ootnotes and cross
references; amply illustrated with twenty-seven real representations of
tools, weapons, musical instruments and other pieces of handwork;
containing, incidentally, a good bibliography of the subject; and
finally, with its conclusions condensed in the last four pages, it is a
book excellent in plan and in execution. The map, however, which has
been selected for the book is overcrowded and, therefore, practically
useless.

As a scientific study, its value is suggested by the topics emphasized,
viz., "Climate," "Institutions," "Foreign Influence," "Proverbs,"
"Folklore," and "Writing System." Referring to the climate the author
says: "In West Africa the body loses its strength, the memory its
retentiveness, and the will its energy. These are the effects observed
upon persons remaining in West Africa only for a short time, and they
form a part of the experience of almost every person who has lived on
the West Coast. White persons,--with beautiful skin, clear and soft, and
with rosy cheeks,--after they have been in West Africa for a while
become dark and tawny like the inhabitants of Southern Spain and Italy.
If we can detect these effects of the West African climate in only a
short time upon persons who come to the West Coast, what must have been
the effect of such a climate upon the Negroes who for centuries have
been exposed to its hardships?"

The moral life of the Vais appears to be the product of their social
institutions and their severe environment. These institutions grow out
of the necessities of government for the tribe under circumstances which
suggest and enforce their superstitions and beliefs. This is not so
with respect to education. It seems that the influence of the "Greegree
Bush" (a school system) is now considerably weakened by the Liberian
institutions on the one hand, the Mohammedan faith and customs on the
other. So that now this institution falls short of achieving its aims,
and putting its principles into practice.

The study as a whole gives evidence of the author's eight years of
travel and research, and can be read with profit by all friends of
mankind.

Walter Dyson.

_The Education of the Negro Prior to 1861_. By C. G. Woodson, Ph.D. G.
P. Putnam's Sons, New York, 1915. 460 pages. $2.00 net.

The very title of Dr. Woodson's book causes one who is interested in the
race history to ask questions and think. There are comparatively few people
who know anything about t