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PHILOSOPHICAL PERIODICALS. 283 higher functions of knowledge. Very few things are evident and these are chiefly of the ignobler kind. We must affirm then more than we see. To affirm without sufficient reason more than we see is an act of rash credulity. But to affirm more than we see, with good reasons for our belief, is an act of wisdom. It is not, however, an act to which nature constrains us. It postulates the presence of good will. E. Pasquier (' Les hypotheses cosmogoniques,' suite et fin) discusses the hypotheses of Faye, Ligondes, and Braun. He believes that in some respects the hypothesis of Faye is superior to that of Laplace, and agrees with Wolf as to the modifications which Laplace would introduce into his hypothesis in the actual state of science. M. de Wulf (' Qu'est-ce que la Philosophic scolastique ? ' suite et fin) who, in a previous article had rejected various extrinsic definitions of scholasticism, now sets aside as false, or at least incomplete, certain intrinsic definitions of that system. A. Thiery (' Qu'est-ce que 1'art ? ') sets before us the views on art that have been lately published by Count Leon Tolstoi. Tolstoi identifies beauty with pleasure. To consecrate art then to the service of beauty is to consecrate art to the service of pleasure. But this is to assign an ignoble end to art. Art must then be emancipated from the service of beauty. What then is the aim of art ? It is " the realisation of the fraternal union of men ". This is the only true aim of art. But if art be the means of uniting men, it must appeal not to a class, but to all. It must be simple then, so that he that runs may read it. What, then, of the Ninth Sym- phony of Beethoven ? " It is not a work of art," boldly answers Tolstoi. L'AXNEE PSYCHOLOGIQUE, iv. Paris : Schleicher Freres, 1898. Pp. 849. The original papers, twenty-five in number, occupy rather more than half of the volume. The first twelve contain a report of two series of experiments by A. Binet and N. Vaschide, which have for their aim (1) the measurement of various physical properties of the individual, (2) the investigation of the correlations of these properties. It is explained that the latter investigation has hitherto received but little attention as compared with the former, and the authors do not profess to have made more than a first essay in it. The experiments were carried out with two groups of subjects, the first composed of boys in a primary school (average age thirteen), the second of youths in a training college for teachers (average age seventeen), and there were about forty subjects in each group. In a preliminary paper the authors explain their reasons for selecting the primary school as the sphere of their experiments. It has various drawbacks which limit the character of the experiments, but, on the other hand, it has the two great advantages of numbers and discipline. The importance of these two points is illustrated by an amusing description which the authors give of their troubles with volun- tary subjects in a private gymnasium. The following notes may serve to give some indication of the questions investigated and the methods 1. The first set of experiments in the primary school was directed to testing the muscular strength and endurance of the boj-s, a number of different tests being employed. In connexion with the test by means of hand-pressures, the authors find different types of endurance, e.g., a type in which the force exerted remains fairly steady, a type in which it diminishes continuously, a type in which it diminishes rapidly and then remains steady. The influence of rivalry is also studied, and, finally, the various tests are correlated with a view to determining which is the most representative. The second set of experiments, " epreuves de vitesse" includes the following tests: Reaction times, both simple and discrim- inative ; running ; rapidity of marking a series of dots on paper. As might be expected, the results of experiments so different in character