ALUMNI PUBLICATIONS

Our Italian Fellow Citizens, in Their OldHomes and Their New, by FRANCIS E. CLARK '73. Boston: Small, Maynard & Co., 1919.

Dartmouth's most widely travelled alumnus is Dr. Francis E. Clark of the class of 1873. Indeed, few men of any college or calling have seen more of this globe than he. All countries are known to him, all the wellworn beaten tracks of travel and many an unfrequented. by-path besides. He is not only widely travelled, but a keen and sympathetic observer and interested in all phases of life and customs in the many lands he has visited.

His most recently published book is a contribution to the literature of immigration. To give background to the study, several chapters are devoted to Italian history, going back to Italy in the Dark Ages. Then follow chapters on Italy today, her progress, her ideals, her intellectual life, and the reasons, economic and political (chiefly economic) why Italians emigrate. Not to seem too partisan, Dr. Clark follows a chapter on "The Agreeable Italian" by one called "The Disagreeable Italian," and then contrasts the northern and southern Italian and gives us a glimpse of the Sicilian at home. He answers very favorably the question "Will they make good Americans?" and devotes another chapter to the discussion of the problem of the distribution of the emigrants after they have reached the United States. This from the standpoint of the American people, is the greatest problem connected with the whole situation. When it is considered that of the 274,000 Italians who came to America in 1913 (the year when the high-tide of immigration was reached) more than 100,000 remained in overcrowded New York, one sees how much is needed some system of more, equal distribution of laborers to localities where work may be obtained. "Back to the land" would be Dr. Clark's solution, for most of the immigrants from Italy are of the peasant stock, a hard-working, sturdy people, illiterate, but not stupid and uninteliigent, and able to live happily in most humble circumstances.

The conclusion of the whole matter of Italian immigration, as Dr. Clark sees it, is that the stream of incoming Italian citizens will soon be increased to the volume it was before the great warthat Italy needs the outlet for her crowding population, and that America needs the brawn and muscle, the work and the various good characteristics that Italians bring to these shores.

M. F. E.

Fundamentals of High School Mathematics, by H. O. RUGG '08 and J. R. CLARK. World Book Company, Chicago: 368 pages.

"Fundamentals of High School Mathematics" is a text book designed to follow the conventional course in arithmetic. The authors maintain that the present first year course in algebra is useless for too much time is spent on technique and not enough on insight. Hence they have omitted practically all the formal manipulation that one finds in the present first year course. They also maintain that children do their thinking in terms of detailed word symbols and not in the abbreviated symbolic notation of algebra. Hence the transition from words to symbols is slow. This gives what the authors call a "wordy text" which they maintain makes it so the average pupil can read the text understandingly and can learn to solve most of the problems unaided. No demonstrative geometry is included but the theorems on similar triangles, the theorem Pythagoras, etc., with applications, are given. The work relating to the representation and comparison of quantities by means of tables and graphs is exceedingly well done.

The text gives an excellent introduction to the study of algebra and geometry. I say introduction for if one intends to go to college it would be necessary to follow this course by a course in both algebra and geometry for the material given in the text is not sufficient to prepare a man for college work.

F. M. M.