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NEW BOOKS. a word or in a sentence certain letters or words ootne to Htan.l f whole, so that within these limits changes and exchanges may take place without shaking the meaning. This brings to light the <l i-t indum between pure word-idea and meaning-idea ; the former is usually in terms of visual or auditory imagery, whilst the imagery of the latter must I,, ;. Auditory or visual sensibility may he impaired without loss of ability to interpret meaning; but loss of kintcsthetic sensations must in inability to interpret. (Surely this ' must' is too emphatic, even though supported by pathological evidence of a negative kind ; at any rate tradictory observations have been more than once recorded.) There follows a very valuable treatment of lapses as examples of assimilation. Three laws of verbal assimilation are stated : (1) Errors arc due to the breaking up of an habitual association, but tend to take familiar (significative) forms. (2) Adjacent similars tend to conflict and coalesce. (3) The most vivid and exciting fonns tend most to break up the habitual process. On the basis of the first law the interfe: of attention with habit lapses may be classified as persistent (e.g., ' ballot-bax ') and anticipatory {'to shut's one mouth'). Lastly, lapse* are classified as cases of coalescence (1) by substitution ellipsis, trans- position, or substitution proper the common mark of the class being the expulsion of one element ; (2) by modification and coalition of the elei i involved e.g., exchanges. A few suggestions for a psychology of the Ludicrous close thi- careful monograph. Tables of examples are given throughout, drawn partly from experiment anil partly from ordinary life. It should be added that the author would welcome further data. T. LOVKIIAY. Drm nix nf a Spirit Si-i-r Illustrated by Dreamt <>j Mi-tn/iliimii-... IMMANUEL KANT. Translated by EMANUEL F. GoBKWXTZ. Kdited with an Introduction and Notes by FRANK SEWALL. London : Swan Sonnenschein ; New York : The Macmillan Company. Pp. xiv., Iti'J. Once upon a time Imraanuel Kant was extravagant enough to pay the prodigious sum of 1 for a copy of Swedenborg's Arcami His motives in so doing have never been fully cleared up. It would seem, however, that being at that time, under the influence of Hume, more open than before (or after) to empirical evidence, he had been impressed by some hearsay stories about Swedenborg's gupranonnal powers, and had taken considerable pains (unsuccessfully) to obtain first hand accounts of them. After being disappointed in his purchase. Kant next seems to have conceived the happy thought of revenging himself, and perhaps recovering his outlay, by reviewing it in what appeared to him a popular and facetious style. The result was the somewhat enigmatical pamphlet under consideration, which his admirers have agreed to describe as a wonderfully witty satire both on metaphysics and on spirit-seeing. A more dispassionate criticism would perhaps point out on the one hand that transplantation into East Prussian soil had not mai facilitated the flow of Kant's hereditary endowment of Scotch humour. and on the other, that the whole argument is such a juuible that its |N>iui is by no means clear. Accordingly it is not surprising that Mr. Sowall should have had it translated in order to bring out the debt (over and above the i'7 paid) which Kant, in his opinion, owes to Swedenborg. He seems to make out a plausible case for tracing to this questionable source several Kantian notions that have always vexed his students, r.y.. the mundus intelliijibilin, and the knack (so necessary to free beings) of living 35