The Press. — London, England, 1857-02-07 00:00:00

138 sees all things from the first, effects all that He wills in His own way, never makes a mistake, never miscalculates a consor ► uence, never overlooks an element or a condition, is never deceived or overpowered by independent and sub ordinate agents, never need suspend His steps to watch an event or retrace His course to rectify an error. But the wisest of men must often do this ; and so, misled by a false analogy, we are apt to attribute to God the imperfection of our own works. We form our calculations, and they prove erroneous because the immutable laws around us inter• fere with our plans in some unforeseen way ; and this makes us sometimes speak and think as if the events which depend on the laws which God has made were in some way independent of Hint and out of the reach of His power. The most profound and thoughtful among us can never lay down universal rules of conduct with such abso lute accuracy that considerations of justice, equity, or ex pediency will not sometimes lead him to make exceptions to his rule, and we transfer too readily this consequence of human imperfection to the supreme and perfect Lawgiver. The most comprehensive human mind, which sees furthest into nature and enters most minutely into phenomena, sees nevertheless but a very small portion of actual being. There is much subtle analysis iu the mode in which the " Fellow of a College " illustrates tile varieties of reflection suggested by the common accidents of life : Suppose then I need not say that it is no merely ima ginary case) a person choked by a fish-bone, and so killed. Life and death, we all allow, are in the hands of God. A believer would not doubt that one who dies by an accident of this kind dies at the time and in the manner which God irt His providence thinks best. The fish-bone is the in s-rument of His will. It has fixed itself in the sufferer's throat by no miraculous agency, but in the ordinary course of cause and effect. But only consider for a moment the complication of causes which placed it there. The toil of the crew of a fishing-boat some two nights before—the con• ditions of wind and wave which caused a fish with a bone of this particular shape to be caught—the demand and consequent supply which brought it to a town some hun• dred miles from the sea—the little circumstances which led to the purchase in the town of this individual fish— and a hundred other points of detail, such as the light by which the dinner was eaten, the exact degree of hardness cr softness in the fish as dependent on the precise manner of cooking, even the power of contractility in the eater's throat, which may again have depended on his general health or on the bracing or relaxing state of the atmo sphere. Vary but one of these conditions and the same result would probably not have happened. And perhaps a medical man could not be found till too late; and his ab• sence was caused by the illness of another patient, itself dependent on causes equally remote and obscure. Could you blame any one who, having first accepted the truth that death in this case happened according to the provi dence of God, saw His linger also in every circumstance which had led to it, and attributed them all to His will ? The reflection expressed here is a common one. The " Fellow of a College " sketches reli gious classes and their opposites. Ho remarks eloquently, contrasting the strong with the weak : No doubt, in many of the truest and tenderest natures the Divine purposes are first recognised in their aspect of love. Tneir hearts open to love like flowers to the sun. The most precious truth has the deepest hold on their consciousness. Their sense of the loveliness of religion and its Author tempers from the first their perception of its awfulness. The shocks and trials of life deepen every feeling of their own nothingness and 6od's omnipotence, but they do not atop for a moment the habitual current of their thoughts, in which faith and hope and love run on, gently mingling together. But others have a very different history from this. There is, perhaps, no swill portion of gentleness and love in their nature ; but there is much rude power and undirected force as well. Their very energy misleads them. Their strength of will hurries them along a mistaken course, or their own power of thought plunges them deep in error. The probability is that their real life begins with a convulsion. To them there is war before peace, sin before holiness, error before truth, confusion before order, darkness before light, chaos before creation. And somehow, as we spoke of sin and its incapacity to arrest the Divine purposes, my thoughts wandered to these. And ho then continues in a style which shows that he is suited for addressing a congre gation : E.: But, u you say, they are not to remain strangers to love ? II.: No •, but as I said also they must, for the most part, first learn by experience what is meant by that broken and contrite heart which God does not despise. They must how to the law of necessary obedience. They must listen to the voice of authority, which calls on them to stop in their self-chosen course and proves to them the emptiness of their fancied independence. But their work is not ended here ; it is only just beginning. Their purposes are frustrated, but God has His own. The negative com mand must become positive ; they were forbidden evil only that they might do good. If they will but look around, they will perceive the path of duty opening before them. They will walk as into a new world. They will toil as willing servants of a Master who knows their powers, and will neither overtask nor waste them ; and that awful face, which seemed to regard them from heaven only to vex and terrify them, will bless them with a look of love. They will work cheerfully, hopefully, and vigorously, and build it may be a glorious future on the ruirts of a saddened and perhaps &amoral past. THE PRESS. Although there are both talent and learning shown in both these volumes, we cannot say that either of them can be accepted as a valuable contribution to the metaphysics of Providence. The Wreck of the Northern Belle. By, Edwin Arnold, M.A., University College, Oxford. Hastings : G. P. Bacon. Tnis beautiful little poem is worthy the attention of all lovers of poetry, as well as all admirers of genuine courage and devotion. The wreck of the vessel near Kingsgate, the sensations of the crew, the de struction of the first boat which put off to them, and their ultimate rescuo by the gallant crew of the life boat, is told in verse most spirited and harmonious. In graphic simplicity this little production is scarcely inferior to some of our best ancient ballads ; while the swing and plunge, if we may so speak, of the verse, is most happily adapted to the subject of the poem. Though very brief, it is equal to anything which Mr. Arnold has yet written. We subjoin a few lines : Yet a greater space To us had been grace, For still as we neared the shore, The wild white roll of the waves on the shoal Roared round us more and more ; Roared out, in a ring around us, You might see them fore and aft, On ragged ledge, And splintered edge, All mad to dash our craft; While the ghastly rocks, With their sea-weed locks Awash in the whirling froth, Stood up like slaves Of the winds and waves, Waiting to wreak their wrath. Not yet, brave ship, For the anchor's grip Is fast in the ooze and shell ; The gusts may shake And the great surge break, But the iron holds her well. If a smith could tell, As his sledgehammer fell, That each little link should held The craft and the crew, And their lives' hope too, His strokes would be strong and bold I Ease, ease, mad sfrain ! Hold, hold, good chain! We freshened the hawse once more; "I'was ten of the day, And the vessel lay Stern on to the snow•dimmed shore. PERIODICAL LITERATURE. Blackwood this month is especially good. The first article is upon "The War in Asia," and urges the adoption of vigorous measures to counteract the progress of Russia in that part of the world. The convict question receives admirable treatment in two articles, one especially devoted to the subject, en titled "Tickets of Leave," and the other called " Letters from a Lighthouse," being a bird's-eye view of the most interesting and pressing social and political topics. "From Pent to Bucharest" is a lively traveller's sketch. "Scenes of Clerical Life," No. 11., is very good ; " Lord St. Leonards," a critical and clever summary of that great lawyer's career, and vindicating for him a position among the great legal luminaries of modern times. The story of "The Athelings," which had begun to flag a little, now re covers itself, and this month we have a very stimu lating instalment. Fraser commences with an article Iby Mr!,Frou le, in which deep thoughts are clothed in precise lan guage, and a vigorous style is not gained at the expense of candour. The name of the paper is " Gleanings from the Record-office," and the pur pose of it to show that the accounts handed down to us of the condition of the monasteries at the time of the Reformation are not so exaggerated as some writers have been willing to suppose. But the most valuable part of the article will be found in the opening pages, and in Mr. Froutle's reflections upon the mistaken verdicts which a later age is so liable to pass upon a prior one. The following remarks de serve attention : Historians are fond of recording the supposed suffer. ings of the poor in the days of serfdom and villanage; yet the records of the strikes of the last ten years, when told by the sufferers, contain pictures no less fertile in tragedy. NVe speak of famines and plagues under the Tudors and Stuarts; but the Irish famine, and the Irish plague of 1547, the last page of such horrors which has yet been turned over,ia the most horrible or all. Wo can conceive a description of England during the year which has just closed over us, true in all its details, containing no one statement which can be challenged, no single exaggeration which can be proved. Aud this description, if given with out the correcting traits, shall make ages to cyme marvel why the Cities of the Plant were destroyed, and England was allowed to survive. The frauds of trusted men, high in power anti high in supposed religion; the wiwleinlc SATURDAY, poisonings ; the robberies ; the adulteration of food—nay, of almost everything exposed for sale—the cruel usage of women—children murdered for the burial fees—life and pro. perty insecure in open day iu the open streets—splendour such as the world never saw before upon earth, with vice and squalor crouching under its walls—let all this bo written down by an enemy, or let it be ascertained here. after by the investigation of a posterity which desires to judge us as we generally have judged our forefathers, and few years will show darker in the English annals than tho year Is bleb has so lately closed behind us. Yet we know, in the honesty of our hearts, how unjust such a picture would be. Our future advocate, if we are so happy as to find cne, may not be able to disprove a single article iu the indictment—and yet we know that, as the world goes, he will be right if he marks the year with a white stroke— as one in which, on the whole, the moral harvest was better than an average. "The Interpreter " progresses favourably. " The Three Numbers " is an exciting story of a highly melodramatic character, with a moral showing the result of keeping criminals in their own country. " A Christmas Week at Giasgow " is a genial and appetising article, though we had an idea there was more liquor drank there. " Little Lessons for Little Poets " is a sc.und critical article which we have read with the greatest satisfaction, and we sincerely trust the writer will follow it up by another equally wholesome dose, much required by certain other little poets whom a careful system of puffing, both printed and private, has blown out to within an inch of bursting. The Dublin University Magazine has various good articles upon popular subjects. " What Shall we Do with the Poison Trade " is a useful and well-timed contribution. The account of the Prussian army, supposing the facts to be correct, is w€ll put together ; and the review of the Staff Officer's " Letters," as an epitome of the arguments in Lord Raglan's favour, and an attempt to come to some impartial conclusion on the conduct of the press, will, we should think, prove useful to most readers. "The Fortunes of Glencore" grows very interesting : the character of Sir Horace Upton may be a little over done, but on the whole the tale has a combination of incidents, surprises, and good characterisation, which must insure lasting popularity. Most of the other articles are quite sufficiently good to maintain the character of the magazine ; but there are one or two not quite of that calibre we are accustomed to expect from a periodical of this standing. Bentley contains a continuation of Mr. Dudley Costello's story entitled " The Millionaire of Minc ing -lane." To judge from these first two numbers the tale will be one of high interest, and is in our opinion no bad exchange for Mr. Ainsworth's " Spendthrift." " Napoleon the Third " is a review of Dr. Veron's recent work. The Doctor is sharply chas tised for his impertinence. " The Red Court Farm " is a very good tale, exactly the thing fur magazine readers. The sketch of Mrs. Glover, by 'F. P. Grinsted, is pleasant reading, though we see no reason why it might not have been rather fuller, The Monthly Review has an entertaining account of French society before the Revolution ; a rather indignant essay upon Mr. Thackery's philosophy; a review of " Boswell's Letters," and of Mr. Ruskin on the Turner Gallery. Science is represented by an article on the " Suez Canal and Euphrates Rail way," and another on " Dr. Kane's Arctic Expbra tions ;" religion by a paper on " Church Exten sion," and politics by one on the " Persian War," of which we can only say that a writer who undertakes to sot everybody to rights in so decisive a fashion is bound to go into the question at rather g:eater length than two or three pages, and to condescend to the material aid of fact.. and arguments before he can hope to influence the public. On the whole the review keeps its ground as by far the most promis ing of all the younger periodicals. The New Monthly opens with a very amusing, gossipping article about " The Baths of Lucca." We should be glad if our space permitted us to give some extracts ; as it is, we can only recommend it to the attention of our readers. " Five Thousand a Year," by the author of " Ashley," is rather a pointless tale, the illness of Mrs. Grainger, at the commencement, which is made so much of, having nothing whatever to do witl► the story. We have a good review of " Marmont's Memoirs," and a tolerable account of Wilkes and the North Briton business in Mr. Andrews' " History of the Newspaper Press " ; but this gentleman scarcely possesses the peculiar talent suitable to the kind of work he has undetaken, and fails in every number to do justice to his very interesting and curious topic. "The Past Recess," by Cyrus Redding, is not more successful than that gentleman's raids into the field of politics usually are. The London University Magazine scarcely fulfils the promise with which it started. The articles are too short. A newspaper article and a magazine essay are essentially different things ; and we would recommend the editor of this periodical to take hint from the oldest and best of the class ; /31aok