of their advent on the material interests of the country is declared to be good. The writer gives some historical facts about China, and a brief account of Confucius. China," she says, "furnishes the sole and only example of a nation that has worked out its own salvation from barbarism, and come up unaided into the light of civilization." For this statement she gives no authority-indeed, quotes Niebuhr to the contrary; and it seems to involve a double assumption; first, that any nation has ever done thus, and second, that the Chinese alone have. We were not aware that "the world's history" had a single instance of any community or people which, without the aid of others more enlightened, progressed in any degree from barbarism toward civilization. Of the good qualities of the Chinaman as a laborer we are somewhat cognizant, even in this part of the country; but the important question which the States on the Pacific coast, and indeed all the States, have to determine, does not touch this point, but concerns the effect on the industrial, social and political system of communities, of an immense and sudden influx of Chinese-a matter infinitely more important, but to which the authoress has paid very little attention.

Miss Cone has described the Yosemite Valley rather better than any one whose account we have yet seen. So the other places specially mentioned. She illustrates very happily the charms of Santa Barbara, by the story of the preacher who, holding forth there, felt it incumbent on him to remind his hearers that, as they could not always stay in that abode of delight, they would do well to prepare themselves to go to heaven, which he took pains to describe as equally attractive.

The mechanical execution of the book is good, and it has that invaluable adjunct to a book of travels—a good map.

DARWINIANA: ESSAYS AND VIEWS PERTAINING TO DARWINISM. By Asa Gray, Fisher Professor of Natural History (Botany) in Harvard University. D. Appleton & Co., N. Y.

Although American bibliographers have not been forced to make a separate department for works on Darwinism, corresponding to that entitled "Darwinismus," which is found in most German book catalogues, still publications on the subject have been with us neither. few nor uninteresting. We are therefore not surprised at the title "Darwiniana," prefixed to a series of essays by Prof. Asa Gray, the Harvard Professor of Botany.

In these thirteen essays before us, of which all but the last have already appeared in print, he discusses a variety of questions involved in or closely connected with the origin of species by natural selection. The larger question of evolution, as a system of philosophy, which has in a manner swallowed up the scientific theory of the origin of species, and has replaced it in the minds of many, he does

not wish to discuss at all. His own personal views, indeed, he distinctly gives in opposition to "English positivism and kindred forms of materialistic philosophy," which have taken up the derivative theory in their interest. In the preface he defines himself as "one who is scientifically and in his own fashion a Darwinian, philosophically a convinced theist, and religiously an acceptor of the 'creed commonly called the Nicene,' as the exponent of Christian faith." In accordance with this position, he devotes much. space to showing that Darwinism is not necessarily atheistical. He proves that it can be accepted equally readily from a theistic standpoint; and, accepting it thus himself, he goes farther and shows that this theory can contribute many elements of strength to the argument for design used in natural theology. From his final paper on "Evolutionary Teleology," a very able discussion of this question, we make an extract illustrative of this. "By the adoption of the Darwinian hypothesis, or something like it, which we incline to favor, many of the difficulties are obviated and others diminished. In the comprehensive and far-reaching teleology which may take the place of the former narrow conceptions, organs and even faculties, useless to the individual, find their explanation and reason of being. Either they have done service in the past, or they may do service in the future. They may have been essentially useful in one way in a past species, and though now functionless, they may be turned to account in some very different way hereafter. In botany several cases come to our mind which suggest such an interpretation."

His acceptance of Darwinism, as already stated in his own words, is a qualified one. This is his characterization of it: "We are disposed to rank the derivative hypothesis, in its fullness, with the nebular hypothesis, and to regard both as allowable, as not unlikely to prove tenable, in spite of some strong objections, but as not therefore demonstrably true. Those, if any there be, who regard the derivative hypothesis as satisfactorily proved, must have loose notions as to what proof is. Those who imagine it can be easily refuted and cast aside must, we think, have imperfect or very prejudiced conceptions of the facts concerned and of the questions at issue."

The attitude of working naturalists towards Darwinism is the subject of a very interesting paper, from which the following statement is taken: "Considerations such as these, of which a few specimens have now been adduced (not general speculations, as the unscientific are apt to suppose), and trials of the new views, to see how far they will explain the problems or collocate the facts they are severally dealing with, are what have mainly influenced working naturalists in the direction of the provisional acceptance of the derivative hypothesis. They leave to polemical speculators the fruitless discussion of the question whether all species came from

one or two, or more; they are trying to grasp the thing by the near, not by the farther end, and to ascertain, first of all, whether it is probable or provable that present species are descendants of former ones which were like them, but less and less like them the farther back we go."

In this same paper, certain fierce opposers of Darwinism are thus quieted: "Those defenders of the faith are more zealous than wise who must needs fire away in their catapults the very bastions of the citadel, in the defense of outposts that have become untenable. It has been and always will be possible to take an atheistic view of Nature; but far more reasonable, from science and philosophy only, to take a theistic view. Voltaire's saying here holds true: that, if there were no God known, it would be necessary to invent one. It is the best, if not the only hypothesis for the explanation of the facts."

In our opinion, essays of this character will do much towards obtaining a respectful hearing for Darwinism with all classes of thoughtful readers, and for this reason we welcome them, and thank Prof. Gray for the service he has done.

BOOKS RECEIVED.

Our Mutual Friend. By Charles Dickens. Condensed by Rossiter Johnson (Condensed Classics). 18mo., cloth. $1.00. Pp. 350. New York: Henry Holt & Co. [Porter & Coates.]

Mutual Criticism. 16mo., paper, 25 cents. Pp. 96. Oneida, New York: Office of the American Socialist.

Fallen Fortunes. By James Payne. 8vo., paper, 75 cents. Pp. 223. New York: D. Appleton & Co. [Porter & Coates.]

Heroines of Freethought. By Sara A. Underwood. 12mo, cloth. Pp. 327. New York: Charles P. Somerby. [J. B. Lippincott & Co.]

Captain Sam. By George Cary Eggleston. 12mo., cloth, $1.50. Pp. 212 New York: G P. Putnam's Sons. [Claxton, Remsen and Haffelfinger.]

Boys of Other Countries. By Bayard Taylor. 12mo., cloth, $1.50. Pp. 164 New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons. [Claxton, Remsen & Haffelfinger.]

Essays in Literary Criticism. By Richard Holt Hutton. 12mo., cloth, $1.50. Pp. 367. Philadelphia: J. H. Coates & Co.

The Ethics of Benedictus de Spinoza. From the Latin, with an introductory sketch of his life and writings, by D. D. S. Pp. 338. New York: Van Nostrand & Co.

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PENN MONTHLY.

DECEMBER, 1876.

THE MONTH.

THE political status in Europe has only changed by the empty pretence of peace under form of a six weeks' armistice, with a view to a conference of the Powers. The prospect of any peaceful solution of the Eastern problem seems as far off as ever; indeed no solution seems at all possible that will suit more than one party, and if any basis of peace be reached it will be because more than one of the Great Powers has taken counsel with its fears rather than its wishes or its hopes.

Both seem to feel this and neither seems afraid. In Russia they are making all the preparations which portend a struggle; it is the moment with her which the old sailor pronounced the most terrible the sanding of the decks before going into action. The one great difficulty in her way is the want of money, and as the Jews are unitedly favoring Turkey, and the English money market is of course not open, money is not easily borrowed.

In England the division between the mind of the nation and that of the government seems as great as ever. The Times speaking for the former bids Russia Godspeed in her new crusade. The Pall Mall Gazette, now a semi-official organ and the spokesman of the English"Mohammedans," warns Russia not to trust to such utterance, and reminds her how the Times misled her at the opening of the Crimean war.

Other English newspapers foreshadow the policy which the Disraeli Government will follow in case of a Russian invasion of Turkey.