Man's Birthright, or the Higher Law of Property. By Edward H. G. Clark. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons. Pp. 133. Price, 75 cents.
This work seems to be the result of an attempt by the author to edit the "Ownership and Sovereignty" of Mr. David Reese Smith. The theory of that book was judged correct, but very inadequately presented; hence this attempt to redress, rearrange, and elaborate it from beginning to end. Mr. Clark accepts Henry George's theory of the right of each generation to own the soil, but differs from him as to the manner in which it is to be carried out. He announces the true law of ownership to be: "Mankind as a whole own the entire wealth of the world, natural and fabricated; but every individual in the world can command and control any piece of that wealth according to his normal purchasing power, which is the exact index of the value of his labor, his skill, his pecuniary ability. But, if he wishes to set aside for his private uses any portion of the general wealth, whether the piece of property contains his own labor or that of some one else, then he must pay on that piece of property the rest of the people's share of value bound up in it; and, if every other member of society pays his appropriate share of such values, exact justice is reached in every respect." This share is calculated to be an ad valorem tax on the property of every generation, exactly proportioned to the death-rate of the population.
Hegel's Æsthetics: A Critical Exposition. By John Steinford Kedney. Chicago: S. C. Griggs & Co. Pp. 302. Price, $1.25.
This is the fourth volume of Messrs. Griggs & Co.'s series of "German Philosophical Classics," the design of which is to present, under the editorial supervision of competent American scholars, the more essential parts of the important works of the masters of German thought. Hegel's "Æsthetics" is one of the most important works on the subject in existence, but it is voluminous. In the present adaptation, the first part, which gives the fundamental philosophy of the whole, is reproduced faithfully, but in a condensed form, with criticisms by the editor interspersed. A translation of the second part, which traces the logical and historical development of the art-impulse, being easily accessible (D. Appleton & Co.), the editor has substituted for it an original disquisition having more immediate regard to present æsthetic problems, but in a line with Hegel's thought. Of the third part, all the important definitions and fundamental ideas are given, but the minute illustrations and the properly technical part are omitted.
The Invalid's Tea-Tray. By Susan Anna Brown. Boston: J. R. Osgood & Co. Pp. 67. Price, 50 cents.
A dainty volume, as becomes a book of recipes of dishes designed to tempt the dainty appetite of an invalid. It contains fifty or more such recipes, of those things which arc considered best adapted to the invalid's condition, most nourishing or most easily digested, according as that condition may require; for the serving of which "the first requisite is absolute neatness." Also, the author says, "vary the meals as much as possible, and let each little delicacy be a surprise. Have the hot things really hot, and the cold ones perfectly cold; and offer only a very small quantity of food at a time, or you will never be able to tempt the capricious appetite of an invalid."
Materials for German Prose Composition. By C. A. Buchheim. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons. Pp. 252. Price, $1.25.
This book consists of selections from modern English writers, to be translated into German, to aid in which work grammatical notes are furnished, with idiomatic renderings of difficult passages, a general introduction, and a grammatical index. It has been the compiler's purpose to furnish a practical and theoretical guide to persons who, having a full knowledge of German accidence, and of the rules of the order of words, desire to gain skill in translating from English into German. The extracts have been made from the body of the author's work, with deliberate avoidance of "hackneyed" passages, and from the more modern authors. The matter is graduated into four parts, beginning with easy, detached sentences and minor extracts, and rising to more difficult passages and those involving idiomatic construction.
