study plants in their natural surroundings. The work will be completed in six volumes, profusely illustrated by sixtyfive full-page plates in colour, representing 350 different plants, from drawings by Mr. J. N. Fitch, in addition to hundreds of text illustrations. The first volume provides a general introduction to the subject; the second describes the flowers of fields and meadows, cornfields, and the sea coast; the third deals with those of woods, copses, roadsides and hedges; while the fourth is devoted to the flowers of the highlands, dry places, lakes, rivers and other wet places, waste places, farmyards, and so on. The volumes should be added to the library of every school where Nature study or botany is included in the curriculum; and a note of their beauty and interest should be made by any who desire to make a handsome and acceptable gift. Insect Life. By C. A. EALAND. (30s. net. Black.) Mr. Ealand may be congratulated on the success of his attempt to provide a textbook of entomology useful alike to the student and to the amateur naturalist who makes insects his hobby. It deals with the more important species of a very large number of families, and provides just the information the reader requires in the identification of his specimens, and in placing them in their right classificatory position. There are seventy-four full-page illustrations, twenty-four being from photographs by the author and fifty in colour from nature. The book makes a handsome volume, very suitable either for a gift or a school prize. Crystallography. A Series of Nets for the Construction of Models illustrative of the Simple Crystalline Forms. By J. B. JORDAN. (3s. net. Murby.) We welcome the separate publication of these excellent nets for the construction of models illustrative of the simple crystalline forms, which formerly appeared as an appendix to the late Mr. Jordan's well known book on crystallography issued by the same publishers. They will prove of great service to students of chemistry and mineralogy. "New World Science Series."-Zoology. By Prof. T. D. A. COCKERELL. (10s. 6d. net. Harrap.) This book, by the Professor of Zoology in the University of Colorado, is described in the sub-title as a textbook for colleges and universities, but, judged by British standards, seems more suitable for the edification of amateur naturalists and general readers. In the first twenty-two chapters various topics of general biological importance are discussed in a thoroughly interesting, but rather sententious, manner; they include a very elementary account of the main physiological processes of animals; a much more detailed exposition of the principles of heredity and allied subjects; and, inter alia, short biographies of Mendel, Darwin, and Linnæus. Then come twenty-seven brief chapters-almost destitute of morphology-surveying the several phyla of the animal kingdom; and, finally, sixteen chapters on the evolution of certain types (man, horse, elephant), the elements of geographical distribution, ecology and eugenics, history from the biological point of view, and a few more short biographies. The book deserves a wide circulation among readers interested in the general trend of progress in zoology, and it will form excellent supplementary reading for students undergoing the more rigorous drill of a British University It is attractively printed and illustrated. course. Physics: The Elements. By Dr. N. R. CAMPBELL. The format of this important book suggests that it is meant to Wireless Telegraphy and Telephony. By L. B. TURNER. In the case of an important branch of work, which presents mathematical, physical, and engineering, as well as commercial problems, such as wireless telegraphy and telephony, it follows that its rapid growth will be followed by the production of an extensive literature. During the last two or three years many books. have appeared which are intended to explain the principles of the subject to the wireless operator, while others give a more or less exhaustive treatment. In the present book the author has succeeded admirably in conveying to the reader the stage of develop ment to which wireless has now attained. Each section of the BOOKS OF THE MONTH. Classics. Cicero: Somnium Scipionis. Edited by J. F. Stout. University The Odyssey. Translated into English, in the Original Metre, by Pitt Press Series.-Homer: Iliad, Book XXI. With Introduction, Education. American College and University Series.-Wisconsin. By J. F. A. Education and the Army. By Col. Lord Gorell, C.B.E., M.C. Schools with a Message in India. By D. J. Fleming. Milford. Mental Training and Efficiency. By Dr. F. H. Hayward. Sidg- How to Measure. By Prof. G. M. Wilson and Prof. K. J. Hoke. The Cambridge Psychological Library.-The Essentials of Mental 21S. net. English. The Tale of Terror. By E. Birkhead. Constable. 15s. Manual of Modern Scots. By W. Grant and Prof. J. M. Dixon. Supervised Study in English for Junior High School Grades. An Etymological Dictionary of Modern English. By E. Weekley. The Study of English: A Course of English Composition. By (Continued on page 316.) Now being published. A New Series to Supplement the famous PIERS PLOWMAN SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC General Editor: E. H. SPALDING, M.A. For use in secondary schools and colleges and in continuation schools. Also as Teachers' SEVEN BOOKS These books depict some of the conditions and changes which have marked the lives of ordinary folk in past times. They trace, very simply, through the centuries, the development of England on its social side; they deal with the ways in which people lived, earned their daily bread, traded, worshipped God, travelled, amused themselves, or endured the ups and downs of life. GEORGE PHILIP & SON, LTD., 32 FLEET STREET, LONDON, E.C.4. THE 'NORMAL' REPORT ON THE SHORTENED MATRICULATION EXAMINATION. The Principals of the "Normal" have received the following information from their pupils who have taken this special Matriculation. I. The Viva Voce Examination. This part of the examination took about fifteen minutes, and was held by the Chancellor of the University and by seven or eight of the Professors. In most cases candidates had to leave their written work for the interview, and were asked where they were educated and what subjects they intended taking in their subsequent degree examination. Nearly all the questions dealt with those degree subjects. In the Chemistry, for example, a special point was made of the practical work the candidate had previously done, and where he intended to do the practical work for the degree. Those candidates who were not interviewed during the first day had to appear the next day. II. The Written Examination. This occupied five hours of one day. It was the general opinion of our pupils that the questions in the four subjects were not so difficult as those set at the ordinary Matriculation in the five subjects. The English paper consisted solely of an essay, and lasted one hour. For the Mathematics two hours were allowed, and for most of the other papers one hour was given. Date of Examination. The examination was held on December 11th. The dates of other of these special examinations are March 12th, May 7th, and September 24th next. III. IV. Ages of Candidates. We are informed that the ages ranged from 25 to 55. V. A Pupil's Experience. Dear Sir, 240 Tower End, Golcar, Huddersfield, Feb. 15th, 1921. I sat for the London University Registered Teachers' Matriculation examination in December last, and am pleased to be able to tell you that I was successful. This is especially gratifying as the examination was fixed to take place fully a month before the date for which I was preparing. Consequently no final revision was possible as I had only four day's notice of the date of the examination. Please accept my sincerest thanks for the very efficient help you have given me. I found the papers covered the whole of the course very thoroughly indeed, and it was this thoroughness which enabled me to sit for the examination without any revision whatever. Yours very faithfully, L. G. GARDNER. OFFICIAL INFORMATION. The following persons, if over 25 years of age, are allowed to enter for a shortened form of Matriculation examination : All Registered Teachers, Ministers of Religion, Barristers and Solicitors, Doctors, Dentists, and qualified Engineers, Architects, Surveyors, Chemists, Accountants, and Auditors, and also regular officers of His Majesty's forces. The above are examined in FOUR subjects only. Logic or Mathematics must be taken. The other three subjects may be selected by the candidate from the ordinary Matriculation Syllabus. (The Principals of the Normal will be pleased to advise.) The Board may take into account any Certificate the candidate may present or any examination he may have passed; but in no case shall a candidate be passed without viva-voce examination. The examination is held in London only. The written part lasts one day. For the oral examination attendance for a second day may be necessary. NORMAL THE COLLEGE FOR CORRESPONDENCE TUITION, NORMAL CORRES. COLL., Melford Road, East Dulwich, London, S.E. 22. |