NEW BOOKS. 425 To the sentiment of brotherly lve he appeals without reference, and often in direct antagonism to authority and tradition. Christ's teaching was the highest type of optimism: an " optimism," says Professor Watson, which " flows from absolute trust in the goodness of God, and in a recognition that man in his ideal nature is a ' son of God ' " (p. 97). The rapid change of Christianity in Mediaeval times Professor Watson ascribes to three influences: (1) the belief that the kingdom of heaven could not be realised in this life ; (2) a belief in the absolute authority of the Church ; (8) the opposition of faith and reason. Chapter vi. in part ii. is devoted to a defence of " the general doctrine of Idealism, which affirms that the knowable world is identical with the world as it really is, and is a systematic or rational unity " (p. 153). Agnosticism confuses the unknown with the unknowable, against which error Professor Watson protests. All knowledge is a knowledge of realities so far as it goes, but we cannot set limits to its possible exten- sion. Chapter viii., entitled "Idealism and Christianity," deals (1) with the conception of God as the absolute of all existence ; (2) the relation of the world, and especially of man, to the absolute. From the considera- tion of these two points the author concludes " that Idealism is in essential harmony with the Christian ideal of life as held by the Founder of Christianity, however it may differ, at least in form, from popular Christian theology " (p. 193). T. W. LEVIN. Habit and Instinct. By C. LLOYD MORGAN, F.G.S. London and New York : Edward Arnold, 1896. Pp. 351. This is a highly interesting and important contribution to Comparative Psychology. Among other points, it brings out in a clear light the im- portance of inherited organisation in determining the course of psychical activity. The author holds that there is little evidence either in animals or in man " of the hereditary transmission of increments of faculty due to continued and persistent use " (p. 346). Fuller notice will follow. We here give the headings of the chapters : Chap. i. " Preliminary Defini- tions and Illustrations " ; chap. ii. " Some Habits and Instincts of Young Birds " ; chap. iii. " Locomotion in Young Birds " ; chap. iv. "Further Observations on Young Birds"; chap. v. " Observations on Young Mammals " ; chap. vi. ' The Pielatioii of Consciousness to In- stinctive Behaviour " ; chap. vii. " Intelligence and the Acquisition of Habits " ; chap. viii. " Imitation" ; chap. ix. "The Emotions in their llelation to Instinct"; chap. x. "Some Habits and Instincts of the Pairing Season " ; chap. xi. " Nest-building, Incubation and Migra- tion "; chap. xii. "The lielation of Organic to Mental Evolution 5 '; chap. xiii. " Are Acquired Habits Inherited ? " chap. xiv. " Modifica- tion and Variation " ; chap. xv. 4i Heredity in Man ". The, Science of Education. By JOHANN FEIEDRICH HERBART, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Gottingen. Translated from the German with a Biographical Introduction by HENRY M. and EMMIK FELKIN, and a Preface by OSCAR BROWNING, M.A., Fellow of King's College, Cambridge. Second edition. London : Swan Sonnen- schein & Co., Lim., 1897. Pp. xx., 286. It is gratifying to see a second edition of this translation, inasmuch as it points to a growing interest in educational theories. But it may be doubted whether it is worth while to trouble the hard-working teacher
